2002 Nissan Xterra Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the Nissan Xterra:

...simple, rugged, and invulnerable. It makes you look forward to every drive and makes every drive feel like an adventure.

-- Automobile

The left side of each front seatback has 'shirt pocket' storage for sunglasses or cell phone.

-- AutoWeek

We are impressed by the build quality of the chassis and the fit-and-finish of the hardware.

-- AutoWeek

...don't be alarmed by the truck's physical size; the price is small by comparison.

-- Edmunds.com

...the Xterra is cool... a basket for your wetsuits on the roof rack... an interior mountain bike rack...

-- New Car Test Drive

Three climate-control knobs have replaced crude sliders.

-- USA Today

The V-6 engine, once shy on power, no longer is when the [new for 2002] supercharger's mounted.

-- USA Today

...several well thought out and useful features, including... a first aid kit.

-- Woman Motorist

...no one is going to mistake Xterra for a minivan.

-- Woman Motorist

Xterra is equipped to take drivers and their gear beyond the pavement...

-- Woman Motorist

What reviewers liked least about the Nissan Xterra:

The ride can be choppy on the highway, the V-6 engine tends to produce equal parts noise and acceleration, and the interior is Spartan at best.

-- Automobile

Ignore the base Xterra XE, with its overworked and underpowered 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive.

-- Automobile

...the rear seat is low to the floor, leaving adults with their thighs angled skyward...

-- Car and Driver

...all the really neat stuff is in the [optional] packages, and in extra-cost accessories beyond the packages: neoprene seat covers, interior two-bike rack, and a tow hitch.

-- New Car Test Drive

The Xterra sways at gusts and leans in curves, not surprising given its height and boxy shape...

-- New Car Test Drive

Quality's a bit below average.

-- USA Today

Nissan Xterra Comparisons:

...a mini SUV with numb-steering and sloppy handling -- a rarity in this class...

-- Edmunds.com

The roof is raised over the rear seats... [with such a] nice view through the windshield, back-seat passengers might not notice how little legroom exists-an inch less than the smaller Toyota RAV 4.

-- New Car Test Drive

Best one-liner about the Nissan Xterra:

...this is a vehicle of extremes. Oops, we mean Xtremes...

-- AutoWeek

...a cocksure pose that leaves all the others in the stylistic ditch.

-- Car and Driver

...the 'woody,' that '30s tree-clad station wagon used by teens in the early '60s for surf board transportation, of the new millennia.

-- Cars Everything