2004 vs. 2005 looks

I know a lot of people are not so sure about the new 2005 Xterras looks so I did a side by side comparison of a pic off nissan's website and a pic I took of my car with my digital camera.

Which do you prefer? 2004 or 2005? Forget about the better engine...I'm just talking about appearance.

Its getting a little boxy for my taste. Almost like they were incorperating the brinks truck look evil h2's...
Continuing the straight lines over the wheel trim was a bad call, comparitivly, same goes with the rear door, so boring, so... hummer.
I should make it known that I dispise the hummer because they are nothing more than public wealth icons, the few i see around here are always buffed to a mirror shine, and at either wal-mart or the bank. To me nothing says "im a prick" more than the h2, no offense to those non-prick h2 owners :rolleyes:
Definatly the 00-04 for me

Yah, the 00-04 have more of a sporty/rugged look.
Look at the roof rack and step rails.

What I always liked about the Xterra was it's unique looks. They can be spotted from a mile away, whether from the side, front or rear. It's amazing how a few details can have such an adverse effect on that unique quality.

My initial opinion: The overall look of the '05 is basically the same. However, who ever squared the rear windows and straightened the fore/aft fenders, which ultimately had to be compensated with with larger bumpers, should be horse whipped.

Granted, pictures can be deceiving. I'm going to need to see one on the road, or more likely one in my driveway, before I can really form an opinion about the looks. I'm still getting one.

Are the angles of approach less on the '05?

They definitely seem to be. Ground clearance 'looks' less as well, although the pictures are not taken on exactly the same level.

The '05 to me looks less rugged, nimble and able to avoid dammage on the trail. The bigger, more pronounced panels look more suceptable to being dinged up. However, I've only seen them in pictures and commercials so I'm no authority at this point.

I'll stick to the "Classic" Look...more of a Rugged look, and let's face it...all of us are used to the Design of the '00-'04 Xterra's...despite the looks though...the '05 is way better in all aspects of the "Classic" Xterra's...

The new one looks pretty sweet..The old one was sweet....Xterra is sweet in general. I think once their out on the roads we will like them better. I wish your image came out though so I could see the comparasion. I do, however, think the old one was a little more oringinal looking. The newer one does seem to take styling cues from current models on the road.

I'm mixed on the issue. At some angles, the '05 looks pretty darn good. Others, it looks stubby (the above picture is a good example). I've also noticed that the '05 looks better in darker colors, probably because it takes attention away from the massive amounts of dark plastic.

Pretty much the opposite for the '00 to '04's. A nice Solor Yellow or Aztec Red (ah, how I miss that color) classic X is da bomb.

I've finally noticed what is missing on the '05. It's a subtle thing, but it makes the truck look taller in the body and less stylistic. The classic X's have another body line, or crease if you will, just below the window level that joins the two fender bulges and sorta integrates them better.

I just fixed it! You should be able to see the comparison now in the original post!

I am now using "imageshack.us" to supply the images. I will never use "imagehosting.us" ever again.

Anyone know why we can't post pics directly to this message board? Seems like a hassle to use a third party host.

At least the 05 doesn't have the round wannabee jeep headlights

I still thing the original design is the best...

Flame away....

The weather looks DAMN nice where you live! haha

They both still look alike. The new one still has a lot of the same look of the old, which is nice since our older ones won't look totally outdated. They are both really sweet! That is a great shot of your xterra...What size wheels do you have on your xterra? The ones in the stock photo look really big, but it could just be the way the pic was taken.

I have to admit I like the four spoke wheels better then the 6 on the stock photo...

It's San Diego baby!
They are the 16" rims. Part of the "world championship package" for the XE-V6.

The squared rear doors make me think Honda Element... but it's not too bad. I like my '00, though.

GRRRRRR!!!!!! I love the jeep style round headlights!

