Is 2022 Nissan Xterra good for desert driving?

[SamMills1994]

Hi Guys,
This is my first post, and I'm brand new to the middle east (3 months) so please be gentle if I ask a silly question!!

I'm definitely keen on the idea of getting into desert driving, but am a complete beginner, I also need a car for day-to-day commuting. I've been looking at the Xterra as they seem to be much more reasonable than Armadas or Patrols.

What I want to know is is it worth looking at new models, e.g. 2022 Xterra 10,000km for 95k (within budget of 100k), or should I be looking at something a bit more rough and ready? 

Would also like to know where the best places to look are, I can only consider dealers, as I don't have cash up front to buy private yet and I don't want to get my pants pulled down.

 

Any and all advice is very welcome!

Thanks, Sam

[Krishna R]

39 minutes ago, SamMills1994 said:

Hi Guys,
This is my first post, and I'm brand new to the middle east (3 months) so please be gentle if I ask a silly question!!

I'm definitely keen on the idea of getting into desert driving, but am a complete beginner, I also need a car for day-to-day commuting. I've been looking at the Xterra as they seem to be much more reasonable than Armadas or Patrols.

What I want to know is is it worth looking at new models, e.g. 2022 Xterra 10,000km for 95k (within budget of 100k), or should I be looking at something a bit more rough and ready? 

Would also like to know where the best places to look are, I can only consider dealers, as I don't have cash up front to buy private yet and I don't want to get my pants pulled down.

 

Any and all advice is very welcome!

Thanks, Sam

Hey @SamMills1994 Welcome to beautiful UAE.

Firstly, you dont need to have cash upfront even if you are buying from a private seller. you can still do bank loan.

Secondly, the new xterra is more of an on road car than offroad. 

If you want to offroad on a regular basis, you might want to consider other cars.

 

You can check dubizzle and fb marketplace for cars on sale.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Krishna R

[Frederic]

On 6/19/2023 at 2:29 PM, SamMills1994 said:

Hi Guys,
This is my first post, and I'm brand new to the middle east (3 months) so please be gentle if I ask a silly question!!

I'm definitely keen on the idea of getting into desert driving, but am a complete beginner, I also need a car for day-to-day commuting. I've been looking at the Xterra as they seem to be much more reasonable than Armadas or Patrols.

What I want to know is is it worth looking at new models, e.g. 2022 Xterra 10,000km for 95k (within budget of 100k), or should I be looking at something a bit more rough and ready? 

Would also like to know where the best places to look are, I can only consider dealers, as I don't have cash up front to buy private yet and I don't want to get my pants pulled down.

 

Any and all advice is very welcome!

Thanks, Sam

Hi @SamMills1994! 

Welcome to the UAE and welcome to Offroading in general  

If you are looking for a daily commuter that will also serve as a good offroader within 100k budget, i would recommend looking at the following new or young second hand models:

1. Toyota Landcruiser Prado (second hand). very capable on road and off-road.

2. Mitsubishi Pajero. Excellent value and capable off-roader with minor mods. 3.8 Engine is the best option.

3. Nissan Xterra 2022 model. Nice off-roader but not for heavy dune-bashing (underpowered due to 4 cylinder engine).

4. Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Nice off-roader. slightly underpowered but manageable. 

 

There's probably few more models but these are the first ones that popped into my mind.

The older generation Xterra models (up to 2015) are famous for Offroad capability. They also make great daily commuters but without fancy options of course as these are very utilitarian 4x4's. You will find them second hand but will need to do your homework to double check they have not been abused too much.

[Benje_Junior]

On 6/19/2023 at 2:29 PM, SamMills1994 said:

Hi Guys,
This is my first post, and I'm brand new to the middle east (3 months) so please be gentle if I ask a silly question!!

I'm definitely keen on the idea of getting into desert driving, but am a complete beginner, I also need a car for day-to-day commuting. I've been looking at the Xterra as they seem to be much more reasonable than Armadas or Patrols.

What I want to know is is it worth looking at new models, e.g. 2022 Xterra 10,000km for 95k (within budget of 100k), or should I be looking at something a bit more rough and ready? 

Would also like to know where the best places to look are, I can only consider dealers, as I don't have cash up front to buy private yet and I don't want to get my pants pulled down.

 

Any and all advice is very welcome!

