This is not a leather swaddled ride, no sir. The Nissan Xterra has always been about easy-to-clean and durable surfaces. Comfort? Well, you do have a seat and it has a back, so stop complaining. The 2005 model shares that strategy, but with space and refinement that shows how far the Xterra has come in terms of evolutionary improvements. And that includes comfort, but please don't say it out loud. The truth is that the 2005 Nissan Xterra is a nice ride, with plenty of legroom, shoulder room and lots of cubby holes to put your stuff. There are still a few rattles and vibrations, but it is significantly quieter than the previous Xterra. This is not a luxury-ute - remember, the areas in which the new Xterra scores high is in seat comfort, living space and capacity - meaning that you can put a lot of things in the Xterra, including people and their things.

Elbowroom inside the cabin is plentiful, and front legroom has been increased, as has front headroom. The second-row is where things get big, though, with almost 2 inches more legroom and significantly expanded headroom. The stadium seating of the previous model stays, and with that extra space the new Xterra makes for a more realistic people hauler, and even little passengers - with their own seats and toys - have plenty of freak room.

Innovation on the inside includes a front seat that folds down in order to carry long items, a double-deck glove compartment, a channel-lock system of floor-mounted cargo tie-downs, large bins to carry stuff, and a hidden storage area under the cargo floor. As with all other interior areas of the 2005 Nissan Xterra, the cargo area is larger, adds more utility hooks and, in what is perhaps the best practical improvement of the vehicle, the Xterra now comes with a rubber-lined (read: easy clean) cargo area.

The 2005 Nissan Xterra also includes additional safety features, such as available front-seat side impact airbags and side curtain airbags. Also available is a 300-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system with nine speakers, steering wheel controls, MP3 capability and satellite radio capability. (The optional receiver and antenna must be purchased and installed; satellite service must be activated.)