Do you think Jeep's we're the first vehicle to ever use round headlights? I'm like you though I would much rather have some "ol yellers" instead of my roundys. :rolleyes:

i agree, i hate the back, from the side it looks "stubby" like someone else stated, but the front end, from an angle looks pretty good, but the first thing that came to my head when i noticed they squared out the back doors...ELEMENT!...and i hear alot of people like that rear step, i think its ok but i usually just stand on my tire, one thing i really like about the exterior is that new basket, totally enclosed, i think thats pretty neat

I prefer the current styling. The '05 isn't so bad in profile from the rear door forward, but that boxy-assed rear end and square rear side windows really take away from the "Xterra" look. My other dislikes about the '05 are:

1. Gigantic fender flares
2. Gigantic rear hatch bulge (takes up nearly half the tailgate - what, is the '05 first aid kit big enough to supply a MASH unit?)
3. hatch badge placement

That's all relatively minor stuff, and I still need to see one in person though before making up my mind. Can't do that with pics alone.

Round lights were the staple of cars in the old days...i really love the round lights!

Do they make a cover to put on the older baskets that lock down? If not then maybe I should work on one...who wants to buy one? I give you all a discount

I like the old style better. But than again it has been out a number of years and we are all use to it.

They look way better in person than in pics, it just takes some getting use to because we are so familiar with the "Classic".

I am pretty much sold on the 2005, I will definietly miss my 2001 but the 05 resolves the few issues I had with my 01, like rear windows go all the way down, wider entry into rear passenger seats, more power, more comfortable seating more head room in front seats. things i don't like about the 05 but can live with are the new rims and the roof basket, don't get me wrong the lockable roof basket is a great idea but thy minimized the depth from 6 inches to about 3 inches. Once you see the roof basket you can see the difference, with the lid on you are really limited on what you can put in there. My solution will be to buy the extension for my loadwarrior. The last thing I didn't like was the rear bumper steps but they have grown on me, they feel really strong I weigh 230 lbs and they felt like the could carry my weight.

hmmm the new one does look considerable bigger then the old one...

If you have an 04 XE then they are the same as yours...

Nobody cares what you think! :p

Bonedog, do you have a picture of the back of your xterra. I wanted to check out your taillight guards, are those factory ones or did you get yours somewhere different?

For the next 3 years or so I'll prefer the old style. When I get a new one in 2008 or so, I'll prefer it

For me, the Xterra is one of the few vehicles that the first time I saw it I really liked the look of. I think the 2005 is a very good looking SUV, but it will take some getting used to for those of us who are used to the old style.

Under the hood though, the '05 should win anyone's heart.

Two questions:

Are you sure that is a correct 2005 pic?

When I first saw the pre-production model in person last year, I could have sworn the gas tank was moved to the driver's side.
Edit: It in fact is on the pictures I have.

Second,
I guess there won't be manual hubs option anymore?

Stone

They're the factory Nissan ones. Much cooler (although just as ineffective) than the Westin or Waag style...

?????...The round headlights work WAY BETTER!!! Function over form! How many post are on this site looking for square headlight performance improvement? Get over it!

Anyone else notice in the silver 05 x picture on the roof bar the Xterra is backwards.

you know the 05 is just going to attract a new wave of soccer moms, seeing as how it looks more luxurious than the previous body style. i like the size of the older one, and the sporty look to it. i would however, LOVE to see the 05's lifted...man they must look pretty damn burly.

Here's yet another pic of my X! Yes, I put the taillamp guards on myself. I ordered them from "Xterraparts.com" I love them!

Yes, I'm the one who did that! In order to offer a good comparison shot, I flipped the pic of the 2005 Xterra, so they would be facing the same direction. I didn't wan't to flip my 2004 "X" because then well....my decal would be backwards!! :p

ever notice how defensive the round headlight people are??? damn it sucks to have those headlights.

btw------this is all in jest, so don't get your panties (you know who you are) in a wad.

No question... the one on the left looks better.

