2013 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X A/T

“Tough Gear That Helps You Attack Life” is the tag line Nissan has associated with the 2013 Xterra Pro-4X. The gear basket within the air dam is located at the front of the roof rack with rails and crossbars for securely attaching a variety of camping or traveling gear is a great way to describe the Xterra’s tough gear that helps you attack life. Rear side bumper steps, splash guards, roof mounted off-road headlights and the black/sandblast aluminum front fascia are all features that give the Xterra a ready, willing and able appearance to conquer off-road challenges and wilderness adventures.


Millville Canyon is a rough, rocky, steep and very narrow four wheel drive canyon road located Southeast of Logan. Navigating the 4.1 miles of road from the mouth to the top of the canyon can take as long as an hour depending on how hard you want to push the abilities of the vehicle. The Xterra has 261 horsepower from a 4.0 liter DOHC V6 engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. This is only 20 horsepower less then some V8 engines in larger sport utility vehicles. The high performance Bilstein shocks, hill start assist, hill descent control, 16” machined-alloy off-road wheels, OWL rugged trail tires and electronic locking rear differential with a four wheel drive low setting – made the late night trip with a friend, who happens to own an previous and comparable Xterra model, a great success.

I had the opportunity to get some “on-road” seat time in the Xterra as well when I drove it nearly 800 miles from Logan to St. George, Utah and back. Even though the Xterra isn't made to be a luxury vehicle and is built on a four wheel drive chassis, the interior driving features made for a comfortable and fun road trip.

Not only am I huge fan of listening to my music, but I like being able to feel it, as well. Since I was the only passenger in the vehicle for the duration of the road trip, I really put the 8-speaker plus sub-woofer Rockford Fosgate premium audio system to the test. Listening to variety of commercial free SiriusXM channels or streaming my favorite genres of music through my smart phone and the Pandora ready Nissan app controlled from the 5.8” color display or the steering wheel controls enabled me to thumbs up or thumbs down different songs within my personal Pandora account without ever handling a phone. The clear quality sound and low bass rumble literally shook the driver’s seat and was tested for hours and hours of time. I’m not embarrassed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my recent loud and thumping music adventure. Some may say that was immature, but I say it was awesome!

The toughness of the vehicle starts from the front bumper with a tow hook and ends in the rear of the vehicle with the Utili-track cargo channel system and 2” receiver tow package under the rear bumper. The 60/40 split fold-flat 2nd row of seats with removable seat bottom cushions and easy clean hard plastic cargo area was the perfect amount of cargo space for me to haul some small furniture back from St. George along with my personal luggage for the weekend stay.

Compared to my friend’s previous model, Nissan hasn't changed much of the design or features in the Xterra over the past few years. I believe it’s because the Xterra Pro- 4X is tough enough to help attack life... and have a lot of fun on the way.

You can find the 2013 Xterra Pro-4X at Wilson Motor Company located at 328 North Main in Logan. (888) 511-9253. See Wilson’s complete inventory on Cars435.com

Base MSRP: $30,490
Price as Driven: $31,925