2008 Nissan XTerra V6 Reviewed

The newest Nissan XTerra SUV is called the OR-V6. The OR stands for Off-Road, not Oregon, but it might as well stand for the perfect SUV if you live up in the mountains this winter. With the worst storms in a decade causing flooding all over the western half of the state, I was happy to have the very capable Nissan for the week! In the worst of it, I used the XTerra to ford a river - running across the freeway in the middle of Metro Portland. Who says these SUVs never get taken off road? Sometimes the off-road experience comes right to your front door!

But I digress.

The Nissan XTerra V6 is a great fun rig. The 4.0-liter engine produces 261 horsepower and 281 lb-ft of torque, and the tough little SUV puts every last erg of that power to good use. The V6 XTerra is, if anything, a little jumpy if you’re not gentle getting on the gas. And speaking of gas, the V6 XTerra gets a claimed 14/20 and a combined 16 mpg, which is not bad for a V6, but maybe a little lower than most people would like with gas north of $3 a gallon.

But let’s not dwell on the dismal state of fuel prices - the V6 XTerra is all kinds of fun. My test vehicle was Tonka Truck Yellow (probably not the official color name from Nissan, but you know what I mean) and very nicely turned out with features. The basic XTerra Off-Road V6 comes with a 5-speed automatic transmission with lo-range feature - a rarity among small SUVs, and that’s a feature that lets you know this is a serious off-road machine. You also get hill descent control and hill start assist - features normally found on machines like Volvos and Land Rovers. You also get a Bilstein suspension and fog lights and a roof rack and power everything.

Inside, the XTerra is comfortable, but easy to clean, with a rubberized cargo area, cargo net, and even a thoughtful first aid kit strapped into its own cubbyhole. The interior is functional and nice, and not trying to be anything fancy.

Looking down the option list, Nissan gifted this test car with the iPod attachment for $290, which is a good deal. But then they get $700 for a side curtain airbag package, which I think is really strange. Why charge extra for the kind of safety gear you’re probably putting on every XTerra to leave the factory? If you’ve designed in the capability to put that life-saving feature in every car, then you should do it and roll the cost into the base price - which at $27,330 isn’t going up that much - just to $28,000.

Nissan also put the Technology Package into this XTerra,  and at $1450 you get a better Rockford-Fosgate stereo with 6-disc changer, subwoofer, steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth, fancy rearview mirror, auxiliary MP3 jack, and XM Satellite radio. Not a bad deal for a stereo package, and the truck still stickered out at $30,590.

The XTerra, along with the Toyota FJ Cruiser, is great on or off road, through any weather, and it looks tough and fun. For $30,000, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better rig.