well 4 years later I decided another xterra was in order, so I got one. I had the original 2000 xterra se v6(sold in 2013 which is why I have been gone) I now have a 2011 xterra x v6 (obviously) well I gotta say the newer v6 is much better power wise and the truck feels a lot more solid then the 2000 did even though the 3.3 v6 was a tank other then the distributor just about a month and I have averaged 19.9mpg! not bad considering the 2000 only got 13 if I was lucky and had less torque, power, space etc. I do a lot more highway/open road driving now so my mpg will be higher then some because I drive different then the average person with not much stop and go, and my job now pays for gas while driving for them at 54 cents a mile which is more then paying for the gas expenses from my 2011 mazda 3 I traded in(2-3x the expenses used even with a 30 mile 1 way commute not paid for, it ONLY averaged about 24-26 even with same driving habits, long story why I traded the gist of which is more room) and appears to be getting me 1.75-2.5x the expenses for gas in the x with same 60 mile round trip commute,on top of the driving during work. so I got more power, more room, off road capabilities, a solid vq series engine and only sacrificed 4-6mpg (the mazda had very erratic mpg going all over the place the nissan so far has been in a tight range of 1-1.5mpg difference from highest to lowest) and it costs a little more to fill but not much and lasts just as long or a little longer then the mazdas did. and the mazda had humidity and temp sensitivity bad if it was warm and humid it had no power bad mpg etc. and I think the tranny was dying slowly at only 78k miles (that model still used ford transmissions for auto versions which I had, manual and I may not have traded and we all know how bad ford trannys can be, and the 2010-13 ones without the skyactiv motors auto tranny was known for overheating and burning the fluids (which I changed regularly anyhow and just generally being bad transmissions) im glad the x does not have heat sensitivity like that and shifts perfect.
yeah I am, its a basic model but hey basic is good when you need something built to last. only thing missing I want from the 2000 is the flip up roof which was nice on hot days while parked, otherwise cruise power locks and windows keyless entry and my upgraded stereo are fine. lots more power and space in the 2011 I was used to the pathetic 170hp SOHC 3.3l Distributor still 2000 model and had a 98 pathfinder before that xterra with the same motor (main reason I got that xterra at all because I knew the motor well)
I had that pathfinder for 4 years only issue it ever had was the distributor failed 10 minute easy fix. the 2000 x had the distributor fail too and whats funny is they both did it within 2,000 miles of each other (on each respective odometer) I loved the pathfinder but it got hit and totaled but after 4 years and me putting 50k miles on it and paying only $5000 for it from the get go I got $5000 back from insurance when they totaled it, so not bad. hell that pathfinder had the factory battery in it (from 1998 and I bought it in 08) and it lasted 6 months before it died I took it out the date code on the side said 6/98 on it so it lasted 10.7 years! no corrosion nothing. I had a hell of a loud 7000w (total power 6000 to subs and 1000 to door speakers) system in that pathfinder but those where my just out of high school stupid days but it won a few local competitions for spl drag and sound quality. it was so loud that all the metal would flex and I don't know how I did not blow out my hearing, my car windows and my house windows. it would knock products off shelves at autozone when I would pull up it hit so hard. after it got totaled I found that xterra and it had a few more issues but nothing too bad for 175k miles distributor failed, rear main seal leak and leaking back shocks where the main things it had some clearcoat peel on the top corner of the driver door but again it was 12 years old and almost had 200k miles that's to be expected especially older style silver colored paint.
the new x has no major paint issues (had to get tree sap off with a claybar and wax it) but no huge dents scratches, peeling or otherwise just normal usage stuff any car/suv/truck would have at 96k miles and even then the paint looks better then that of the same age mazda 3 I had similar color but it would get chipped just by looking at it. it had rock chips everywhere that I did not see well before buying (it had been cloudy that day and they showed up more in the sun later) i've always liked Nissan's "real" suv's and I mean truck frame based not crossover bitchuvs as I call them (though the 98 pathfinder was a "crossover" it still rode and drove more like a truck then the maxima on which it was based) when I get an suv I want it to be a lady on the street but a freak in the bed and by that I mean drives good on the road but can go offroad and do just as good and the xterra fills that role perfect. granted I only have a 4x2 because I don't off road a lot or very far when I do but the option is nice.
The only real thing im not liking on the 2011 is how easy to scratch the plastics inside are they scratch the easiest of any car I have ever owned, but again not a huge deal. the engine bay is nice and roomy which is great spark plugs look easy to change and I can see everything major (belt is coved by the intake tube but easy to move and see) but the storage space is massive and I like that (need it for the job, hauling computer equipment eats up more space then one would think) and 20mpg is not bad for a burly long stroke torque filled v6 heavy truck based suv
and I hate Chrysler products with every inch of my soul so I will NOT ever own a jeep or other Chrysler product, and Nissan quit making the x in 2015, so not much real off road style suvs left anymore theyre all mommymobiles (though ford is bringing the bronco back so maybe Nissan will bring the x back and give us a cummins diesel version or turbo/supercharged 4 banger with some torque and enough power for off roading) or even a v6 with all the newer tech for fuel economy (since that's the name of the game now and why the x was dropped, I know they could get 25-28mpg out of a modern v6 (even in my xterra setup its not THAT heavy it only weighs 5200 pounds) and that's only 1200 more then the compact hatch mazda 3 I owned right before it weighed in at 4,063gvw the x is 5,200gvw the VQ family of engines in this last gen of x terras and well any Nissan v6 from 05-2016ish where some of the best v6 engines Nissan has ever made reliable, powerful, efficient and they have won many awards so Nissan has it in them we just need a market for real, rugged off road suv's from somewhere other then jeep town. and maybe ford resurrecting the bronco will make Nissan resurrect the x!