...but I'm biased.

looking at it again...the front ends seems to square, to me it looks like it would bottom out where as the 04's and older models would have a better approach angle, anyone else notice that?

wow if you look at it long enough, i swear it looks like they start to get closer together!
but the more i DO look at it, the more i realize that the 05 is just too...BLEH...the old model looks like its going to eat the new one, RAR!

Yeah, a great mod to help you when you're hitting those treacherous trails in your 4x2 X. Sheesh, get real.

Oh wait, mine's 4x2 too.

I actually could have used those suckers the other day when I was parking in the back dirt driveway of a friend's place. A scrawny, insignificant little dead bush managed to puncture my tail lamp assembly and make about a half-inch hole.

Do you KNOW how much a replacement assembly costs from Nissan? Ridiculous. I'm hoping to just wait till one turns up at the local junk yards.

Mystery solved. The gas tank IS on the drivers side on the 2005.

lol quoted and forgot to write
check e bay, i backed into a branch after a short while found one for $30

Thanks for the heads-up MediStorm...didn't think to check Ebay. I'll do some snooping.

That's less than 1/3 of the price for one new.

Ha Ha! OK, I got them for looks! I guess you could say the same about the Xterra seat covers and licence plate frames I installed also!

Sorry, I don't need 4x4 where I live. I haven't seen snow once in the 6 years I've lived here!

I sure as hell don't plan on taking it "off road". I'm not into trashing my vehicle! :p

Has anyone else noticed that the rear door seems smaller on the 05 than on the 04? Which, unless the door can open more, it will make getting in and out of the back seat even worse than on the 04 .

this should be a poll...

i like the 02-04 models the best...

Just my opinion... if they raised the front bumper of the 05.. thinned out the rear bumper and made a couple more agressive molds in the sheet metal it would look a lot better.

They need to change the front fender flare, it's just to blah.

bonedog, I was going to get those tail light covers....looks good, but now I have to wait until I get my rear bumper fixed and who knows what else, after some dumb kid rammed me in traffic tonight.....only had xterra 2 months....

Bandwidth costs money, and hosting pics directly off of XOC would dramatically increase the bandwidth used.

That was one of the benefits of being a supporting member - image hosting.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the rims and tires look WAY too big for the redesigned X.

The original looks ready for the trail.

The new one looks ready for Soccer Practice .

Hey, I drive my son to soccer practice in mine all the time

Of course I help coach also...

There's nothing wrong with helpin a buddy out

You sure? The approach angle on the 05 looks quite a bit better to me with the dramatically shorter front overhang and all..

I like the face of the '05 better, and I'm indifferent about the rest - EXCEPT the OBNOXIOUS badges on the backside!! WTF!??

http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/2004vehicles/xterra/specs.shtml
vs.
http://www.nissannews.com/nissan/2005vehicles/xterra/specs.shtml

The 05 is actually poorer in some cases (especially breakover), and little better otherwise.

I just threw up inside my mouth.

Are you a regular at gaypimp.com?

Dude, that is so wrong.

yeah in that pic the 05 definitely is taking it's cues from that god forsaken ugly honda element...take away the front end and it looks just like it

Just had to share my opinion as well since I have one...the 05 doesn't look much different than the Pathfinder or the Armada. It now looks like all the others in the Nissan "line" of SUVs. The one thing that I had always liked about the X was its uniqueness. I think alot of that has been lost in the new body style. Again...I just could not resist putting in my 2cents. :rolleyes:

Gettin' back on track, my opinion of the '05 X:
Fairly dissapointed.
Looks like an Asscape, with a Mazda Tribute smashed into it from the back goin' 200 MPH.

By the way, fuck the patriots.

How did you end up on this site?

The original looks like a real offroad SUV, the '05 is the Nissan Explorer.

don't hate us cause we're good...

Right now the look of the '05 makes me want to vomit. I'm hoping it will grow on me over time. For now I'll stick with my '04