Topic: Say bye bye to the Xterra

[0317]

NASHVILLE, Tennessee

[GreenGoon]

Wow, very disappointing but not surprising. I was hoping the rumors weren't true.

[JFanaselle]

I'm guessing this means that the 2016 Frontier will be significantly redesigned, as whatever "regulatory" upgrades were necessary would very likely have been the same for the Frontier.

[knightrider]

I'm guessing this means that the 2016 Frontier will be significantly redesigned, as whatever "regulatory" upgrades were necessary would very likely have been the same for the Frontier.

hopefully, no official word yet other than the navara thats been released overseas.  this may be what the 2016 fronty will look like, no word on what the powertrain might be.
http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2014/1406_2015_nissan_navara_np300_unveiled/

[Celt]

In the end I sort of figured this would happen. The vast majority of people that buy SUV's these days never take them off road other than a graded dirt road. The crowd that has been doing a lot of rock crawling since the days of the Willy's are the Jeep crowd. They know them and depend on them and are faithful to them. I applaud Nissan for coming out with a very capable stock vehicle. In the end when the rubber meets the road $$ is going to dictate what direction they will go in. Prior to my X, I owned a CJ-7 which is still in the family. That vehicle was awesome and extremely capable. What it lacked was crew comfort and room to haul stuff along. The Xterra fit that bill for me and had plenty of power so it was naturally a logical direction to go. After many modifications I have taken the X places that I never thought I could get in or out of. One of my major gripes about them are they rely too heavily on electronics and wiring. I talk to Jeep owners and they say the same thing about the JK's and so forth. It's no longer a frame, motor and wheels. Enter the age of computers. For many it's ok, for a guy like me it's nothing but confusing. Not sure what direction I'll go in with my next vehicle but for now it looks like Jeep is going to be cornering the market for a serious off road equipped stock vehicle. I'm glad the X didn't get completely redesigned and end up looking like the modern Pathfinder. Every time I see one of those I just shake my head.

I'm glad the Frontier isn't on the chopping block, with them still being around parts for the X will still be plenty available.

[Ghost65]

In the end I sort of figured this would happen. The vast majority of people that buy SUV's these days never take them off road other than a graded dirt road. The crowd that has been doing a lot of rock crawling since the days of the Willy's are the Jeep crowd. They know them and depend on them and are faithful to them. I applaud Nissan for coming out with a very capable stock vehicle. In the end when the rubber meets the road $$ is going to dictate what direction they will go in. Prior to my X, I owned a CJ-7 which is still in the family. That vehicle was awesome and extremely capable. What it lacked was crew comfort and room to haul stuff along. The Xterra fit that bill for me and had plenty of power so it was naturally a logical direction to go. After many modifications I have taken the X places that I never thought I could get in or out of. One of my major gripes about them are they rely too heavily on electronics and wiring. I talk to Jeep owners and they say the same thing about the JK's and so forth. It's no longer a frame, motor and wheels. Enter the age of computers. For many it's ok, for a guy like me it's nothing but confusing. Not sure what direction I'll go in with my next vehicle but for now it looks like Jeep is going to be cornering the market for a serious off road equipped stock vehicle. I'm glad the X didn't get completely redesigned and end up looking like the modern Pathfinder. Every time I see one of those I just shake my head.

I'm glad the Frontier isn't on the chopping block, with them still being around parts for the X will still be plenty available.

Well written post Erik.

I tend to agree with this...as the major faults I find with my Xterra are electronics based.

$1,200 ECU replacement at 130K

$1,100 IPDM replacement at 160K

$1,200 transmission valve body (electronic trans brain) replacement at 209K

The X has been a very capable off road vehicle for me, but there have also been significant $$$ thrown at it to give it the stock capability of a Jeep.

[GreenGoon]

That's why I'm glad I stuck with my Gen 1. The electronics are much less complicated than the Gen 2. obviously they are not as simple as a CJ but it's still a relatively simple machine by today's standards.

[knightrider]

yea the 1st gen is mostly all 80's tech, with some 90's tech thrown in like airbags

[xxSVxx]

In the end I sort of figured this would happen. The vast majority of people that buy SUV's these days never take them off road other than a graded dirt road. The crowd that has been doing a lot of rock crawling since the days of the Willy's are the Jeep crowd. They know them and depend on them and are faithful to them. I applaud Nissan for coming out with a very capable stock vehicle. In the end when the rubber meets the road $$ is going to dictate what direction they will go in. Prior to my X, I owned a CJ-7 which is still in the family. That vehicle was awesome and extremely capable. What it lacked was crew comfort and room to haul stuff along. The Xterra fit that bill for me and had plenty of power so it was naturally a logical direction to go. After many modifications I have taken the X places that I never thought I could get in or out of. One of my major gripes about them are they rely too heavily on electronics and wiring. I talk to Jeep owners and they say the same thing about the JK's and so forth. It's no longer a frame, motor and wheels. Enter the age of computers. For many it's ok, for a guy like me it's nothing but confusing. Not sure what direction I'll go in with my next vehicle but for now it looks like Jeep is going to be cornering the market for a serious off road equipped stock vehicle. I'm glad the X didn't get completely redesigned and end up looking like the modern Pathfinder. Every time I see one of those I just shake my head.

