HBoss

I went test-driving w/a buddy yesterday and we test drove the 2003 4Runner SR5 Sport V8, 2003 Grand Cherokee Laredo V6, the 2003 Nissan Xterra V6 SE (<-- I think. It was the NA one) and almost the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

I say "almost" to the Rubicon because we changed our minds last minute. I really wanted to test drive it, but it's a horribly uncomfortable vehicle to be in. It's narrow & they have bubble doors on the inside. The doors give you no room to sit, It's like being in a packed elevator. Horrible design. So bad that I didn't even want to test drive one! That's bad in my opinion.

The Xterra was rugged & fun but felt like a tin can. Not enough power in the 3.3L V6 & it felt like it lacked build quality. I didn't even feel any acceleration when I hit the gas. It didn't feel tight & powerful like the 4Runner.

Cherokee felt clunky. Lotsa wind noise, weird clunks & rattles, uncomfortable seats, excellent 4x4 system. Although it only had 5,500 miles on it, it felt like a 7 year old used vehicle that I was test driving.

I honestly don't mean to insult anyone here that may own a newer Cherokee or Xterra. This is just my opinion from one test drive.

I have to say the new 4Runner was, hands down, far better than the others. The 'going', braking, handling, comfort, styling & quality so easily exceeded the other vehicles. I'm starting to like how it looks more & more too. The only things we didn't like about them were:

-the lack of "baseball cap on your head" space
-the climate control 'bucket dials", thought they were kind of cheap for a $30,000+ vehicle
-lack of rear locker
-price

You obviously pay more for it, but I think it's worth it. Here were the price quotes I received. The Cherokee price is w/the 5 spd. Auto V8.

Xterra: $23,000 usd
Cherokee: $29,000 usd
4Runner: $33,000 usd

Here's a little story in need of mentionin: I drove each of the vehicles (including my own 97 4Runner) through a parking lot full of deep snow. The Xterra went through bouncing and happy go-lucky, may have got stuck if I'd slowed down. The Cherokee did great, it would not have got stuck at all. It didn't really bounce though, it kind of clunked over the moguls and bumps. My 4Runner went through just fine, even when taking it to a complete stop in the deep snow. At one point we saw a customer test-driving the new Nissan Murano w/AWD. It took the path through the parking lot we had gone through. My buddy & I sat far back in my 4Runner, just waiting to get the recovery strap out of the back. Sure enough the Murano got stuck, wheels a spinnin' but he made some good back, forth and around maneuvers to get out of it. Damn. I was looking forward to pulling him outta there too.

That's all, just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Al

kaneman23

Why would you want or need a rear locker when it has a locking center diff?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Very good test Al.

Kaneman, the center diff locker is not the same as the rear E locker that came on the earlier models.
In fact it should not really be called a locker.

The E lockers that use to be available would lock both rear wheels so they would both have equal traction in a situation that calls for it.

On a non locked rig, if one tire is in the air, or is stuck, the free wheel gets the power, and not the wheel & tire that actually needs the traction.

Al, I only got to drive the '03 4Runner one day in TooEZgoin's off road test up at Greenwater, and I was very impressed with it.
It hugged the roads up there so good, and when you give it the gas, there was no comparison between it and my little 3.0.

Same deal when I drove Andy's (Drew) new Tundra a few weeks back up at Greenwater.
Plenty of power on tap.

HBoss

A locking center differential is not the same as a locking rear differential. A locking center differential basically puts a full-time 4WD system in part-time 4WD mode.

Part-time 4WD + a locking rear diff is superior to full-time 4WD + a locking center diff in regards to traction and offroading.

HBoss

You're too quick for me Corey. I was posting while you were...

The 2003 4.7L V8 is silky smooth. Oh momma it was nice! With it's full-time 4WD system it had no problem putting the power to the pavement (even with our icy/snowy roads) when I floored it.

91Runner

HBoss: I've gotta disagree with you about the Xterra. I do agree that it's rugged and fun though As far as power goes, it's not exactly a speed demon, although it is a lot quicker than the '91 4Runner I have I personally can definitely feel the acceleration in the Xterra (But then again I was used to driving a 2nd Gen 4Runner ) and for me it has more than enough power to suit my needs It won't win many races, but I don't need it to. Also I don't agree that the Xterra lacks build quality. I mean there is a fair amount of plastic on it (covering the front bumper, lower valence, etc..) but the interior is really strong and durable from what I can tell. And the body itself is very sturdy. But that's just my opinion though I've been extremely happy with my Xterra so far, although if I had the money I would of bought a new 4Runner, but I really couldn't justify spending 35k for a truck when I could get an Xterra with pretty much the exact same options for 23k. And even though the look of the new 4Runner is growing on me, I still really like how the Xterra looks


-Braden

kaneman23

Thanks for the info. I have the E-Locker on my 99' Tacoma/TRD... However, I wasn't aware that the 03's didn't have lockers. I thought the Center Diff locked the front and rear axles.. Learn something new everyday on here.

HBoss

I happen to really, really like the way the Xterra looks too. And I've read a lot of Xterra owners rave about it's reliability & quality (the Calgary Nissan 4x4 Club posts, for instance). Honestly, I'm sure it's an absolutely great vehicle, but that was just what my buddy & I felt after we finished the test drive.

Like I said, I don't mean to insult or offend w/my post...but all I have to go on, is the impression I got in the 15 minutes I was in it.

91Runner

Hehe don't worry about it, you didn't offend or insult me Maybe if you're even in San Diego I could take you for a little trial run offroad in it and show you just how tough it is hehehe (Hopefully It'll get some nice A/T Tires and some new shocks, and I'll be able to get it dirty soon )

I honestly thought that the Xterra didn't have very good build quality when I first sat in one, but after taking a couple of test drives, and after owning it for 4 months, that has completely changed

I completely agree with you about how uncomfortable the Rubicon is. When I was looking at Xterras, I was at a local Jeep/Kia Dealership (They had a used Xterra there that I wanted to check out) and I sat in a Jeep Rubicon (as well as a Kia Sorrento I think it's called, it's Kia's new SUV) and the interior of it was very uncomfortable. The '94 Jeep Wranlger that I used to have was pretty comfortable, but the Rubicon was very claustraphobic I thought. Also on a different note, the New Kia SUV is very comfortable to sit in I was really considering driving one, but I decided that I would only test drive the ones I'm interested in buying, and I wanted something that was a bit more rugged than the Kia

-Braden