Back To Basics SUV Gets A Price-Tag To Match

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Nissan Canada Inc. says its all-new "back to basics" sport utility vehicle will get a price tag to match.

Billed as a vehicle for the "backpack generation", the year-2000 Nissan Xterra begins arriving in Canadian dealership showrooms. It will be offered fully-equipped and at just one price - C$28,998. The only option will be an automatic transmission, priced at C$1,200.

With numerous car-based "cute utes" and "pseudo sport utes" on the market, design chief Jerry Hirshberg says the new Nissan Xterra stands out as being truly rugged and "a return to the soul of the sport utility vehicle."

He adds that Xterra is expected to appeal to a youthful group that has been largely overlooked -- "surfers, mountain-bikers, hikers and snow-boarders. Xterra is intended to take these people wherever they want to go to pursue their highly active life-styles.

Several versions of Xterra will be offered in the U.S. But in Canada there will be just one model with full standard equipment. This includes a 170-horsepower, 3.3-litre V6 engine and complete off-road equipment such as heavy-duty 4-wheel-drive, 2-speed transfer case, auto-locking hubs, protective skid-plates and side-rails. Limited-slip diffferential, all-terrain anti-lock brakes and heavy-duty tires are also part of the package.

Other standard Xterra features include a heavy-duty roof-rack, 6-speaker AM/FM stereo system with CD player, air-conditioning, twin airbags, power windows, mirrors and doorlocks, overhead map-lights, extra front and rear 12-volt power-points, remote locking, and numerous interior tie-down hooks for sports equipment and other cargo. There's even a comprehensive first-aid kit, stowed just inside the tailgate.

Ian Forsyth, director of marketing for Nissan Canada says: "As the popularity of SUVs exploded in recent years, our industry went off in all directions - losing sight of the original idea of an SUV as rugged, fun, go-anywhere vehicle. Our research indicates there's a whole segment of the marketplace waiting for a vehicle like this."