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Xterra Off-Road vs. 4 Door Jeep Unlimited Sahara Hardtop

wyoforesterwyoforester Member Posts: 25
edited April 2014 in Nissan
We decided to look at 4 doors, so we drove the 4 dr Wrangler Sahara hardtop w/auto. on and off pavement. It was o.k., but overall not that impressive for all the hype out there. It was/felt/drove much 'bigger' compared to our 2 dr Unlimited we were looking to trade in. The 'new' engine, as others have mentioned, really,really needs more power for on pavement use. Bottom line, for the money DC and its dealers are demanding, we expected more. After 5 Jeeps, perhaps our needs/wants have evolved. We paid $3,000 less and got a much quicker, more flexible vehicle for our needs, a '7 Xterra Off Road Auto. Whereas, our 2 dr. Unlimited was fun off road, the X is fun on and off road. We've read numerous complaints from people concerning the JK, so drive the Xterra and see what you think. Maybe, it will fit your needs/wants as well. On the other hand, if you are a true Jeep person, nothing else will do.

Comments

  • joejoe3joejoe3 Member Posts: 1
    How do you take that top off of the Xterra? Did I miss something in term of product comparison?
  • wyoforesterwyoforester Member Posts: 25
    joejoe3,
    My response to you yesterday stayed on this site for an hour or two and then mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps it was because I said something offensive to Edmunds? I know I was trying to help out some other people who wanted some info. and in doing so I mentioned a couple of Xterra sites. I then apoligized, but evidently to no avail.

    Anyway, if you are reading this, either I am not being offensive to Edmunds(violating their rules as a business) or they have not had a chance to delete my message to you.

    My reply: joejoe3,To clarify, we were interested in a 4 dr hardtop, suv style vehicle.
    As Jeep owners we decided to check out the new 4dr Unlimited hardtop. We were not interested in the ability of the hardtop to be removed or a dual top group extra cost option(had one on our last Jeep and never used it) or a convertible.

    We found the new 4 dr Jeep to be lacking in what we were looking for(our priorities) when compared to the Xterra. We were not comparing all features of the vehicles because not all of them were important to us. Please re-read our post of 2/14.

    If your or some other person's priority was to have a removable top, in my opinion, the Xterra would be the wrong vehicle.

    Are you looking for this type of vehicle or...? Have you test driven the '7 OR and the '7 4dr. JK? If so, what did you think of them?
  • shapackshapack Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone heard of installing the popular retractable rag-top or moonroof in the new model (2005+) Xterra? Of course you would have to remove the roof basket and wind shield. My main concern is regarding the roof structure and that "bulge" in the roof just behind the front seats.

    I am very pleased with my '05 Xterra, especially the performance on-road and off-road. The only thing lacking is that open-top experience.
  • scottlscottl Member Posts: 109
    I just looked at an Unlimited Wrangler at the Denver Auto Show. No Way. The rear seat passengers have the speakers and the rollbar aimed right at their foreheads. I was looking forward to an American off road vehicle, but now it is down to the Xterra or a pre-2003 4Runner. I like the Xterra, but they need better colors, and an MP3 player jack on the stereo.
  • glenski01glenski01 Member Posts: 44
    I agree, and I went to the Denver Auto show as well. Definitely have decided to go with the Xterra offroad, just rented an Xterra from Enterprise (non offroad), Xterra is more comfortable, powerful, and I know from having 3 trouble free Pathfinders, will be trouble free. So, going for it here soon.
  • podedwardspodedwards Member Posts: 35
    Hmmmmmmmmmm, well I just got in from a fun, four hour off-road trek in my 2006 5.7 Cherokee Limited 4WD on a boulder filled, rain slick, deeply rutted, steep mountain road leading from the a national forest to inside the Rocky Mountain National Park area here in Colorado. My Cherokee (which is by far the best road car I have ever driven in 40+ years or driving)had no problems at all handling it.

    I also have a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 4WD with a six speed manual transmission which I have used on trails far more difficult and it was just beautiful to drive with four adults seated very comfortably and safely. In spite of bouncing over very large boulders, logs, and rutted surfaces nobody hit their heads on anything, the stereo sounded great and the vehicle performed flawlessly.

