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pros and cons between 1st gen/2nd gen

42K views 41 replies 26 participants last post by  Trexx 
#1 ·
I was looking through some of the forums yesterday and stumbled along a little debate over which was more off-road capable, the 1st gen or 2nd gen X. The majority of our members are saying that the 1st gen is much more capable off-road than the 2nd gen. I was just wondering if this is necessarily true and why. I have never owned a 1st gen, so I was wondering what are some of the pros and cons between the 1st and 2nd gen. Thanks for all the info.
 
#2 ·
1st Gens have a stronger drivetrain than the 2nd Gens. 2nd Gens have a factory locker option in the rear, 1st Gens don't, but you can get an ARB. On the 2nd Gens you have to worry about blowing up your front diff. Don't know if they fixed that yet or not. Other than that I think they are pretty similar. 2nd Gens have more power, but I've never needed more power on the trail. The low end power of the 1st Gen is just fine.

1st Gens look better than the 2nd Gens :p
 
#10 ·
I like how you left out the weak 1st Gens steering system.
 
#3 ·
The short answer to your question is that, stock, a second gen off-road is more capable than any first gen.

Why? Locker, 31s, skid plates, VQ40, ABLS. None of these came stock on a first gen X.

Having wheeled with both generations in more or less stock form, there are a lot of places that a locker and bigger tires will make all the difference.

If you compare modified vehicles, I think that there are more options available for a Gen 1 Xterra, including a kit for an SAS. However, a Titan swapped second gen will get a lot of places.

My 2 cents worth.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Torsion bars are crap IMHO...esp when you crank em up for lift. My buddy Garrett(Hodge-X) has a 2000 lifted 3 inches with 33" MT's and it has great flex and does well on the trail...but has zero power, crappy on-road handling (even with aftermarket UCA's...I've driven it....not comparable..), and has had to upgrade his steering components because they are crappy as hell.

He seems to get stuck more often than I do on the trail...both of us are running open diffs but I have ABLS....maybe my tires are just better :dontknow:

either way, he drove my truck for a while and now he continually says the 2nd gens are better in almost every way....and with a titan swap...the difference becomes more pronounced.....just my .02
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
There has NEVER been a time when I felt like my 1st Gen needed more power offroad. And I don't have a supercharged one. I've been able to do a ton of stuff with no issues. Now, on the road, yes it's not the fastest thing around, but it goes up over the Colorado passes here with 33" tires and weighed down a lot just fine. No it isn't super fast, but usually I'm not in a hurry. I don't need to do 80MPH up some pass.

If you're one of those people who think that "MORE GAS!!!!" is something that's a good thing to do offroad, you might want to reconsider that plan.

To the person who mentioned the steering - yes that is a weak point, but it also is only like $300 or so to fix. I have a beefed up center link and an idler arm brace. I have wheeled a ton and I am still using the stock tie rods. I think the biggest issue with people bending those things is not knowing how to drive offroad in certain situations. I haven't had a lick of problems with the steering.

I will admit that torsion bars suck the big one. They work fine, they are just a pain to adjust.
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
Who here owns both and wheels both equally hard? Who owns both and wheels one over the other? Which one is it if you do?

We have a 2001 and a 2008. The 2001 is the only one that has ever or will ever see anything beyond light mud, dirt, & snow. The 2008 is much more fun to drive to the movies, the mall, or loaded down for camping - I just don't trust it not to break while wheeling like I trusted the 2001 when it was still IFS. To be honest, I hate driving the 2001 now that it is SAS'd on 35's. Slow as hell and loud (plus no A/C).
 
#28 · (Edited by Moderator)
Who here owns both and wheels both equally hard? Who owns both and wheels one over the other? Which one is it if you do?

We have a 2001 and a 2008. The 2001 is the only one that has ever or will ever see anything beyond light mud, dirt, & snow. The 2008 is much more fun to drive to the movies, the mall, or loaded down for camping - I just don't trust it not to break while wheeling like I truted the 2001 when it was still IFS. To be honest, I hate driving the 2001 now that it is SAS'd on 35's. Slow as hell and loud (plus no A/C).
WHo wouldn't wheel the older (less worry about damage), SASd, 35 running rig? If the 2nd gen were older (in an alternate reality) SASD, on 35s I'd wheel that. Even just the age would factor in for me if I had to choose which to wheel.

I find that because the 1st gens have been around longer they tend to be more modified and more suitable as trail rigs. In 5 years time the same will be said of the 2nd gens and there will be far fewer 1st gens around.
 
