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2005 Nissan Xterra Off-Road Edition Road Test

Bigger, Better and More Refined

Lets flash back to the year 1999. The vehicle is the newly introduced Nissan Xterra. The target market is not your average SUV driver. Now flash forward to the year 2005. The vehicle is the redesigned and revamped, popular-selling Nissan Xterra. The market is still definitely not your average SUV driver. Why? Because as natural selection would have it, its out with the old, and in with the way better.

The Xterras rugged but stylish exterior has been pumped up for the 2005 model year, now built on a version of the Titan pickup trucks fully-boxed frame and featuring design cues from the original mixed in with the brands new tougher truck image.

Its

The Xterras rugged but stylish exterior has been pumped up for the 2005 model year. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

fender flares are now extra wide and completely integrated into the overall structure. Made of high-carbon steel, they are not only durable but are also not glued on as a separate piece, which helps to protect the exterior finish and enhances the rugged appearance.

Once again the Xterra includes an aluminum roof rack complete with an integrated basket for storing items such as soaking-wet

The Xterras fender flares are now extra wide and completely integrated into the overall structure. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

towels, booties, clothing or anything that is covered in various liquids or grimes. In addition, the new latched lid on the covered box is designed to stay open even in windy conditions, and is detachable so bigger and bulkier items can be stored inside. And to make it easier to access the roof rack and the roof area, a set of rear bumper steps is located on both sides of the vehicle.

Inside, the Xterra is pretty cool and very comfy. The cloth

Inside, the Xterra is pretty cool and very comfy. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

seating surfaces are upholstered with a durable, yet plush, material optimizing comfort in the front and rear seats. Speaking of the rear seats, the tough Nissan has a stadium seating set-up similar to the Honda Element, Land Rover LR3, Jeep Liberty and others in this category. Rear passengers are elevated to provide an unobstructed view of the road ahead. There are also four 12-volt DC power outlets for various electronic devices one might use on a road trip or while roughing it in the bush.

But its hardly roughing it if youve got a couple of kids in the back seat playing Game Boys,

The cloth seating surfaces are upholstered with a durable, yet plush, material optimizing comfort in the front and rear. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

or perhaps even an automotive journalist working on a review with her laptop plugged in, just for a change of scenery. And it cant be seen as the simple back-country life if theres an amazing Rockford-Fosgate stereo system pumping out tunes for all the flora and fauna to enjoy.

For an SUV, this audio system is serious business, one of the best and one of my favorites in the compact sport utility class. The 380-watt, AM/FM/6-disc CD changer with nine high-performance speakers, an eight-inch subwoofer, steering-wheel-mounted controls, MP3 capability, and speed-sensitive audio controls is all that, and then some. Sound quality

The Xterra is fully equipped and ready to take to the trails at the flick of a switch, literally. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

is great and it is, for the lack of a more professional and sophisticated word, a "pimp" system. Sometimes a little colloquialism describes it best.

In all honesty, roughing it in the Xterra was, for me, traveling down an old, long and dirty gravel logging road to an area where mountain bikers take to the trails at the local demonstration forest. I really wanted to take my all-terrain sport ute off-road to test out the four-wheel drive system with switch-operated two-speed transfer case. After all, this is the Off-Road edition, and it comes with more than just a transfer case.

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