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Nissan unveiled its all-new 2005 Xterra compact sport utility in downtown Manhattan last night, covered in mud and perched high atop a makeshift rocky crag. Two New York "campers" were set up just underneath, tent up and sleeping bags out in the open, while onlookers sipped wine and snacked on appetizers
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| Nissan unveiled its all-new Xterra in New York City last night. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
It's the New York International Auto Show once again, a recurring spectacle unlike any other during the calendar year. Automakers reserve this final major event of the season for those special cars, trucks and SUVs that deserve a little extra attention.
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| The Xterra is the last of the Nissan family to get the family facelift. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
The vehicle everyone came to see looks so similar to the full-size Armada SUV, at least at first glance, that most needed a double take to put it into its much smaller perspective. Nissan is making no excuses about giving its trucks and SUVs a familiar familial resemblance, the Xterra being that last to conform since the next-generation Pathfinder was revealed earlier this year.
The Xterra's bold grille and masculine front fascia feature all the toughness of its larger siblings, accentuated even further with substantially sized wheel arches front and back. From the rear it continues the rough and tumble appearance package, highlighted with an asymmetrical rear window and tailgate. Altogether the new model incorporates elements of the larger Armada design language, but does a pretty good job of infusing them with current Xterra traits to give it just enough of its own perky personality.