I was just curious what you guys thought. I was diggin through some old 4x4 magazines and found an article about the Xterra. I guess it was around the time they were introduced here. But the article kept comparing them to the Disco. It is pretty obvious that the exterior design was influenced by the rover. Towards the end of the article it said something like "this seems like it will be the poor man's rover" Besides the difference in money what are your thoughts on the Xterras? I haven't even ridden in one before. I have always liked there looks(cause of the disco influence) Just curious, and bored. A dangerous combination!!

 

lol, same thoughts. ive never driven one, but they look like they would be decent if used off road. im in sacramento and a lot of college kids/young adults out here have them and make ski runs during the winter months. im sure it is decently capable, beat our discos? probably not, but i almost guarantee it is a better ride, but hell, i dont want a smooth sedan like ride in my suv, i want it to be a biatch and feel like its a truck--and THAT is what my disco1 feels like! hahah...yeah its a slow saturday afternoon for sure

 

I know someone that has one of the 06 XTerras and I guess there were some pretty big
improvements to it for 05 or 06. They show having much better reliability than their bigger
cousin the Armada ( that is the definition of ugly ). I am actually keeping an eye on the
resale market on the XTerras to possibly pick up one of the earlier ones for my son who
will be driving age not too far down the road.

 

I test drove one, a new '06. From the stats I might have considered purchasing it; I like the vehicle. But sitting in it, it's too small. I feel like my head is touching the roof. Not quite as small as the Freelander, but still. I'm 6' 250lbs so I'm a big guy. I do like the "hose-out" interior and the cargo rack.

The other new one is the FJ Cruiser. I love the truck except for the visibility (forward, sides as well as rear/blind spot) and the doors (Element-style "suicide" doors where the rear won't open unless you open the front first). But other than that it's a cool truck.

 

yeah i am lovin the fj cruiser just by looks. Also like the new xterras. They both look very utilitarian. Its the same reason I liked my disco so much. I thought everything was just so well thought out.

 

I think the gas tank is to low on the fj.
I do like the coil springs on the rear axle
but as with all new 4X4's most people don't take
them off road so they are not set up for it.
The Xterra looks to be true to form but I have not
stopped to look at one.
What I find funny is V6's have more hp and tq than
our old V8's .

 

Why do you think it is folks don't take their shiny new 4x4s off pavement! A friend of mine refused to go down a gravel road in his Z71 the other day. instead we went 20 minutes outta the way so as not to get his tahoe dirty. What gives. Then this guy came into were I work and wanted to wash my truck. he saw the disco was mine and was all "Man, you got to keep your Rover clean! so you can ride it." My reply was "I'm just tryin to use it for what it was made for, sorry I'm not really tryin to PIMP my ride."

 

I agree for me there really was no comparison....to small...I am the same size as you and don't enjoy rubbing shoulders with my passenger ... unless of course it is my wife!

 

damn are they really that small on the inside? I'm gonna have to testdrive one. I do see how it would be hard to see out the rear, just standin behind the fj I was like damn! It reminded me of the H3 rearend?

 

I am referring to the Xterra...Yes they are pretty dern narrow....My wife and I were basically elbow to elbow with like 6-8 inches to spare. My wife is 5ft. 2 and weighs 103lbs. So if there was another passenger the size of me we would most likely be touching shoulders.[:-]