I don't hang with brand snobs, Nissan, Jeep, or otherwise. All have their pros & cons. The inline 6 in our Jeep is very tough, trail proven, for many years. Few have anything bad to say about it other than fuel economy.

But that inline 6 is a 4.0L, just like the one in the Xterra (but it's a V-6). There's no comparison when it comes to raw power. The Nissan motor kicks butt. Their previous 3.3L, like I had in my 2000 Nissan Crew Cab, wasn't in the same class as either motor.

One thing Jeep has going for it is simplicity. Everything is easy to find and work on. The altenator is high on the motor, just like it should be. No need to pull a tin foil skid plate to remove the oil filter. I think the engineers at Jeep could learn a lot from Nissan, and vice versa! Oh, the sacrilege!

Pics of the Xterra next to the Jeep.