2014/15 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk vs 2015 Toyota 4Runner Trail edition

[Justincredible]

The Xterra really is a great SUV, but there haven't been any major updates since 2005 and it shows in the interior.

Also, the R180 front diff (same one Subaru uses in the much smaller and lighter STi) is prone to grenading, particularly if you have a front wheel spinning and it suddenly finds traction. Fortunately the Titan gear is a pretty straightforward swap.

Other than that it is a solid rig and a good offroader.

 

[Blind_Io]

There was a refresh of the interior that happened in, I want to say 2008, but I don't recall off the top of my head. It made the center stack far more civilized and introduced another stereo option with a large display screen. I personally like the older style with big chunky knobs and buttons that I can work easily with gloves on.

The XTerra is due for another generation but we have not heard anything confirmed from Nissan on that. We know that the Frontier, the XTerra's truck counterpart, is being reintroduced in a couple of years and will be available with a Cummings 4-cyl diesel motor. I know the driver who dropped a test vehicle off at Nissan's hot weather testing facility this past summer. It would make sense for Nissan to continue the XTerra line, especially with the FJ Crusier being discontinued and rumors of the next Wrangler having an independent front suspension. The chassis will already exist for the Frontier and if Nissan continues with the way it has been done in the past, almost all the interior will be identical to the Frontier. The only differences really are building the body to bolt onto a slightly modified chassis.

 

[KiwiKurt]

The Xterra really is a great SUV, but there haven't been any major updates since 2005 and it shows in the interior.

Also, the R180 front diff (same one Subaru uses in the much smaller and lighter STi) is prone to grenading, particularly if you have a front wheel spinning and it suddenly finds traction. Fortunately the Titan gear is a pretty straightforward swap.

Other than that it is a solid rig and a good offroader.

I've heard that, but its always "i know a guy who knows a guy who's cousin's brother is on a forum on the internet" blew his diff. I've never actually met and talked to anyone who has had a front diff failure on a Xterra.

Not saying it isn't a weak link per se, I'm just saying it's blown way out of proportion thanks to the interw3bs because one guy blew his diff 4 years ago rock crawling at moab with a 5" calmini lift and 35+" tires. Which, if that's your thing, the xterra is the wrong truck to pick.(and so are all the others on the list)

The r180 diff in the STI is actually one of the strong points to the car. Guys light them up, spin them, clutch drop launch with them with 2 and 3x the amount of TQ the xterra generates. I think the issue with the diff, I think, was the afore mentioned situation with one tire up in the air and the guy came down hard on it(IIRC)....that said, not sure if anyone has tried swapping in a R200 diff if they need more strength, but ARB makes a locker front diff for the truck now as well.

The interior re-fresh was nice. My 2014 looks plenty modern.

 

[CF1973]

I am going to look at and drive a 2010 XTerra Off-Road this afternoon. We'll see how she's goes.

 

[kojackJKU]

If it's anything like my 1998 pathfinder its an awesome rig. Mine was a 1998.5 actually. ha ha chilkoot trail edition. It was an awesome rig.

 

[Blind_Io]

I am going to look at and drive a 2010 XTerra Off-Road this afternoon. We'll see how she's goes.

Will you post your impressions of the test drive? I'm curious to know what you think.

 

[CF1973]

I drove the vehicles over 3 weeks, so these are very subjective and highly suspect.

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The Xterra drives like a truck, large and heavy, similar to the 4runner but more truck like than a stock JKU. The bumps felt through the suspension are more solid and less muffled compared to the 4Runner. Everything felt a bit tighter in the Xterra like suspension and cornering.

The steering on the Xterra is very stiff and does not vary from parking lot to highway.

I did not drive a 2010 4Runner, I drove two 2014s, one SR5 and one Trail Edition.

Visibility is really good in the Xterra.

The tech on the Xterra is not impressive but that is not important to me.

The price point on the Xterra Off Road with 59K miles was $5,000 less than a similar a 2010 4Runner SR5 with 94K miles.
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I purchased the Xterra because of its combined features and price point.

 

[GetOutThere]

I drove the vehicles over 3 weeks, so these are very subjective and highly suspect.

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The Xterra drives like a truck, large and heavy, similar to the 4runner but more truck like than a stock JKU. The bumps felt through the suspension are more solid and less muffled compared to the 4Runner. Everything felt a bit tighter in the Xterra like suspension and cornering.

The steering on the Xterra is very stiff and does not vary from parking lot to highway.

I did not drive a 2010 4Runner, I drove two 2014s, one SR5 and one Trail Edition.

Visibility is really good in the Xterra.

The tech on the Xterra is not impressive but that is not important to me.

The price point on the Xterra Off Road with 59K miles was $5,000 less than a similar a 2010 4Runner SR5 with 94K miles.
--------

I purchased the Xterra because of its combined features and price point.

Your Xterra observations are exactly the same as mine when I drove it.

 

[kojackJKU]

Congrats CF1973. Time for mods! ha ha.

 

[Blind_Io]

Congratulations! There are some XTerra specific forums like thenewx.org that have good resources for mods.

 

[merwin]

There has been recalls for the tacomas and tundras for rusting chasis. I know of two in my small town of about 20 tundras who had their chasis rusted out and the local dealer had about 50 tacomas as a big rust graveyard. NO THANKS. keep the Japscrap and drive a real vehicle.

Those sub-quality frames were supplied by Dana, in the USA for those two truck lines being built in the USA. The 4Runners built in Japan do not have this issue. Research it.

 

[jpat30]

I believe a much better comparison would be the grand cherokee trailhawk vs the 4 runnner; much more apples to apples....I would love to see an unbiased objective test pitting the 2 against each other and see what comes out on top. I agree though with many of the above comments that the cherokee is in a totally different class than the runner...just my .02