The SUV That Broke My Jeep Addiction

"I like it, I love it, I want some more of it..."

Yes, folks, finally, after years of endless Jeep devotion and ownership, I jumped ship. My latest Jeep, an older Grand Cherokee, had finally racked up enough serious problems (and several repeat serious problems) that I couldn't afford it anymore. I went searching for a replacement Jeep, a Wrangler or a Cherokee Sport (stay away from the Grands folks, trust me on this one) that was within both my budget and the last four years of production. What I found was that the Jeeps had become more expensive without offering more options and function.

That made me edge slowly over to other SUV makers and quietly begin checking out other SUV options. After looking at blah TrailBlazers, average Explorers, and bland "mini-SUVs" like the Rav4, I was nearly ready to give up and head back into overpriced Jeepland. The breaking of the lifelong Jeep addiction happened in a nanosecond as soon as I saw and drove the Nissan Xterra. The look was right, the cargo space was larger than the Grand Cherokee, it had a 5-speed (music to my ears - I adore a stick shift vehicle), it had a decent 3.3L V6 engine, easy-to-operate 4WD functionality, easy to clean cloth interior, CD player, extra 12V plug-ins, safety features for driver and passenger, an alarm and keyless entry, nice accessories (steps, etc) with a nice array of other aftermarket accessories available, good tire/wheel size, the right height, a radical looking roof rack, a first aid kit (cute option), comfortable rear seating, roomy front seating, plenty of amenities that didn't break the budget but that increased riding pleasure and more.

I expected the adjustment from my 5.2L V8 Grand Cherokee to the lighter, tighter 3.3L V6 Xterra to be painful. It was smooth sailing from day one. The Xterra has the speed, control, handling and get-up-and-go that I need without the stress on my wallet that I suffered with the V8. I took the Xterra on a holiday 1200 mile road trip two days after purchase, keeping track of mileage the whole way. On the way out I got to experience how the Xterra handled in high winds (45 mph wind blowing AT the Xterra for two states worth of highway). I expected it to be tippy because of its height, but it wasn't at all. I definitely could feel the wind more than I could in the Grand Cherokee, but it had no adverse effect on the handling of the car (though it did cause a brief period of 14 mpg average gas mileage for that stretch of highway). On the way back I got to experience the 4WD drive system in action, driving the entire way home through the last four states in a raging blizzard. Even moving at excruciatingly slow speed in heavy snow with 4WD constantly on it averaged 16 mpg for that portion of the trip - nice.

My passengers were comfortable for the duration of the long road trip. My dogs fit comfortably in the cargo area without having to put down the rear passenger seats (in the Grand Cherokee the seats had to be down for both dogs to fit, mainly due to the ill-considered placement of the spare tire), and I was even able to carry lumber on the roof rack while at the relatives' house. It maneuvers nicely through snow, rain, ice and wind. It gets an average of 20 mpg highway and 15 mpg city so far. It's easy to operate and fun to drive. I'd have to say that this was truly a good purchase for me and I expect to have this car for many years - a great investment.