    I have had many 4WD's over the years from International Scouts, to Pathfinders, Broncos to Jeeps. I would never again consider a Nissan or Toyota for the applications I have-they just didn't hold up and they lacked capacity to handle difficult roads and trails which stress them too far.

    I have nieces who have Xterra's that serve them fine to go back and forth on good roads to college in Boulder in winter but they have had significant service and repair issues almost constantly. When they take off up to Winter Park or Steamboat to snowboard, they take a 1997 4WD Cherokee or borrow mine.

    The Xterra is fine for its intended application as a cute car that can handle a little snow on good roads in spite of repair issues. My 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited has more than enough power for its application and is rock solid.

    Know the intended application of a vehicle is really important and helps to avoid disappointment. The intended application for the Xterra and Wrangler are simply not the same and therefore a meaningful comparison cannot be made.
  • 4x4dude4x4dude Member Posts: 1
    Wait a minute! I'm not one of those people who is blindly loyal to one brand over another, but reading this last last posting made me want to reply.
    I will summarize here the items I take issue with:
    1) If you look at cost of ownership reports from objective sources, you'll see that Jeeps have far more mechanical problems over the life of the vehicle than Nissans do. I own a 2006 Xterra Offroad and my ski buddy here in Northern CA owns a 2005 Wrangler. Both are fine vehicles and so far neither one of us has had any vehicle downtime. (We bought our vehicles only 4 months apart.)
    2) The last review stated that the Xterra is fit for only clear roads and maybe a small amount of snow. That is far from the truth. My buddy with the Wrangler (Pete) and I have taken our trucks offroading and and over mountain passes during blizzard conditions, and so far there has been little difference between the 2 vehicles in terms of the terrain that they can handle. The only difference we've seen so far is that the Jeep does handle bigger rocks and harder (Class 4 and up) slightly better due to higher ground clearence, but the Xterra is more responsive on easier offroad terrian due to more horsepower. Personally, I have no need to drive over boulders and I like going fast on dirt and gravel. If driving slow over bigger boulders is your cup of tea, buy the Wrangler. On the road, there's just no comparison - the Xterra is much smoother and just feels safer to be in. Both Pete and I agree that the Xterra would be the vehicle for a long road trip in adverse weather conditions.
    Bottom line -
    If you do most of your driving on the road, in deep snow, on bumpy dirt roads, get the Xterra. If you most of your driving off the road, in rocky hilly terrain and like driving slow, get the Wrangler.
    Happy trails!
  • kipkkipk Member Posts: 1,576
    Good Post ! :)

    Several of my friends have had Wranglers. Only one of them still has one. He has it for strictly serious 4 wheeling and it is very ragged out. :sick: When most of them first got the wranglers, they were driven everywhere. Then less and less for everyday use. Seems that with the rag top up, the noise is such that it is hard to have a conversation at road speeds. Also the ride on streets/roads is not pleasant after a while.

    Summer time with the top down and local driving, or seriously 4 wheeling, the Wrangler is in its element. But the very things that make it that way, such as the short wheel base and higher ground clearance, tend to also make it a specialty vehicle, not an SUV. It is most suitable, and very capable for the really rough stuff. The 4 door may not do as well !

    As someone pointed out above, 99% of the folks don't ever take their SUVs off road. I submit that of the 1% that do, a very small percentage have any desire to climb boulders or do anything else that would damage their vehicle. They simply wish to "travel the road less taken". The "X" does that just fine.

    Kip
  • majnunmajnun Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone out there know how to reset the oil change indicator lamp / alarm?? I had my jeep serviced, and the dealer didn't reset the alarm, and is giving me the run-around. I really don't feel like going back there for something this minor (and annoying) so any help would be much olbiged...

    Thanks...
  • exlandroverexlandrover Member Posts: 2
    I NEED A PART TIME 4X4 FOR LIGHT SNOW AND LIGHT OFF ROAD USE LIKE HUNTING. THOUGHTS?
This discussion has been closed.