Has anybody seen the April 2006 Car and Driver? I usually do not pay much attention to car and truck mags but this one caught my attention so I bought it. They did a shootout between the X, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Bummer H3, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. The X won but man they were brutal in describing the 2000-04 Xterras. I happen to like mine.

Yeah I read that too. But they really did a nice write up on the Xterra, despite the comments about previous xterras.

I read it too. Great read since I was going to wait for the FJ, SOOOooo Glad I didn't!

In motor Trend the X came in second do to its inability to climb a snow covered hill or something.

It also scored the lowest on the RTI at 348.

RTI? 348?

RTI is the ramp test index? Basically you drive one front wheel up a ramp until the same side rear wheel comes off the ground. Test the suspension flex. The higher the number the better. 348 is low.

looks like this:

Come on Micah, it's not a jeep club!

Like this:


Or this:

The Ramp Travel Index scoring goes like this:
You take the measurement of how far up the ramp the front wheel traveled until the same side rear wheel leaves the ground. Divide that measurement by the wheelbase of the vehicle. Then multiply that value by 1,000. And also, 1,000 is a perfect score. So, If you can drive up the ramp, until the rear wheel also touches the ramp without having left the ground, (travel up = wheelbase distance) then you score a perfect 1,000.

The angle of the ramps vary a bit based on competition rules, but I believe the standard angle is 20 degrees.

those are the pics i was looking for Scott. nice find.

You learn something new everyday.

Yes you do learn something new every day. According to Car and Driver, the 2006 X holds more cases of beer than its competitors -- 48.

Bummer III - 43
Grand Cherokee -- 39
FJ Cruiser - 40.

The X also has more hp, needed to haul around all that cargo.

here's another for ya...