I have also seen plenty of new "off-road" xterras that were not 4x4. I have alot of experience off-roading (previous car was a modified wrangler), and when it came down to it, with the type of vehicle that the xterra is, behing not the most rock-crawling type of vehicle, the locker just didnt make a big enough difference. You can buy the skidplates pretty cheap later, and if you get serious enough to have a locker than you can get that too. Otherwise, I would recommend getting a 4x4 S or SE for the casual off-roader.