2002 Nissan Xterra SE
Several years ago I bought a Casio G-Shock. It is a big
watch, a massive black thing. Not surprisingly, it has a number
of stopwatch features. And beyond the mere time, it can tell me
what the ambient temperature is and provide a multi-hour review
of the temps in case I’m environmentally obsessed. I like to
think of it as not a mere “watch,” but as a “machine.”
As this was one of the earlier G-Shocks (this was before they
were quite so trendy), it has some limitations. For example, the
buttons are too small for making all of those functions work.
And the light for the dial is, well, anemic. Still, the watch is
adventurously rugged. . . although my sedentary existence has
never put it to a test (and now it resides in a drawer).
I thought about my G-Shock while piloting an Xterra SE. I
use the word “piloting” for two reasons. One: you climb
up and into the Xterra. Fortunately, the SE package
provides tubular step rails. Two: while perched on top of a
solid ladder-type frame, surveying the terrain below, you know
you are in a truck, not a car-based vehicle. (The Xterra is
built along with the Frontier pickup at Nissan North America
Manufacturing Smyrna & Dechard Tennessee Plant.)
The Xterra is a machine.
Let’s let the quibbles out. While the interior has an
industrial look and feel that is contextually appropriate, like
the G-Shock, I find some of the things to be too small, such as
the door opening handles (I defy anyone to readily open the doors
while wearing ski gloves) and the audio controls. The limited
number of now-seemingly essential nooks and crannies to store
things is surprising. The steering wheel position adjuster is
too evidently a stamping for a vehicle that is in the $29K range.
Of course, a vehicle is about driving. While one might be a
bit concerned about getting up to speed on a freeway in a vehicle
that has a curb weight in the 4,200-lb. vicinity, know that a
factory-installed supercharger is available for the 3.3-liter V6;
the non-supercharged version provides 170 hp, while the
supercharge brings the number up to 210 hp. The Eaton
Corp.-supplied unit essentially draws air through itself and
pushes an excessive amount into the intake manifold that results
in back pressure (a.k.a., boost). Just add fuel (premium) to the
mix, and zoom. (This isn’t operating all the time, just
when you need the extra kick, so fuel efficiency doesn’t take a
beating.) Freeways: a breeze.
I never climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my G-Shock on my
wrist. I never made use of the transfer case in the Xterra. In
both cases, I sub optimized the use for which the devices are
intended. I admit it. I’m sure that the Xterra could do far
more in the way of dealing with nasty driving conditions than
those found on I-94.
Still, I wonder: How many people are like me, buying a whole
lot of ruggedness that they never use?
