2028 Nissan Xterra 4x4 wagon confirmed
Nissan is finally giving the world a sub-Patrol 4x4 SUV, and it could be ChineseThe News
Nissan North America is reportedly reviving its Xterra ladder-frame SUV as a sub-Armada (Patrol) off-road SUV offering, with the global debut and subsequent release set for 2028.
The Key Details
- Primed to sit on an all-new platform shared with four other models
- Possibly derived from Chinese-sourced Nissan Frontier Pro;
- US-sourced Pathfinder means it’s not entirely ruled out for Australia if it’s unrelated
The Finer Details
According to Automotive News, the reborn Xterra was confirmed to North American dealers at a national conference this week as one of five models destined for a new-generation ladder-frame platform.
Details of this platform are few and far between at the time of writing, but odds are the next-gen Frontier – North America’s slightly bigger Navara equivalent – will also sit on this platform since the Xterra has traditionally been derived from the pick-up.
Interestingly, the new model will reportedly only be offered with two rows of seating and could feature a hybrid V6 powertrain alongside a plug-in hybrid system.
Production is tipped for Nissan’s Canton plant in Mississippi – where the current North American Frontier is made – which doesn’t entirely rule out the Xterra for Australia seeing as we source the road-focused Pathfinder out of Tennessee.
Speaking of the Pathfinder nameplate, the Xterra and its global Terra relative follow in the wheel tracks of the original Pathfinder in being an SUV derivative of Nissan mid-sized pick-up truck(s).
The Road Ahead
It will be interesting to see how and where Nissan sources the Xterra’s supposed electrification tech from, particularly the plug-in hybrid system seeing as it has a high-profile partnership with Dongfeng that’s thus far yielded the Frontier Pro which just so happens to sit on a ladder-frame platform and feature a plug-in hybrid system.
It’s entirely plausible Nissan is planning to produce the Chinese-developed ute – and corresponding SUV – in the US to side-step Trump’s vicious import tariffs while not having to shoulder any of the major development costs.
This in turn adds even more weight to the notion of the revived Xterra coming here to battle the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, albeit without the ‘X’ prefix on its name – Xterra in the US, Terra everywhere else.
Digital images: AI and Kolesa
Related: 2026 Nissan Terra would scare a Prado for days
Related: 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro hybrid ute revealed
Related: New Nissan X-Terra unveiled
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