The 2005 S 4x4 comes with synth in the rear diff.

FASTDRMR,

You mentioned that the S could get the average person into scary situations. I'd fall into the average/occasional off-roader and am in the market for an Xterra and can't decide between the S or OR. I know I won't, or don't anticipate, rock climbing in it, but would like to be able to get deep(er) into the woods or thru sandy river beds with it and not have to worry. Will the S's 4lo be enough for those situations? I've never used rear lock before and have read where it's a great thing to have, but that you can screw up your truck if you use it wrong. Not sure if pro's out weigh the con's in my situation. I would like to be able to grow with the truck, so thinking even though I may not use the lock now, it might come in handy (or be something I wish I had) a few years down the way.

What about the extra skid plates the OR comes with........added benefit when exploring over rough terrain, right? Does the S even come with skid plates?

Thanks!

Took my first test drive today...and yes: I have to have this car! My question is this: S, SE, or OR? Is it really just up to the individual--or is it REALLY imperative to have one over the other? Money is always an issue--however, I plan on driving this many, many, many years. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to becoming a full fledged member once I buy--and hooking up with any groups in the Palm Springs area. Thanks.

What I meant is that the X, in either S OR SE models will go places the average person would never think to do. That said, going deep into the woods you will be fine with any trim. If you really plan to hold onto it for a long time and invest $$$ into building it up then get the OR. The locker is a nice benefit and very handy. I don't think you can engage it incorrectly and screw anything up, unless you use it in 4lo on pavement.

$$$ aside, get the OR if you plan to go the route of building up and exploring the backcountry. Enjoy!!!

If you're going to tow something heavy, go ahead and add a tranny cooler. On a previous vehicle, I bought a kit at my local performance shop, and installed it in less than an hour with basic tools. Unless you install it wrong, it will only add life to your tranny. But if you really want to keep your tranny living for years, change the fluid every year. Not difficult to DIY, and not real expensive.

The new X should have no problem towing. My 2000 Nissan Crew Cab with its tiny 3.3L (170 HP, 200 ft-lbs) was also rated at 5000 lb towing capacity. It had no problems towing my camper, 4 people, a topper, and a bed full of equipment... oh, and a kayak on the roof.

As for trim model, well, that's a tough call. My dad opted for an 05 X with the S trim. I went for the SE. I do like the upgraded stero, trip computer, the power package is included ($900 option on the S), fold-flat passenger seat, but I could care less about the 17" alloy wheels! Both the S and SE 4x4 models come with ABLS (4-wheel Active Brake Limited Slip), which should help prevent getting stuck by applying the brake to a spinning wheel.

The locking rear diff on the OR package is nice, but the ABLS "should" do a pretty good job of mimicking that action. For all out rock crawling, you'd want a locking diff. Skid plates are a plus, but I don't think the factory ones are worth writing home about. Aftermarket ones are available. The OR comes with upgraded shocks, woo-hoo. The big benefit I see is an extra inch of ground clearance. Might be able to tighten the torsion bars and change the rear shackles... as done on earlier Nissans to gain a little extra clearance without spending money for a lift kit.

Whatever you buy, you'll love it. If you want to do some serious off-roading, you'll likely get a lift kit, get better skid plates, swap out the plastic bumpers for steel and add a hoist, and add bigger tires. No factory off-road trim is ever sufficient for anything serious.

Just my $.02

That last part's certainly true; I KNEW I wanted an OR 4x4 stick; checked the web sites of every Nissan dealer within 50 miles of me and found only three that matched what I was looking for and two had dark paint jobs....a no no in the Valley of the sun as far as I am concerned. Happily the third was silver and here I are!

Congratulations Hooli on the '05 OR . Be sure to attend the Oct meeting for AZXC at Peoria Nissan Oct 21st at 7 pm. We've also got a trip across Northern AZ planned for the 6th through the 9th of Oct (Next week!) . Check out www.azxterraclub.com for info or use the link here on XOC.

Thanks Dan, I'll try and make the meeting on the 21st; nearby and where I bought my X. (Think Brad, my service advisor's a member here.) Northern AZ trip's out 'cause I gotta be here to get warranty work done on motorhome.

I have a 2005 O.R I used my locking diff to climb over rocks im glad i had it

I've had the 05 OR for about two months now. Here's what I really like:

I used the locker the first day I had it. Lots of mud here in NC and it's absolutely worth the $1500 and more on it's own.

The extra clearance. Every inch counts, even for mild offroading. Especially if you don't plan on doing enough to justify getting a lift, then getting and extra inch from the factory is a good idea.

Believe it or not, the "large loop" fabric on the seats. It's much tougher than the standard fabric, and it does a good job of making mud sit on top rather than penetrating the fabric, so clean-up is easier. On that same note, the rubber floor mats are very useful too. Something I would have had to buy anyway.

The skid plates are not really heavy enough for serious off road, as people have said. But for low-key off road they are great. Once again, you get adequate protection even though you can't justify investing in real armor. For me, they will have to be replaced, but thats a ways down in the list (need Shrocks sliders and a bumper first) so I realy like having at least some protection in the mean time.

Unless you go fairly fast off-road you won't notice the difference in shocks. I do and I can say they are a large improvement over the standard shocks, but they do ride rougher on-road.

