Over the course of its 40 years on sale, the Toyota 4Runner has earned the reputation of being virtually bulletproof when it comes to reliability and virtually unstoppable in tricky off-road situations, and for the most part those are accurate statements. The biggest problem with buying one of these rugged trucks is the ridiculous prices they sell for — even examples with over 100,000 miles on their odometers sell for big bucks.
The point of this blog is not to rip on the 4Runner. Honestly they are tough vehicles to fault and I am a 4Runner fan, I’m just not a fan of their outrageous prices. Toyota’s other legendary off-roaders like the Land Cruiser and FJ Cruiser both sell with big price tags irrespective of their mileage or age, too, but you know what rugged, capable, and reliable off-roader doesn’t sell for as ridiculous prices? The good ol’ second-generation Nissan Xterra, and its big brother the third-gen Pathfinder. Both offer comparable off-road chops to the Toyota trucks for around $10,000 less, and both have proper roofs and more on-road refinement than something like a Jeep Wrangler. Hear me out.
Naturally aspirated V6, available low-range 4WD, and truck-based toughness
The Xterra may technically be a compact SUV, but it seats five like the 4Runner, and its 4.0-liter V6 produces 265 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, six more torques than the fifth-gen Toyota 4Runner’s 4.0-liter V6 but five fewer horsepower. The Xterra is about a foot shorter overall than the fifth-gen 4Runner, so it does suffer from a smaller cargo bay, but that means it has a two-inch-shorter wheelbase so it’s capable of a better breakover angle. When equipped, the Xterra has a part-time four-wheel-drive system with an electronic transfer case with both high and low ranges, as well as a locking rear differential.
The Xterra’s 4.0-liter V6 is a variation of the brand’s VQ engine which was used in many of Nissan’s models so there are plenty of shops that are familiar with them and plenty of parts available to repair or modify them. Another reason that hardcore off-roaders flock to 4Runners is their available manual transmission, which is a feature that the Xterra offers, too.
Not necessarily cheap, but cheaper than Toyotas
If you’ve ever searched the internet for used Toyota 4Runners, Land Cruisers, or FJ Cruisers, you know what I’m talking about. They’re almost always significantly more expensive than other SUVs of comparable age and especially at comparable mileage. I’ve even been guilty of saying that their engines are barely just getting broken-in at 100,000 miles, but spending nearly $30,000 on a 10-year-old truck with 100,000 miles is tough to recommend, even for a Toyota off-roader. Nissan Xterras may be a bit harder to find, but low-mileage Xterra 4X4s generally cost about $10,000 less than comparable 4Runners, going for much more reasonable sums between $10,000 and about $20,000.
If you need more room than the Xterra offers, Nissan built its Pathfinder SUV on the same truck platform as the Xterra from 2005 to 2012, and it was even offered with a third row. Both the Pathfinder and Xterra models from this generation are much cheaper than their Toyota rivals, and represent a better value proposition without sacrificing the rough-and-tumbled off-road capability. Plus, you’ll stand out from all the Toyota trucks on your off-road excursions, and if you ask me, it’s always better to stand out than to blend in.