#25 ·
I put over 100,000 miles on an '03 X and over 30,000 miles so far on my '08. IMO the '08 is hands down the better truck. Way more comfortable, more power, better handling both on and off road, better gas mileage, taller tires, factory locker, and the list goes on and on. The first gen was a nice truck to beat around in, but it doesn't even compare to the 2nd gen in terms of overall utility.
 
#27 · (Edited by Moderator)
I was looking through some of the forums yesterday and stumbled along a little debate over which was more off-road capable, the 1st gen or 2nd gen X.
Since the original question was not about driveability on highways or towing or comfort.....

How's this: 1st Gen = more durable offroad (in stock form)
2nd Gen = more equipped for offroad (in stock OR model form)

Capabilty is (IMO) dependant on a lot of factors. Primarily, the person behind the wheel. :geek:

Put a 1st Gen vs. a 2nd Gen non-Offroad model and the 1st Gen with a stock LSD will perform better offroad every day of the week & get ya home. Once you jump to the OR model, it is obviously way more equipped to handle limited traction situations. A locker affords you the luxury of not having to use the skinny pedal to clear an obstacle that might otherwise need a good amount of throttle - thus making things easier on the drivetrain.
 
#35 ·
I've always thought the 2002-2004's looked the best. I test drove a 2006 or something and I really don't like what they did with the interior in the 2nd Gens. I like the rear area better but the rest of it I don't care for at all. And I guess another thing that I like about the 1st Gens is that there are less electronic things that can mess up. I don't get why the need to switch to a push-button 4WD. The shifter works all the time. We had a guy in Moab a couple years ago who couldn't get his 2nd Gen Frontier into 4WD to do trails because there was some problem with the ABS. That was pretty lame. But the interior and exterior looks are more a personal preference and don't really do anything for the offroad capability.
 
#36 ·
Based on road driving not offroading:

Well as an owner of a 2002SE/SC and a 2007OR..If I ever go anywhere for a long trip..the 2002 will look pretty sitting in my driveway...

Why?
First off, the comfort is not even comparable..I thought my 02 was awesome when I upgraded tothe bilstiens struts a few years back..and it was much better than stock..
The SC has a nice kick down..when teh engine light isn't lit up and my o2 sensors we re working fine..

And then last year I got the 2007 while I gave the wife the 2002...and the "X world" changed..mileage literally DOUBLED!
Comfort was day and night...the 07 is like a refined machine..
Interior is much better and wider..
cargo area is wider but not deeper than the 02. The 02 is kinda structuyred narrow and tall while the 2007 is structured wide and a tad shorter.
As far as looks go...I still love the look and styling of the bad arse 2002...the 17 charcoal mags mounted with BFG AT 's just looks sick..the 07 on the other hand has this serious big brother look to it...beefy, wide and ready to over throw..its power and torque is shaming the 02...doesn't even compare...
And in our winter months..both are outstanding..
 
#37 · (Edited)
" thread edited for proper content "

OK Guys, whole thread has been edited for proper thead content and all offending comments / posts have been removed. Several of you guys are on the verge of being banned from the site, if you keep destorying these informative threads with your derogatory comments, that have nothing to do with original thread question / idea. If you don't have anything nice to say or is not informative or in line with thread subject, then DON"T post it.
 
#38 ·
for the record, everyone has been very informative about this subject over all. thanks to old navy for breaking up the bickering. the end state of this is so i can contemplate my next xterra purchase in the next year or two, so that i can mod it up and go off-road while i get a break from some deployments. maybe by then they will have a 3rd gen X? who knows, but i wanted to know some of the basics and everyone has their own opinion. thanks for all the knowledge so far. :usa2:
 
#40 · (Edited)
Well, I've only had my 2010 for a few days now, so I can't make any hard judgments yet about off-road, however I did own a 2004 for a while. It was an SE in silver with the gray mags on it, 4x4 of course. I had upgraded the tires to some aggressive mt's in whatever the biggest size was I could fit on there stock (can't recall exactly). I lived in Salt Lake City at the time, so I had it on some light trails around Utah a few times. It performed well and had adequate power. Granted I never did anything hardcore with it. Being that I am 6'4" tall, it was not a very comfortable truck though. The ride on pavement was also not great, my wife didn't like it because it felt "floaty" and wouldn't drive it.

The new 2010 is worlds better from an on road perspective. Its larger, more comfy, more power and more refined. I really dig it so far. I haven't had it on a trail yet, but I doubt its any less capable than my 04 was. All in all, I'd give the nod for looks to the 04, but everything else I've experienced to the '10.
 
#42 ·
Why are we comparing X's there all amazing and i would know i have had both. A 2003 x saved my life and got me anywhere i wanted stock.. My new X saved my life and still surpasses my expectations of a suv. Its amazing and so was my first gen. Its an xterra there should be no comparison
 
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