The Nissan Xterra is officially back on and set to return in 2028, according to a report from a dealer meeting in Las Vegas that took place on August 20th.
Automotive News initially broke the news of the confirmation of the Xterra’s revival, which was reportedly announced by Nissan Americas chairman Christian Meunier. It’s still too early for specs, but Nissan showed dealer attendees images of what the Xterra would look like, according to the report, and it was described as blocky with an upright grille and squared-off headlights. Expect it to look ready for off-roading, which would be the same path followed by the original Xterra.
The two-row SUV will reportedly ride on a freshly-made, body-on-frame platform that AN reports will ultimately house five different models. Nissan’s pickup, the Frontier, is expected to be one of the models that move to this new platform—a logical move, considering the original Xterra and Frontier shared a platform before. Nissan reportedly described the new Xterra as “affordable,” but did not offer up a price point in the meeting.
Powertrain rumors are even more intriguing, as AN reports the Xterra will come with a hybrid V-6, and even suggests Nissan could offer an extended-range EV option that supplies as much as 75 miles of gas-free range. That seems a bit far-fetched today, but the more realistic V-6 hybrid setup would be ideal to compete against the Toyota 4Runner and its hybrid powertrain.
Nissan is expected to manufacture the new Xterra in the U.S. at its Canton, Mississippi. plant, according to AN. This location currently screws together the Frontier, making it a natural choice to build its SUV platform mate.
All this news confirms Nissan was serious when it filed for a patent on the Xterra name less than a year ago. Nissan could really use the win of a new Xterra sooner than 2028, but at least now we know the wait is on for a new offering in the body-on-frame, off-road SUV space.
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