A compact sports utility vehicle, the Nissan Xterra is based on the Nissan F-Alpha platform. The Xterra is notable because it is Nissan's smallest sports utility vehicle in the United States. The Xterra has been well received by just about everyone, winning the North American Truck of the year in 2000 and was nominated for the award again in 2006. The Xterra is also known as the Nissan Roniz in Iran where it is also built and marketed and a popular vehicle among the locals as it is in the United States.
The Nissan Xterra was named for the XTERRA series of off road triathalon races, of which Nissan has become a huge sponsor. The 2000 model was the first model offered in the United States and was marketed as everything the consumer needs and nothing that they don't want. The Xterra used the Basic name, meaning that it was back to basics, just what the consumer needed. The basic nature of the Xterra was appealing to some and really put a dent in the sales of other luxurious sports utility vehicle manufacturers as they were overloading the market with 4x4 luxury vehicles. The Nissan Xterra uses a variety of V6 and V8 engines that appeal to SUV consumers that are looking for just the right vehicle.