I'm glad the Frontier isn't on the chopping block, with them still being around parts for the X will still be plenty available.

Really well written, and I completely agree w/ 100%....just wanted to emphasize this part:

I'm glad the X didn't get completely redesigned and end up looking like the modern Pathfinder. Every time I see one of those I just shake my head.

Ugh.  So embarrassing what they did to that rig....what was once a promising platform is now akin to the Juke or Murano....gross

Glad I got in where/when I did....it does leave questions as to which direction I'll go next, but my rig just hit 35,000mi, so hopefully I don't need to go down that road for another ~150,000mi

[JFanaselle]

There have been rumblings that Ford will release a new Bronco, which will basically be a 2-door SUV version of the F-150 Raptor. Although lately, the rumors are being dismissed (by Ford) as pranks/jokes in the off-roading magazine world. Seems like they'd have the "off-road capable daily driver SUV" market all to themselves at this point if they wanted to move forward with it.

I still am not a huge Jeep fan, so I suppose I'll be stuck with a Raptor as my next vehicle. Guess I better start savings my pennies now.

I also would like to add that my wife has a 2014 Pathfinder and she loves it. Although, I (we) in NO WAY considered it to be a Pathfinder when we purchased it. It's her soccer-mom pavement princess, and we traded in her Rogue for it. She loved her Rogue and the new Pathfinder was a perfect upgrade for her, since she just needed more space. It is a VERY smooth and comfortable highway vehicle that is great for family trips and lugging kids around town. We compared it to the Chevy Traverse, Mazda CX-9, Ford Explorer, Volkswagen Toureg, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander, and it was by far the best family vehicle for us for the money (the Honda Pilot was the second choice, followed by the Traverse).

The issue is that Nissan still calls it the Pathfinder. There is definately no "finding paths" in that thing! Since it really is the ideal car for someone who needs a bigger version of a Rogue, I think they should have given it a new name and simply discontinued the Pathfinder if they didn't have a market for it anymore. They could have called it the Storm (X-men fans, anyone?). However, if you're in the market for what it is (a prettier version of a mini-van), it really is the best one out there.

[knightrider]

 everything is going unibody for economy and handling comfort. guess if i need another i will just have to get a fronty or some other pickup and put a bedcap on it.

[steve c]

everything is going unibody for economy and handling comfort. guess if i need another i will just have to get a fronty or some other pickup and put a bedcap on it.

My thoughts exactly.

Or, (puts blasphemy hat on) buy a heep.  They'll be IFS by the time I'm ready for new truck. 

[GreenGoon]

They have their full IS models already.

To tell you the truth, I think they'll always have some kind of over priced solid axle model. As much as I hate to admit it, I've heard "I've just always wanted a Jeep" many times from many people.

You know half the JKs you see will never get off the pavement. I know there are a few Rubis in that category too.

[Alex]

Unfortunate, but inevitable. Hopefully the Frontier will hold out some of its ability for a few more years.
I'd have to say a newer, built JK looks to be a/the solid option for wheeling, but like others have mentioned, too many electronics isn't a good fit for the outdoors, even for Jeep. Makes me want to keep on with my 1st Gen as long as possible and eventually go through the process of converting it to 4WD.

I think I'd be hard pressed to find another 1st Gen in as good of condition as what I have given the miles (even with with a fair bit of offroad miles on it), so I'm very happy with what I'm into far. I've gotten to know almost every part of it save the serious engine bits and brakes, and I'll be learning more of the electrical system soon. For someone new to offroading and its mechanics, it was a great starting point.

The first thing down the line for me is either a 350Z/370Z for better economy in commuting, the X will go to just wheeling, then we'll see what happens after that for the next rig (aka my first 4x4 rig!).

That's what I'm saying now, but if by chance, a Titan swapped Frontier would be great for towing the X SAS'ed and converted like Deadpilot's X... all just ideas.

[knightrider]

ive always said i would have a jeep if i didnt have to drive long distances, but i do so i bought an xterra.

imo i would go for the titan if you want to tow a trail rig.