All in all, the OR gives you one SERIOUS off road tool, the locker, that pays for itself. Then you have several advantages for people looking to do basic off-roading but not wanting to invest in a lot of mods. My .03

had my OR 3 days. already used the locker. the OR, I predict, would be easier to sell on the used market. enthusiasts seek out the special models.

the ABLS (automatic brake-actuated limited slip) gets the job done when running with open diffs, but the locker made my test hill a cake walk.

the wheels and stance are a nice look on the OR.

I like the base model steel wheel look too. the locker rear should be a line item option sans package for the other models.

The extra ground clearance from the OR is due to the larger tire size, not from more lift.



But, yeah - they rock!

YES, that is true! I have bought used Monteros but ONLY ones with a stock locker in them already. Why pay the same for a base model rig then fork over 1,500.00 for a locker?

Here in Utah I got a chance to drive both the SE and the OR on Off Road test drives. I took them up trails that I barely made it up. I'm talking beatings. I found that climbing was much more controlled in the OR due to the firmer suspension. The SE felt bouncy when trying to do a rocky hill climb but was still impressive. They both made it but I had to go faster and beat it up more to make it in the SE.
I am coming from the Jeep Rock crawling world and I'll I can say is these rigs are simply amazing even in stock form. I can not believe how well they climb and handle. I just bought me an 05 X OR and I am driving that. The jeep is parked and I might just get rid of it. Never thought I would say that!!

Hello, I've had an 06' OR for about a month and love it. I took it out yesterday on a very muddy trail, had it in 4LO and it made it through no problem. I just made sure i never stopped! I made it to the edge of the Ct River. I did see one section that I didn't dare but the OR does give an off-road newbie like myself alot of confidence. I'm sure the S is also capable, both have the sweet motor. btw- what are shrock(?) sliders and "new bumper"? I can't wait for bassfishing season, oh yeah Dave H

Having owned four 4wd vehicles, and waiting for my OR to arrive this week, the rear locker alone is worth the cost difference. If you get into a jam, engage it and you can move out of a situation that would otherwise have cost you the money of an off-road tow and the hours (days?) of waiting for someone with a winch. The price difference just paid for itself. The shocks, plates, tires, HA and HD are all items that will protect you, even in "mild" off-roading. IMHO.

Check Out Shrockworks.com click on..Nissan, 2005, Xterra, Sliders, Bumpers. At minimum Id get the sliders.

Even though the vast majority of my mileage will come on asphalt, I decided to go with the OR for the times I get away from it all. I didn't find the ride quality to be much different than the S/SE (though tire noise is a bit higher), and figured that while I might save a few bucks, in the long run I'd regret not having the off-road equipment when I really need it. The trade-off seems worth it for my needs.

I do have a 60-mile daily roundtrip commute, but I'm planning on adding some quieter, softer highway-biased tires for that, and saving the OR tires for just that purpose (such as when I make the annual pilgrimmage out West). My thinking was that it's easier to get the rear locker now, rather than try to add it later. Conversely, I reasoned that it's easier to "soften up" an Off Road with a simple tire swap than it is to "toughen up" an S or SE with a whole bunch of stuff later.

I checked the inventories of Western Nissan dealerships (particularly in CO) and found that the majority of their stock consists of Off Roads, whereas in Michigan ORs are seemingly quite rare. Since I travel to Colorado regularly for camping and fishing trips, this seemed like a good hint for me as to which model to choose.

Right here in Michigan, we get lots of people who run the Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan in Jeeps and dune buggies and such, and I've heard that a locker can be quite handy in certain situations (though admittedly at higher speeds at which the stock locker doesn't operate, to my understanding).

I chose the Xterra because it is specifically intended for a higher level of off-road performance, and I took the "in for a penny, in for a pound" approach when I went with the Off Road since the slight on-road penalties are far outweighed by its capabilities in the dirt, at least according to the many owners that have attested to it. YMMV.

Oh, and I thought the OR's wheels were the best-looking of the bunch, which was the real kicker. :p

Next phone call goes to Shrockworks!

I vote OR.

i have the S model..
there nothing much different from the S and Off road.....
besides u can always upgrade it to a OR...

pretty simple, if you dont plan on going offroad and dont need the upgrades on the SE, just get the S

if you are serious about offroading, get the OR.

if you are hard core about offroading and dont have the cash quite yet, get the X and mod it up exactly the way you want.

if you want a capable off road truck with some more creature comforts and touches, get the SE

I disagree with the school of thought that says "if you're not going off road,just buy the S" I own an OR version and I love it. it looks more stout than the S and rides better. If you find it a little bouncy its because of the cheap tires that nissan puts on the truck. Buy Bridgestone Revos for it and you'll see a marked difference!

Also when you buy the base version you will have to spend even more money modding it with non factory tested and approved gear, which means you will spend more money, not to mention time and anguish finding the right components. Besides the Off Road is already set up perfectly for street and offroad use.
Why would you want to buy a new X and thenrisk the possibility of losing your factory warranty because You messed something up?

To add to what I've said before the OffRoad also comes with all the necessary skid plates etc for Off Roadinf The SE and the X version don't

You should be able to edit your own thread each time you want to add to it rather than posting 3 times... anyways, if you are going to do serious offroading then the OR skid plates are not heavy duty enough. They are there as a good starting point, its nice to have them YES, but do not consider them beefy enough for serious wheeling.

The SE and S do not have them... if you are going to wheel then buy aftermarket ones rather than the OR OEM ones. That's money better spent.