Back in April Nissan executives proclaimed that they really wanted to bring back the Xterra. At the time Nissan Americas chairperson Christian Meunier said, “We’re working on it. We’ll find a way.” Well, they found a way, because at the Nissan dealer meeting in Las Vegas, Meunier announced that it’s happening. It’ll be a true body-on-frame SUV and the platform will be used for other models.
Hybrid v6, ugh. Not the “hybrid” part, the “V6” scares the heck out of me that this’ll be way, way too big like the body-on-frame Bronco, the latest Wranglers and pretty much every body-on-frame SUV. They need to make it fit within the footprint of the old model if not smaller yet.
I wish them the best of luck. An independent Nissan makes for a much more interesting and vibrant automotive world, and if their plan to maintain autonomy centers around a product-first strategy we (enthusiasts) could be in for lots of exciting news.
Pie-in-the-sky thinking maybe, but how about:
– A competitive Titan
– A Silvia/SX to compete with the GR86/BRZ
– A Patrol, marketed as a Patrol, aimed at competing with the new, reduce-sized Land Cruiser? This truck has such a rich history to draw from, nearly the equal of the LC, and yet it’s totally neglected by Nissan’s marketeers.
Add in a hybridized Sentra that abandons sedan form factors in favor of a Sunny California-style fastback/wagon in both a volume-chasing ruggedized and raised model that’d appeal to people for whom the new Subaru Outback is too blocky and truckish and the Crown Signia too expensive, and in a traditional sedan-height wagon that would come as a mileage-maxxing Prius fighter and a revived SE-R performance trim.
I like the cut of your jib. You’re hired! Let’s get to work.
What’s going on here with Nissan these days??? Lots of optimistic news coming towards us! Where are your sources for this information? I wonder where they’d get the ladder frame for the Pathfinder / Xterra; maybe from the Frontier? I am curious what competition they are rounding up for the Pathfinder, since it currently rubs shoulders with the Highlander, Pilot, Traverse and other larger-sized SUVs. I can see the Xterra in a comparo with the Bronco Sport and Jeep Wrangler 4-door.
I am not surprised by the Xterra returning as a BOF vehicle but will be TRULY surprised if the next gen Pathfinder returns to a BOF setup. Nissan sells a ton of the unibody crossover to compete with others in the segment and it would seem counterintuitive to lose all those customers with nothing else to offer them (unless they make the Murano into a 3 row). We shall see.
As a current owner of a 2012 Pathfinder, new BOF Nissans only excite me. Hopefully the new drivetrains will be just as reliable as the one in my current truck.