wreckdiver1321
Overlander
I can kind of see the potential for 23mpg as stated. My Frontier completely stock would hit up to 23.5. But that's on 91 octane gas, cruising at 70.
I heard the offroad system is terrible on these trucks, and like I've seen in pictures, they office very little articulation. LR's have more, and offer stellar traction aids to combat the two and three wheeling that happens. I do really love the R51's looks though. It's too bad.
"terrible" is a pretty strong word. How would you classify the Highlander?
For every capability, for every vehicle there is another that can do it better. With IRS and IFS, articulation isn't going to be it's strong point, but that doesn't make it incapable of doing 95% of what most need it to do. And the other 5% can be avoided. If one is realistic about the limitations, they're still very capable of getting you there and back. And I'd take the reliability of the R51 over the lack in the LR every day of the week. To me, that capability is more important than articulation.
I'd also ask what XJLI means by "offroad system" ... that's a pretty broad brush. FWIW, I've actually been very impressed by Nissan's traction aids ... I don't have much to compare it to, save Nissan's traction aids from a few years prior (comparing an '08 Xterra to an '04 R50 Pathfinder); and have no basis for comparisons offroad, but I've not had any complaints about the VDC (which is selectable) or the ABLS (which is always on). IMO, they're not overly intrusive and actually do help keep the vehicle pointed and moving where it's headed.
To drbandkgb's point ... saying the Xterra (2nd Gen, presumably) is a better option than the R51 Pathfinder, seems to jumping to some conclusions. I'm currently in an '08 Xterra and looking to move up to an R51 ... interior room and the V8 option being the two primary drivers. The Xterra feels on the smaller side for a family of four, especially as I look forwards to the kids growing out of toddler-hood - and towards possibly adding a K9 to the mix. The V8 (and slightly longer wheelbase) is desirable for the slight bump in power, and for the added towing capacity/capability ... yes it's only a minor increase (7k for a V8 R51 vs. the Xterra's 5k), but towing in the middle of capacity vs. at the higher end becomes an issue of comfort.