Nissan’s burgeoning lineup of crossovers and SUVs may once again be home to a familiar nameplate: Xterra. Speaking with Wards Auto, Nissan North America’s vice president for product planning Michael Bunce said that the off-road SUV segment is of particular interest to Nissan and that the company is strongly considering reviving the Xterra name for a new body-on-frame SUV. Discontinued in 2015, the Xterra previously shared its mechanicals with the Frontier pickup, which is slated for a redesign soon.
While we don’t know much about what form the new Frontier will take, its impending redux seems to set the stage for the reemergence of the Xterra. The mid-size pickup again will be built at Nissan’s plant in Canton, Mississippi, which also was home to the previous-generation Xterra from 2012 to 2015. We suspect that the new Frontier, and possibly the Xterra, will continue to use a version of the same F-Alpha platform that underpins the current truck, likely with new engine options and a significantly modernized interior.
If the Xterra again takes the form of a rebodied Frontier, it would seek to do battle with the new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL and the impending Ford Bronco, as well as the the aging Toyota 4Runner, which has enjoyed a sort of renaissance lately (sales climbed nearly 16 percent in 2017 through November). Four-wheel drive would surely be on the menu, as well as an option for Nissan’s Pro-4X off-road package that’s offered on the Frontier and the Titan.
As far as the name, we’d be surprised if Nissan didn’t bank on the strong recognition that the Xterra moniker carries. But it wouldn’t be out of the question for Nissan to lump this new model in with the Rogue family, which currently includes the Rogue compact crossover and the Rogue Sport subcompact crossover, as it tries to build that name’s clout. (Nissan Rogue Xterra doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, if you ask us.)
We hope to find out soon if this new Nissan SUV becomes a reality; the new Frontier will likely debut sometime late in 2018 before entering production in 2019, so keep your ears to the ground for more rumblings about the potential return of the Xterra.
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