Trademark Filing Hints at a Third-Generation Nissan Xterra

Nissan is simultaneously making new friends and looking at ways to rekindle old rivalries. As the company plots a potential merger with Honda, it is also reportedly debating whether to dust off the Xterra nameplate that has laid dormant for about a decade to cash in on the rising popularity of rugged, go-anywhere off-roaders.

Unfortunately, nothing is official yet; Nissan hasn’t formally announced the Xterra’s return. However, it filed a trademark renewal application for “Xterra” and “Nissan Xterra” on December 23, 2024, according to Motor Authority. Both trademarks apply to “motor vehicles, namely automobiles, sport utility vehicles, and structural parts thereof.” This largely rules out a 1/18-scale die-cast Xterra or an Xterra-branded hat.

Introduced for the 2000 model year and related to the Frontier pickup truck, the Xterra stood out with a design that blended eye-catching styling cues such as a stepped roof and an asymmetrical hatch with the off-road capability buyers expected from a body-on-frame SUV. Its hard-wearing interior made it a great choice for buyers who spent a significant amount of their free time exploring the great outdoors. Base models came with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, but a 170-hp 3.3-liter V-6 was also available, as was a 210-hp supercharged version.

The second-generation Xterra made its debut for 2005 and retired without a successor after the 2015 model year. Fast-forward to 2025, and the SUV segment looks a lot different than it did 10 or 20 years ago. Where would a hypothetical third-generation Xterra land in the market, and what would it look like?

Your guess is as good as ours. We don’t even know if the model will receive the proverbial green light for production. We can make a few educated guesses, however. One is that we’d be incredibly surprised (and very disappointed) if the nameplate ends up on an egg-shaped, Sentra-based crossover with an angry face. There isn’t a huge amount of equity in the Xterra name, but what’s there is linked to off-roading. The new Xterra can’t simply look like it can drive across a river in the Rockies; it needs to be able to do it.

Design will nonetheless play a large role in shaping the Xterra of the 2020s. Rugged sells. Even the Ford Bronco Sport, which wasn’t developed for hardcore off-roading, got an optional Sasquatch Package for 2025. And, the three-row Honda Pilot can be configured with steel skid plates and recovery points. It’s not too far-fetched to assume that a new Xterra would stand out with a vaguely retro-inspired look. We’re not expecting the SUV to look anything like the X-Terra (mind the hyphen) sold in some global markets.

As for the basic platform, look no further than the Frontier. Nissan already has a body-on-frame layout on which to build a new Xterra, likely with some changes, which should make the business case more attractive.

To sum it up, the heritage is there, the credibility is there, the demand is there, and the bones are there. Cast in that light, why wouldn’t Nissan make a new Xterra to once again take on the Toyota 4Runner?