I am extremely pro-Nissan Xterra. While it was never the most competitive or capable of the truck-based, body-on-frame SUVs of its time, it had a certain charm to it that other SUVs didn’t. Nissan sold the Xterra for 15 years before finally pulling the plug on the second-generation model, which had been in production for a decade, in 2015.
Since then, there’s been a big upswing in the popularity of off-road-ready SUVs, with vehicles like the Bronco, the Defender, and the new Land Cruiser hitting the scene to much fanfare. Noticing the increased demand from the overlanding crowd, Nissan has finally greenlit a third-generation Xterra, with plans to start production in 2028. I sure hope it looks like this one-off, custom Xterra built from Nissan parts for SEMA.
This build, put together by Nissan ambassador and influencer Nick Scherr, is a combination of parts lifted from the modern Titan and Frontier pickup trucks, as well as a bunch of custom work, made to appear as his interpretation of a “modern Nissan Xterra.” And honestly, it looks great.
The truck is called Project X, and it does a great job of blending the Frontier’s front fascia, front fenders, and front doors to the rear doors and hatch area, which look to be lifted from an Xterra donor car (Nissan doesn’t actually say where those parts are from, though considering that they’re shaped exactly like the body parts of an Xterra, I think it’s safe to assume).
Nissan doesn’t say where the underlying frame is from, either, but all of the suspension components are sourced from the Titan. Specifically, the lower control arms, the front coil-overs, and the axles are all OEM Titan parts. That doesn’t mean it’s a Titan frame underneath; it could be a Frontier frame, too. Swapping Titan parts to the Frontier is a common modification for owners to squeeze more height and track width from their cars. The upper control arms and the leaf springs come from Z1, an aftermarket parts company that specializes in making Nissans more capable off-road.
If I were to picture a modern Xterra in my head, this is pretty much what it’d look like (minus the giant suspension lift and huge tires, of course). Platform sharing is commonplace these days, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nissan build an SUV-ified version of the Frontier and brand it as a third-gen Xterra. I also wouldn’t mind that. The Frontier is a pretty pleasant truck, so to have one with a cabin and enclosed storage space would be nice. That’s basically what the 4Runner is, and that’s one of the best off-roader SUVs on the market right now.
One thing the Project X has that the third-gen Xterra definitely won’t is a V8. The one under the hood of this SUV is a Vk56DE, a 5.6-liter naturally aspirated unit you’ll find in cars like the last-gen Armada, the Titan, and the Infiniti QX56. Nissan doesn’t list a power number, though this engine is equipped with an aftermarket intake setup from Z1 and headers from JBA Performance, a San Diego-based speed shop. So it’s probably making more horsepower than the factory rating of 320 horses.
The Project X also has a six-speed manual transmission—something I don’t suspect the new one will get, either, even though the last two generations of Xterra did come with available row-it-yourself transmissions from the factory. If the rumors are true, we’ll likely see a hybridized V6 under the hood.
There aren’t many pictures of the interior—just one, actually, of the seats—but Nissan says it’s mostly modern Frontier inside, which makes sense considering all the parts-sharing on the outside. In a lot of ways, this one-off is just a Frontier SUV with some extra off-roadiness added to it. And honestly, I don’t mind.
Nissan, if you’re reading: Please make sure the Xterra is basically this. Hell, if there’s a manual V8 version, put me down for the first one. I’d buy something like that tomorrow.
Top graphic image: Nissan
Eagh…no pls.
What, exactly charm did it have over a Forerunner? I had a Datsun/Nissan 720 and pre-Tacoma Toyota pickup. Both were fine, but years apart. So, apples and oranges.
Looking at the first photo, it appears as if it has terrible forward visibility. With hood height that is probably as tall as an average American. Hard pass. Glad it’s just a concept.
Totally agree. If a car company is going to bring back the 90s, then bring back stellar outward visibility. Forget this high hood/small windows BS.
I think this is a bit too much.
Nissan could just sell the D23 Terra, make it LHD and put the 3.8V6 in it.
And maybe a hybrid powertrain.
They forgot to put the “kill” decals of the 15 school kids that the high hood line has caused to be run over and killed. It can be just like fighter jets and their kill decals or stickers. Maybe they can put a flag on it with options for pirate flags and other fun symbols of how much chaos was caused each time they return it to the suburban hell driveway where it won’t fit into the garage, just like when naval ships return to port flying a flag with some meaning from their completed mission.
Don’t forget that it also needs:
Truck nutz
Punisher sticker
Bastardized American flag of some sort
Truck nuts . . . It’s been a while since I’ve lived anywhere that truck nuts are common.
It looks like something Americans would buy.
I am not crazy. I saw a reel about two months ago that had this thing with an LS3 in it. There was a whole article that decried it.
Does anyone else remember this?
Yes! Did they get internet-shamed into putting a VK in there, or is this just a different build entirely?