Thanks, Sam

Hey @SamMills1994 welcome to the Middle East! Off-road desert driving is one of the best experiences you can do in this region, perfect for the car enthusiast, shutterbug, social gatherings, Adrenalin junkie, or even time away from work. 
 

So I Don’t drive an Xterra so @Krishna R, @M.Seidam, @Rizwanm2 @Chaitanya D might be some of the people that might be more qualified in answering your question. 
 

however in my opinion if it’s in your budget a new car is a much better option especially if your planning to off-road. Only reason for this is because used off-road cars could have a list of issues you aren’t aware of, especially the chance of a bunch of third party modifications which you don’t need to enjoy the deserts of the UAE, this way you avoid the need of thoroughly checking and testing cars from previous owners, and you can get warranty for certain dealerships. 
 

Besides those minor inconveniences you can go ahead and check out used Xterra’s there is a bunch on the market if you look at carswitch or dubizzle even the Facebook marketplace might be a place to check, you’ll notice used cars will have a better price but don’t let them fool you, especially when buying from Sharjah, another big tip is to always check the VIN number of used cars this way you can see if it’s been in a accident in the past and determine if the previous accident is worth it for the integrity of the vehicle 

[Rizwanm2]

59 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Hi @SamMills1994! 

Welcome to the UAE and welcome to Offroading in general  

If you are looking for a daily commuter that will also serve as a good offroader within 100k budget, i would recommend looking at the following new or young second hand models:

1. Toyota Landcruiser Prado (second hand). very capable on road and off-road.

2. Mitsubishi Pajero. Excellent value and capable off-roader with minor mods. 3.8 Engine is the best option.

3. Nissan Xterra 2022 model. Nice off-roader but not for heavy dune-bashing (underpowered due to 4 cylinder engine).

4. Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Nice off-roader. slightly underpowered but manageable. 

 

There's probably few more models but these are the first ones that popped into my mind.

The older generation Xterra models (up to 2015) are famous for Offroad capability. They also make great daily commuters but without fancy options of course as these are very utilitarian 4x4's. You will find them second hand but will need to do your homework to double check they have not been abused too much.

If ur budget is 100k I would throw in Toyota fortuner 4.0 in seconplace of above list. 

[Rizwanm2]

1 hour ago, Benjamin said:

Hey @SamMills1994 welcome to the Middle East! Off-road desert driving is one of the best experiences you can do in this region, perfect for the car enthusiast, shutterbug, social gatherings, Adrenalin junkie, or even time away from work. 
 

So I Don’t drive an Xterra so @Krishna R, @M.Seidam, @Rizwanm2 @Chaitanya D might be some of the people that might be more qualified in answering your question. 
 

however in my opinion if it’s in your budget a new car is a much better option especially if your planning to off-road. Only reason for this is because used off-road cars could have a list of issues you aren’t aware of, especially the chance of a bunch of third party modifications which you don’t need to enjoy the deserts of the UAE, this way you avoid the need of thoroughly checking and testing cars from previous owners, and you can get warranty for certain dealerships. 
 

Besides those minor inconveniences you can go ahead and check out used Xterra’s there is a bunch on the market if you look at carswitch or dubizzle even the Facebook marketplace might be a place to check, you’ll notice used cars will have a better price but don’t let them fool you, especially when buying from Sharjah, another big tip is to always check the VIN number of used cars this way you can see if it’s been in a accident in the past and determine if the previous accident is worth it for the integrity of the vehicle 

Thanks @Benjamin

I love my Xterra and everytime i take it to the desert it put a big smile on my face. 

However to be honest the second gen Xterra are bit old now. Even the latest 2015 model is now 8 years old. most of the exterra in the market have seen its better days. but still if your budget is less than 50k i would recommend Xterra as number 1 option. 

SInce you have 100k budget i would recommend something much new. my shortlist will be 

1. Prado, 

2. FJ Cruiser 

3. Fortuner 

4. Patrol Y61

5. Pajero 3.8

Most of the above vehicle for sale will be clean mall crawlers, so you will have much more offroad life left in these. 

 

 

[Ilya]

The new X-Terra seems to have better geometry than the Fortuner and definitely a fresher interior compared to the Fortuner/Prado/Montero/Pahero - I would easily go for the X-terra with a budget of around 100k.

You won't be able to drive crazy drives in Al Qaa, but simple drives and all sorts of expeditions can be done easily. The lack of power for challenging terrain can be overcome with low gearing.