NissanNissan officially confirmed the long-rumored return of one of its most beloved products today, announcing that a new, body-on-frame Xterra was in the works and on track for a debut in 2028. At an event in Japan focused on the launch of the next-generation Rogue e-Power, the company admitted that it was planning on reintroducing the rugged SUV to rival the Toyota 4Runner and forthcoming Hyundai off-roader, which will be produced in America to help reverse the popular automaker's profitability problems. No Details, Lots Of Excitement The third-generation Xterra will come nearly 14 years after the demise of its predecessor, which went out of production after the '15 model year. But like the SUVs that came before, it will retain the body-on-frame construction that off-roaders prefer for robustness and relative ease of modification and repair. Styling-wise, the lone teaser image Nissan released of the Xterra shows a bluff, upright front end and tall fenders, with a chiseled hood and fenders that recall the first-generation Pathfinder SUV. A trio of amber marker lights above the grille channel that model's funky hood vents; ditto the three-opening grille motif that lives below a bold "NISSAN" wordmark.NissanNissan's future product strategy will involve four model initiatives: Core, Growth, Partner, and Heartbeat. As an enthusiast-oriented product, the Xterra will belong to the Heartbeat family, a class of cars that includes the Z and Z Nismo, the Armada, and a future Skyline sedan for the Japanese market. What may be of more interest to American consumers, especially patriotic ones, is the Xterra's planned production location. As with its predecessors, Nissan will build the rugged SUV in the US, likely at the Frontier's factory in Canton, Mississippi. Powertrain Rumors For The Future Xterra The next-generation SUV will retain an internal-combustion engine, but as with the Rogue e-Power, it will likely operate as a series hybrid, with the engine generating electricity for front- and rear-mounted electric motors. Augmenting Nissan's current 3.8-liter V6 with instantaneous electric torque could make for some pretty impressive off-road chops, as well as a total power output of 350 horsepower or more. The Luddite in us also hopes Nissan will produce a non-hybrid Xterra, and in our dreams, it'd even have a manual gearbox to put some heat on the stick-shifted Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.We expect the second-generation Xterra's solid rear axle to return for the third-gen model, although plan on four-corner coil springs replacing the old SUV's rear leaf packs in the name of modernity and on-road comfort. The Xterra will share its body-on-frame platform with five US-built models, including the next-generation Pathfinder (which is rumored to live alongside the family-friendly unibody crossover of the same name). We suspect the new platform will also show up under the Armada when it's redesigned sometime in the 2030s, and Infiniti is also planning on using it for a rival to the Lexus GX and Land Rover Defender – return of the QX4, perhaps?The automaker is targeting a late-2028 debut for the future Xterra, and that timing would put it right on track for next-gen versions of both the 2019-era Jeep and 2021-era Bronco. We could be in for a real off-road treat if Nissan can make it happen.
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