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Nissan Xterra Scores Accolades From Prestigious Automotive Press

11 January 2000

Nissan Xterra Scores Accolades From Prestigious Automotive Press; Media Talk About Nissan Xterra, Named 2000 North American Truck of the Year

    DETROIT, Jan. 10 -- Today, the 2000 Nissan Xterra received
the esteemed North American International Truck of the Year Award, adding to
its impressive list of major awards.  In addition to the honor of this award,
here's what the jurors of the North American Car & Truck of the Year are
saying about the Xterra:

    Warren Brown, Washington Post -- Home run!  SUV refined.

    Matt DeLorenzo, Road & Track -- An honest SUV that doesn't try to be a
luxury car alternative, nor tries to hide its truck underpinnings.  The Xterra
is a tremendous value, offers great V-6 power and with its roof rack and
running boards has the "get outta my way look" that everyone secretly wants to
have in their SUV.  The step-up roof design for the rear seat gives the cabin
a spacious feel despite the vehicle's relatively compact overall size.  Nice
touches include the built-in first aid kit and the handy roof-mounted cargo
tray.

    Denis Duquet, LaPresse/Le Guide de l'auto -- This SUV has the best
combination of style, price, ease of use and ruggedness you can find in that
category.  This time, Nissan has targeted right and executed according to
plan.

    John Gilbert, Murphy-McGinnis Media, Up North Newspaper Network -- Instead
of leather and plastic wood, you get skid plates and a Swiss-Army knife array
of workable features aimed at making the Xterra a ready-for-fun vehicle.  You
might say the Xterra has "Xtreme" styling, which is an asset in the
proliferating world of style-conscious SUVs.

    Ken Gross, Freelance -- Nissan's turnaround begins here:  funky,
contemporary styling, capable off-road performance, and decent road manners,
the Xterra boasts a host of clever features every backpacker, extreme gamer,
canoeist, mountain biker and fisherperson will appreciate.

    Jim Healey, USA Today -- Nissan Xterra is a refreshing counterpoint:  An
affordable, roomy, nicely styled sport-utility vehicle when others seem
obsessed with bigger, more-expensive machines that are impractical and out of
reach for many mainstream buyers.  Priced like a RAV4 or a CR-V, but more
distinctive and roomier than either, Xterra is on-target.

    Dan McCosh, Popular Science -- Looks good, runs well, and is
affordable -- increasingly rare quality today in an SUV.

    Susan Mead, Freelance -- Nissan's Xterra combines affordability and value,
technology and fun in a truly new package.

    Matt Nauman, San Jose Mercury News/Drive Online -- Much applause for a SUV
that isn't designed for the country-club parking lot.  Here we have a
functional machine with a bit of design flair that, most importantly, fits the
budgets of the people who want to buy.

    Jayne O'Donnell, Woman's Day, Working Woman -- At last, a smaller sport
ute that feels substantial.  Sure, the gizmos on the roof seemed a bit much at
first, but the utility became clear not long after.  It's a great price and a
great small truck.  The best compliment of all -- I'd buy one.

    Alex Taylor, Fortune magazine -- The exposed rivets and angular styling of
the Xterra have struck a chord with younger buyers.  Credit Nissan with
finding a new way to subdivide the sport utility space.

    Bill Visnic, Ward's Auto World -- If there was any doubt that Nissan still
is a force with which to be reckoned, the Xterra proves otherwise.  The Xterra
is a triumph of market acumen combined with fastidious value-consciousness in
a market segment that has all but abandoned the entry-level buyer.

    Howard Walker, St. Petersburg Times -- The Xterra brings the sport-ute
back to basics.  With pricing from around $18,000, this funky-styled Nissan
suddenly makes SUV ownership a reality for value-conscious buyers.  And it's a
blast to drive, fun to live with, and comes with proven Nissan quality and
reliability.

    Paul Weissler, Freelance -- A real home run from the truck underpinnings.
Super-styling, great packaging job and with the V-6, a good perfough to take away the too-truck-like
feel of many SUVs derived from trucks.

    In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling,
engineering, consumer and corporate finance, sales and marketing, distribution
and manufacturing.  More information on Nissan in North America and the
complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at
http://www.nissandriven.com or contact the corporate media line at 310-771-5631.