I would think that the Fronty is up for an upgrade sometime soon as well. I would think that with the better economy now more people would be buying more offroad vehicles. Right now the most viable new option I'm seeing besides Jeeps is a 4Runner. But that's all just dreaming. I hope my 2000 X lasts me quite a few more years!
Hello and welcome to the forum! Great to have another Xterra owner here. Forum like this is the best way to make new friends and learn something new about a passion that runs deep. Hope you stick around and find it useful!
Hello and welcome to the forum! Great to have another Xterra owner here. Forum like this is the best way to make new friends and learn something new about a passion that runs deep. Hope you stick around and find it useful!
yeah, I had been on this forum previously when I had a 2000 xterra but sold it (mpg and poor paying job where main reasons, in college too) now I have my out of college job developing into a career and decided another xterra was a good choice and so far im loving it.plus work reimburses me 54 cents a mile while driving on the clock (which is a little bit since I support 9 texas oncology sites from Keller,TX all the way to Carrolton,TX I do IT support remote and on site plus pc lifecycle maintenance 2 sites in denton I support one each in Bedford, keller, Carrolton, flower mound, grapevine, Lewisville and irving and that's west mid cities to east mid cities area in the DFW metroplex and I live in Benbrook on the south west corner of fort worth and base out of the Bedford site so I have a 30 mile 1 way commute (60 miles x 5 days a week) not paid for but drive enough during work to pay for 2-3x the gas in my older car that got marginally better mpg (2011 mazda 3 2.5l, traded for this x) it got 25mpg usually but varied wildly from 22-26 depending on temps and humidity and the power would go up and down too and I think the auto tranny was failing a slow painful death as shifting became worse and worse and 2x the at light meaning overheat or issue with tranny flashed on when It downshifted from 5th to 4th and it only had 78k miles!
the x does not seem to care too much about temp or humidity(in the month I have owned it it has been hot, cool dry, humid every which way (its texas so wait 5 minutes the weather will change except june-early October) and gets great mpg for size and engine power im getting right under 20mpg average, same driving style as the mazda same highway/city split too (about 75-85% hwy) guess having 2 extra cylinders 1.5l more engine a long stroke for torque and a vq v6 (nissans best v6 engine family for reliability, performance and efficiency combination, in my opinion) adequate torque and hp to carry the car truck around and the storage space and offroad ability is nice. hell the x only weighs 1200 pounds more then that 3 did and has 100 more hp and 120 more ft pounds of torque so the 3 was inadequetly powered for its weight and the horrid auto did not help(I test drove a few manuals and they actually felt adequately powered, but had other major issues I was not wanting to fix right after buying a $10k used car so I ended up with the auto)
The 2011 x has what feels to be a solid engine and transmission combo that seem to work well together unlike the 3 it would hold the power back and try to get to 5th asap so itd be in 5th at 32mph! and I would have to floor it or go to manual mode to make it down shift to get going. the x does not do this a quick jab at the throttle (not even over half way down) gets power and it will downshift if needed to make power which is nice finally an auto I can live with again, most are top gear happy and wont give you passing power unless forced.
I would think that the Fronty is up for an upgrade sometime soon as well. I would think that with the better economy now more people would be buying more offroad vehicles. Right now the most viable new option I'm seeing besides Jeeps is a 4Runner. But that's all just dreaming. I hope my 2000 X lasts me quite a few more years!
very true and the cummins diesel would be a nice choice for offroad prowess and decent mpg and maybe a boosted v6 or i4 to have a good mpg gas option (since turbo i4s can now crank out v6-v8 level power and still be reliable) lighter frame and body design (which everything is now, since the tech has advanced to make strong but light frames) there are tons of people that want alternatives to a jeep wrangler, to me their ugly and unreliable POS machines. and a 4 runner is a softroader now yes its still truck based but needs a lift to be a real off road machine (the x does not need a lot to get off road from the factory) the 4runner is really designed for mall curb bounces and escorting kids to soccer practice, though it is a nice looking and driving suv) ford bringing the bronco back should poke Nissan in the eye and make them reconsider the x. the fj died but was short lived and designed to be so anyhow but the wrangler 4 runner new bronco has no counter from Nissan, yeah I could get a murano but why would I want that? they turned that into a stupid convertible 2 door thing that was useless and its a girl style vehicle anyway, more for soccer moms and no off road ability. Nissan has every segment covered but this one the x left in the suv and truck market (except extreme heavy duty which more and more is going to vans anyhow which they make excellent vans for)
I agree the new frontier design deserves a new xterra as well I like the frontier a lot but need a covered cargo area most of the time and hate camper shells, so an x fits the bill. they have something in every other segment mini car, compact, midsized, semi large (maxima), small suv (juke), medium suv (rouge) medium large suv murano and pathfinder and huge monster (armada) medium truck (frontier) large truck (titan), larger truck (titan diesel) but only 2 or 3 really have offroad capabilities and im not taking a $60000 armada off road and the titan is too long so that leaves the frontier as the lone good offroad machine they need a good offroad designed suv like the xterra was back to fill that gap for people like me that don't want a bitchuv (rouge, murano) and want off road abilities.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Nissan XTerra Forum
666.8K posts
75.2K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Nissan Xterra owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about superchargers, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, overlanding, towing capacity, and more!