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2005 Nissan Xterra
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The Murano is a crossover based off a modified car (I believe Altima, but don't quote me on that) chassis. It is a unibody and not a body on frame design. In 2wd it is a front drive vehicle. The 4wd system is actually a full time AWD system. The two vehicles are very different mechanically.
Having said that, the Murano may be a better choice for you. You give up some off road capability in exchange for better ride and handling, and it is less likely to turn over than a truck based SUV.
I like the Murano, but we already have a crossover (a Subaru Forester XT) and for my work I need a vehicle that can occasionally get through the mud and the woods. And (back to our regularly scheduled programming) that is why I am hanging around the 2005 Xterra board.
I guess I'll wait until I buy the car to decide if I want the 4wd.
The difference in your payment will be helped by better fuel economy. Having Al-Wheel-Drive makes snowy roads a no-shift, no brainer.
I think re-sale on Muranos might make the "Cost to Own" superior to Xterra too, although Xterras do pretty well in that regard as well.
Anyway folks- nice to be here, and you can ask whatever you want as far as comparing Murano-Xterra benefits etc, as i have both with no agenda.
as far as the 4x4 option, i look at it this way:
if you use it for stability/traction control, and use it more than 1 or 2 times a year, its worth it.
but if you only need it for the looks or increased ride height, then dont bother. the nissan products all look and drive the same with or without 4x4.
Now if I can just find out about the gas mileage on the '05 xterras, I'd be happy.
Now, I am not suggesting that someone buy a 4X4 only to reduce your chances of rolling, but if you do not need a 4X4, you really should be asking yourself if you would be better served driving some type of wagon or crossover, as compared to a true body on frame truck based SUV, in light of the safety issue and other drawbacks associated with a real SUV, such as inferior handling and higher fuel consumption.
Towing is one possible reason a person would need a real truck even if you do not go offroad, but if you tow on a regular basis, you probably would be better off with a larger vehicle than a compact SUV like the Xterra. And believe me (spoken from experience from earlier vehicles) you may tell yourself you do not need 4wd, but it is very, very, very, very, very easy to get stuck in a rear wheel drive only truck. Again, even if you are looking only for light off road or incliment weather needs, you may be better off with an AWD (or even FWD only) crossover than a 2wd truck.
Don't get me wrong, I am no anti SUV person or green party tree hugger, but I think we would all be better off if people who did not need real SUVs did not drive them. Your choice of vehicle should be more than a fashion accessory.
Since I drive a crx in southern california, the land of full size trucks and SUVs, I was looking for a truck or suv in the mid to low 20s that offered a v6 engine to replace my car next year. It's scary trying to merge into the freeway with semis and full size trucks/SUVs barreling down on you in a 4 cylinder crx. If there weren't so many large trucks/SUVs on the road, I would never consider buying one. My way of thinking is that if one of these vehicles hits and kills me, I'm making damn sure I'm taking them with me.
I was looking into a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan truck/SUV. The xterra fit that bill. However, I'm still considering the new '05 Frontiers and Tacomas as well. I was considering a number of crossovers, but they're either too much money or lacking a v6. My main concerns about buying a vehicle is price, passenger comfort, reliability and gas; since I'm planning to hold onto this vehicle for a long time.
But, compact trucks with raised ride height and 4wd are still very prone to rolling over. That is an issue I think about every time I drive my 4wd Mazda B4000 on the highway, and hopefully it makes me a more careful and aware driver. Its also the reason we bought a Subaru Forester to replace an Isuzu Rodeo, as I figured that while the AWD capability is nice (we have a place in the north Georgia Mountains) we did not need two real trucks.
I've already decided that my next 4wd will have stability control (to help prevent rollovers) and side curtain airbags (to help survive a rollover). But if you do not need a 4wd with off road capability, you need to ask yourself if you really need a tall vehicle. As an aside, I wondered where Mazda got the name Dual Sport. Here you have a vehicle with reduced handling as compared to a lower riding 2wd truck, that you still cannot take in the mud. Maybe it should have been No Sport!
Thanks for the information. I have been trying to find out more details about the 05 Xterra but most of the information is all the same. Any ideas on color offerings (Black is the only color I find on any pictures) or base price?
I have an 03 with about 13000 miles that I really love but have been enticed with the new look and extra room I have been reading about. Do you have any links to other info?
John
www.nissannews.com
thats ALL?!?!?!?!
please...prioritize, mr. pope. the way a sunroof functions kept you from buying the vehicle you actually WANTED?!?!?!
i just dont get it, i guess.
My hope is that Nissan will wake up and realize that people do not want to pay for premium in a truck or SUV. The cost of fueling them is already high enough. The new engine is used across the new Frontier, Xterra, and Pathfinder, so it would be a major shock to a lot of shoppers (is there a single truck in the USA that requires premium?).
Anyway, I test drove a Liberty, and today went off-roading for the first time since childhood with some Rubicon-owning coworkers. It was really fun, so the Xterra is on my list, and the CR-V and Escape are off. (They wouldn't have survived today.)
Yes, regular unleaded is fine. It is what I put in my 2003 Maxima. The cheapest I can find, lol.
Does anybody know if the 2005 X-Terra has stability control?
Roll-over is one of the reasons I bought my Maxima and as far as I am concerned I got the best body style Maxima ever made and in Black too! I can't stand the front end on the new Maxima and I think the front end on the Murano is hideous. Anyway, most of my friends tell my I will roll an SUV coming into the apartment complex or on an on-ramp onto the freeway as aggressive as I drive so I am worried about getting an SUV, but I love the new X-Terra.
Hey, thanks for the advice on the weight of a 4X4 helping to prevent roll-over by lowering the center of gravity. The weight difference on a 2004 4X4 is a whopping 460 pounds which is quite a lot. More than I thought and all down low in the drive train.
I'm sure owners of CJ7s would feel that their outdated body styles were a negative as well.
Not everyone can afford a new vehicle, and who is to say that a few people (obviously not as brilliant as you) might prefer an older body style? Like, say a year old Maxima for instance. You can get a 2003 Maxima on the cheap too, as it is getting a "bit long in the tooth" as you put it.
My comments were not to show off my vehicle, just to show other Edmund's users that paying if $30K for a new Xterra does not fit a budget, maybe sprucing up one that is a few years old, getting a 7/100K factory warranty might get them into a vehicle they desire. I'd like a brand new one too. It is a better vehicle, more power, slicker interior etc. But I wouldn't trade my "01 Xterra AND pay $15K on top of it to get one.
What about pricing?
Is the 4WD system going to be a manual shift like my 03 or is it now going to be just a push of a button?
Looks like they will offer one new color - night armor, looks like a very dark gray. Canteen, solar yellow, avalanche, black, silver, the red seems to be different and granite. Starting at $21,000 for the S model, starting at $24000 for the Off-road model and starting at $26,000 for the SE model.
03xterraman