I think that is a question for @Brian Silvestro, because now I definitely want to know.
The 1st gen Xterra had really awesome styling for its time. Too bad the mechanicals didn’t live up to its style.
Nissan exec to Marketing: “Our product planners are morons so we’re years behind in trying to cash in on the overlanding craze. We need some way to keep the Xterra in the news until we can deliver it in 2029.”
Marketing: [checks ChatGPT] “My Marketing team got together and they say we should do a SEMA concept.”
Exec: “Have you seen our sales numbers?? We can’t afford that! Concept cars cost a fortune!”
Marketing: “What if we just have the guys down in the shop weld an old Xterra back-end onto a Frontier?”
Exec: “Won’t that look ridiculous? They’re not even the same size. The window lines won’t match up at all.”
Marketing: “That’s okay. We’ll paint it a ridiculous color and put some huge mudders and a snorkel on it. The Nissan fanboys will post hot takes about it, which will trigger lots of argument.”
Exec: “Isn’t that bad press??”
Marketing: “In Marketing we prefer to call it ‘Engagement’ ”
Exec: “Does that kind of thing actually work?”
Marketing: “Have you seen the president’s Twitter account?”
Exec: “Okay, but I still worry that people will see a half-assed SEMA build and not believe we’re serious about bringing back the Xterra.”
Marketing: “Sir, my dad saw a Taboola ad and thinks Ford is bringing back the Mustang as a pickup truck.”
Exec: “Good point. Build it.”
I’m just armchairing but all the off-road kit and crazy green distracts from all the work put in to blend the disparate parts together for better and for worse – I (personally) wish this came out looking OEM+. I remember the tailgate being teased and I don’t know what I expected but it’s cool what they tried.
But it’s SEMA, I remember that crazy-lifted Sorento. I appreciate all the elbow-grease and thought that no doubt went in.
“This Is Exactly What The New Xterra Should Look Like”
But only for people who actually go offroad and for those who have a normal vehicle for commuting.
A vehicle like this should not be used like that on a daily commute unless your daily commute involves going out to an oil field or something like that.
For regular on-road use, that vehicle should be a foot lower so they don’t pose as much of a danger to other vehicles and pedestrians… not to mention how those sky-high headlights cause glare for other drivers. And the wheels should not extend beyond the wheel wells for on road use. The debris they kick up is also problematic for other drivers.
Lifted vehicles with oversized wheels like this are a menace on regular public roads.
I don’t think I’d even want it for offroad, since the view out the front over the super tall hood makes it look like there would be a 30 foot blind spot in front of the vehicle. It would probably be difficult half the time to even tell where the road is going on anything technical, let alone where any obstacles are immediately in front of the vehicle. Even a bit of elevation of the front tires on some rocks, and all you’d see would be a bunch of neon metal and the sky. I’m sure the “logical” solution they would implement would be to include an AI drone that can fly along and tell you where to go, instead of lowering the hood a foot or more so you can actually see where you’re going.
If you assume that the “x” in the driver’s head rest is roughly at eye height of the driver, there is almost no downward slope over the hood from that point to provide any sort of forward visibility.
And yes, on road use would just be putting everyone around it in danger. You could probably have an entire class of kindergarteners in front, and not see a single one.
Remember, it’s all about making the initial sale. It does not matter if they are going to actually go offroad, just look at all of the Jeep sales. Whoever decided to do the 4-door Jeep was brilliant!
I live in the South and surrounded by ‘big/bad’ trucks daily….many heading to their office job. One of my co-workers bought a nice ass all black Silverado with bunch of dealer add-ons for a ridiculous amount of $$. Should have no problem at muddy job sites? Heck No! Gonna take the ragged out F150 to job sites. Snow? Heck No! Calling out.
There’s only one solution. We need the designer guy to do a feasible xterra
“The truck is called Project X, and it does a great job of blending the Frontier’s front fascia, front fenders, and front doors to the rear doors and hatch area”
dude… No.
This is two completely different design styles mushed together in a way that absolutely doesn’t work. The front fender is round and higher than the square rear. The rear fender pokes out with and the front has a scallop. The greenhouse lines are a mess, the front clip is too long for the hard squared back edge. etc etc
Don’t get me wrong, the fab shop did a mostly admirable job of putting this together, but this thing is a mess style wise and in no way should reflect the new one.
That awesome green paint is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, looks-wise. I saw a Nissan Kicks in that color at the supermarket the other day, and it was almost enough to make me want one. Temporary insanity.
The front doors need a larger window opening.
Yeah, not sure why they messed with the front doors like this, it ruins the lines.
Totally agree. That may be something that couldn’t be changed as this was a project built from a 2nd Gen Xterra I hope the 3rd Gen fixes it.
I did go and look at the old Xterra for reference, and the window lines USED to match up. It probably fell prey to most SEMA build mantras of get it done, rather than do it well.