Nissan Will Drop The Xterra After 2015

2015 Nissan Xterra (Credit: Nissan)

2015 is the end of the line for the Nissan Xterra, according to a report from Edmunds.

» Related: The 2017 GT-R Premium Gets a Hefty Price Hike

While there’s little information out there about the rationale for ending the Xterra, Edmunds is claiming the action is being fueled by “regulatory reasons.” Both safety and environmental standards have been increasing for the automotive industry, which apparently has triggered Nissan to stop selling the SUV in the United States.

The news is really not that shocking, considering that the Xterra has been suffering slower and slower sales in America. For example, in January of 2015 Nissan sold only 998 Xterras, compared to 1,518 in January of 2014. That’s a 34.3 percent drop. In December of last year the model saw a 28.4 percent decrease in sales, and for the entire year of 2014 Nissan reported that Xterra sales were down 7.1 percent. While the automaker hasn’t said anything about stopping sales of the model in the U.S., some are speculating it has to do with not being able to justify the costs of increasingly stringent federal government regulations.

Toyota let the FJ Cruiser, which was a direct competitor to the Xterra, ride into the big garage in the sky at the end of 2014. The sad truth is that many consumers prefer the comfort and better road-holding abilities of car-based crossovers like the Honda CR-V and Nissan Pathfinder than hardcore SUVs with a truck-based body-on-frame since they generally consume more fuel, even though they provide better off-road abilities.

On the other hand, the Jeep Wrangler is selling incredibly well. The truth is that back when body-on-frame SUVs were popular, most people were using them to pick up groceries and cruise mall parking lots, not to crawl over big rocks and ford rivers. With the death of the Xterra, Jeep could see even more of an uplift in sales. As we recently reported, GM is supposedly considering resurrecting the Hummer brand so it can go head-to-head with Jeep and get a piece of that market segment. In the meantime, Nissan’s tapped out.

6 Comments

1. This is Frank

   Mar 2, 2015 at 1:27 pm

   The Xterra is an affordable, capable, off-road vehicle. I love mine, and would have leased a new one every three years for the rest of my driving days. Really disappointed to read this. Maybe now I will buy my 2012 at the end of it’s lease, and keep it for the next 7 years. One seriously well equipped 4×4.

   Reply
   • Steven Symes

     Mar 3, 2015 at 2:42 am

     Serious 4x4s are becoming increasingly rare, so if you love your Xterra keeping it might be a wise move.

     Reply
2. CoyoteMan50

   Mar 26, 2015 at 2:03 pm

   It’s reliable and dependable so Nissan has to get rid of it? lol

   Reply
   • CoyoteMan50

     Apr 11, 2015 at 6:40 pm

     Also it’s Body bolted to frame which is more expensive to produce. Never mind the manufacturers BS. lol

     Reply
3. rumbleseat

   Apr 1, 2015 at 5:00 am

   We purchased one of the first Xterras off the line in 1999. A week or two later, I found myself parking alongside a new Land Rover Discovery. His was bright yellow, mine,Aztec Red. We both complimented each other on our vehicle choices. He seemed to be more interested in our Xterra than we were in his Discovery.

   One of Nissan’s slogans was, “Everything you need; nothing you don’t.” Those words summed up the Xterra succinctly. It was truly the most capable (for my needs) vehicle I had ever owned. It moved us nimbly through city traffic on rare occasions when we decided to brave that sort of insanity. On the open road, she carried us comfortably and quite economically. Around our rural area, she was superb.

   A great deal of our time was spent beyond the reach of pavement. Whether going across the mountain to my grandmother-in-law’s house, getting me to a secluded spot on my favorite trout stream, scaling the aforementioned mountain to it’s summit via the old logging road, or taking a friend out house hunting on back roads with 16 inches of new snow and no hope of a plow showing up, my Xterra never failed us. She went wherever we pointed her. She was tough, strong, and, above all, capable.

   After about 140,000 miles with very little periodic maintenance from us, we decided to trade her.What did we trade for? The only other vehicle I thought to be as capable as our beloved, tried and true Xterra…a Land Rover Discovery. I love our Land Rover, but I damn sure miss our Xterra.

   Reply
4. CoyoteMan50

   Apr 18, 2015 at 12:20 pm

   I remember when the 240Z became the 260 and then 280 and on and on. That pretty much killed the Z-cars. Great business decisions eh? lol

   Reply