Nissan tones down second-gen Xterra ute.(News)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

"Yellow.'' That was the first response Nissan exec Eric Martin elicited from a group of California college students when he asked what one word came to mind when he said "Xterra.''

The college kids also said "real,'' which Nissan marketers took to mean "authentic,'' and "rock 'n' roll,'' which was offered up by a student who clearly either thinks rock 'n' roll is one word or doesn't do well on tests that require following directions. Whatever.

What's important in all this is that Nissan's first-generation entry-level Swiss Army knife of an off-roader obviously made an impression with the active college and immediate post-college crowd for which the vehicle was intended when it debuted in 1999.

(We can attest to the love-hate relationship provoked by the now-iconic bright yellow on a long-term test Xterra we drove back in 2000. Most liked its in-your-face flavor; others sometimes felt like they were trapped in a very short-wheelbase school bus.)

Nissan's decision to go with yellow as one of nine introductory color options was just the kind of risk we've now come to expect from the then-struggling Japanese automaker. But for the second-generation Xterra, there are signs the company is toning down the attitude in favor of winning a wider audience for the vehicle.

Like the all-new Frontier (AW, Dec. 13, 2004), the new Xterra is built on a variant of the full-size Titan chassis, which allows Xterra's wheelbase to grow by two inches, to 106.3 inches. But in keeping with the Xterra's reputation for "just right'' sizing, the overall length grows less than half an inch, to 178.7 inches. Interior room improves, thanks to a half-inch height increase and a whopping 2.4-inch jump in width. The longer wheelbase and stiffer chassis improve Xterra's on-road manners, but even with a softer ride the vehicle still suffers from some pitching over rough pavement, incurring noticeable ...