Nissan Xterra Leaving US Market After 2015 Model Year
Looking at buying a new Nissan Xterra? Better pull the trigger soon, as the SUV will leave the U.S. market after the 2015 model year.
Edmunds reports the Xterra is leaving these shores for regulatory reasons, with Nissan finding no business case in bringing the SUV up to code for an audience that also adores the Jeep Wrangler. Updating the Xterra to meet regulatory and environmental requirements was deemed too costly for such a low volume product. CAFE regulations also don’t favor the Xterra’s small, body-on-frame SUV layout, making the updates a tougher sell.
The automaker moved 16,505 Xterras in 2014, a 7 percent decline compared to 2013’s 17,766 units sold. The SUV also faces stiff competition from crossovers like the Buick Encore, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan’s own Rogue, nearly 200,000 of which left the lot last year.
For those few who will buy one of the last Xterras, features for 2015 include NissanConnect, a USB connection for the iPod, and a new color named SolarFlare Yellow.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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I always like the Xterra in terms of styling. I almost bought one on two separate occasions. Ended up getting a Pathfinder the second time because my wife needed a third row for the several kids she planned on having. We only had two kids by the time we got rid of it. So missed my chance I suppose.
Never really had much interest in the Xterra, sad to see it go though, its one of the few compact SUVs that still looks rugged, nice and square too.
I had a love/hate relationship with my 2007 Xterra. It was perfect for exploring the mountains of Colorado. It did very well off-road and in deep snow and was a blast to drive with the manual transmission. Unfortunately ,it spent a lot of time in the shop. In the 3 years I owned it it chewed through 3 timing chain guides, two sets of shocks, and miscellaneous other smaller parts. I got rid of it just as the warranty expired out of fear of repair costs. The '96 Bronco I replaced it with has been much more reliable and gets roughly the same mileage. Sometimes I miss my Xterra and I am sad to see it discontinued; letting it slowly die on the vine was a missed opportunity for Nissan.
***Simple point*** 15 years ago this vehicle was the reason Nissan had traffic in the showroom after losing $ for the previous 5+ years. With the combination of Renault's cash reserves, Gohn's business mind and the right product at the right time (small SUV craze), Nissan was salvaged in the USA. Luckily Nissan bet the farm to develop the Xterra during their internal financial crisis. The Maxima at the time was on the ropes against the CamCords, the 'new' Z was already a few years old and consumers wanted more convertibles (MX-5, Z3, Boxster, S2000 options). The Frontier was punch drunk by the Tacoma and the Pathfinder was moving up market. Glad the Xterra, Ghosn, and Renault's $ arrived when it did, else the Nissan of today and the cult following GT-R would likely not be.