[ Music ]
^M00:00:04
>> It's the smallest of Nissan's trucks and the least [foreign language], but things come up pretty small in the tech department as well. Let's bounce around in the Xterra S 4 by 4 and check the tech.
^M00:00:16
[ Music ]
^M00:00:27
>> The Xterra's been around since 2000 named for the Xterra triathlon that Nissan used to sponsor, so appointed ruggedness is expected here. Do you ever recall they're old tag line? Everything you need and nothing you don't, that's a little debatable at this point. Now inside is evidence that they've still hung on to the old tag line because there's a lot of things in here they don't think I need like, oh, technology. Let me start with the top line. You can't get navigation in this thing, period. What year is it? It's 2010; everything has navigation, but not this. Here's the base head unit, by the way, AM/FM, single slot CD, that's it. Oh wait, here's the kicker, auxiliary jack not available. In this trim level you just got a plastic blank cover over where the AUX would be. What, no AUX? That's like no gas tank at this point in history. And as I mentioned, the single slot for the optical disc, no XM radio, no Sirius, no anything to speak of, no HD radio for God's sake it's barely got AM and FM. This is real simple stuff and the speakers around the cabin are a [sound effect] 6 speakers, there's nothing to say about them. Now, in higher trim Xterra's you can get a Rockford Fosgate [assumed spelling] system that has 9 speakers, 1 of which is a sub. I'm not a big fan of Rockford Fosgate Rigs, they're very low-end, tubby and punchy and that's their idea is all that low-end punch, that bores me to tears 'cause everything else doesn't sound very good about them but if you're into that that's available, but on the higher trim level Rig, not on this one. Oh, and by the way, on that higher head unit you do get XM Satellite Radio with 3 months of activation but only if you have an automatic transmission. If you get a vehicle with a manual, no satellite radio. I don't get it. No Bluetooth on these lower end Xterra either, that's only included on the higher trim cars. It's not even an ala carte add-on. I mean you can go down to Best Buy or something and buy something to clip on your visor, that's the kind of add-on you'll have to get. A lot of classic Nissan switch gear and stuff on this ride, nothing terribly satisfying. The quality of the plastics is, well, very plastic. You'd only get leather seats in the top version, the SE, everyone else gets these cloth seats. And, again, just a whole lot of utilitarian stuff going on in here, but that's part of the Xterra message. If you do get an automatic it's a 5 speed automatic. We have it on our vehicle and you can get it on 2-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles depending on the trim level. It's a pretty straightforward unit. You've got the whole PRND32 deal and for some reason you knock it over here for first. I don't know why they couldn't just go back another half inch but they didn't. And this is my drive selector for 4-wheel drive modes. 2-wheel drive, of course, default for road use, 4 high and, of course, 4 low's over here. Now, up here in the engine bay we've got one of the bigger incarnations of Nissan's very well-loved V6's; this is a 4 liter unit. No fancy tricks going on. No direct injection, super charger or turbo just good old fashioned naturally [inaudible] fuel injected technology here. Good results 260 something horsepower, 281 foot pounds of torque. So it's a torquey [assumed spelling] well suited to this kind of vehicle engine. Mileage is gonna be 15 or 16 city and 20 or 21 highway depending on whether you've got 2-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, manual or automatic but it's fairly tep [assumed spelling] at MPG but look what you're pushing through the air. And the pollution numbers aren't bad. Your smog is a 7 out of 10, that's good. Your Greenhouse Emissions are 3 out of 10, that's not so good. Now, up here along side the Xterra's sort of signature pickup roof line is evidence of one of its great traits which is all kinds of rackage [assumed spelling] accessories from the factory as well as after market. This kind of thing and fitments for the rear cargo bay are part of what make it a very flexible lugger out there in Patagonia [assumed spelling], wherever the hell you're going with it including this odd little fitment, which I'm trying to figure out. I think it's for drying wet things, maybe, clothes or spring mix or something. I don't know.
^M00:04:41
[ Music ]
^M00:04:46
>> Now, driving an Xterra's nothing too special it feels like what it is. It's kind of a compact truck on a big jouncy suspension. Power delivery's kind of rubbery. You step on it, at least with the automatic, and there's a big delay of power arriving. It's a very old-school automatic. I love the fact this thing's available with a 6 speed manual. I'd be all over that. But I've got to say, it keeps slapping me in the face that this is a really low-grade [sound effect] interior even for a low-cost Nissan and it's not that cheap a Nissan it just is really kind of flat and unrewarding. Maybe that's just part of their nothing you don't need ethic. But one thing I do need is a little nicer set of materials in this cabin. I mean I spend my time owning one of these mostly sitting here. The tall cabin also gives you really good sight lines. I'll give this car that. Unlike a lot of vehicles these days it's pretty easy to see just about any corner of it without any cameras or tricks. Alright, let's see what it costs to get everything you need and nothing you don't, of which I'm skeptical. About $22,000 base for an X, which is the low-end rig all the way to about 30 base for the SE, which has the leather. And then the other 2 models fall right around in the middle there. Not a lot of options to worry about, $800 for automatic, $2,000 for all-wheel drive versus rear.
^E00:06:08
