2000 Nissan Xterra

The sport/utility market is still growing at an alarming rate, with no end in sight. Every year, manufacturers are scrambling onto the bandwagon with new innovative entries, pushing the boundaries of size, versatility, performance, and the very definition of the category.

For our second annual Sport/Utility of the Year competition, we gathered all the SUVs on the market that are either all-new or significantly changed for the 2000 model year and on sale by Jan. 1. And an impressive group, it is. The "bigger is better" contingent is in full force as Ford introduces its colossal new Excursion to compete head-to-head with the revamped Chevy Suburban and GMC Yukon XL (renamed for 2000 from its previous Suburban label). On the same full-size ticket are the redesigned Chevy Tahoe and standard-length GMC Yukon. The high-performance boutique sect is represented by the limited-edition, very-attention-getting Isuzu VehiCross and Mercedes-Benz' super-fast ML55 AMG. Plus, the meat-and-potatoes heart of the SUV market is staffed by such stalwarts as the freshened Nissan Pathfinder and Mitsubishi Montero Sport, as well as the all-new value-packed Nissan Xterra.

The TestingWhat It Takes To Choose A WinnerTesting SUVs definitely isn't like evaluating family sedans. The versatility that makes sport/utilities so popular demands that they be put through an array of different conditions in order to accurately access their various strengths and weaknesses. During our weeks of testing, we pushed our entries through a range of tough on- and off-road driving situations-far more intense than the average owner would even consider-to see what they're really made of.

We started with our full regimen of instrumented track testing: acceleration, emergency braking, dynamic handling, and ultimate cornering grip. We drove them in everyday, around-town conditions as most owners would. We packed them with groceries and other cargo, carried kids, negotiated rush-hour freeways, and discovered which ones wouldn't fit into underground parking structures. We evaluated every feature, making notes on quality of design, ease of operation, and fit and finish. We assessed whether each vehicle advanced the status quo or merely blended in. And we judged them against both their class competitors and their very missions in the marketplace.

Then we tackled as wide a range of weather and road conditions as we could find. Our driving routes-winding up and down mountains, tackling rocky sand-packed trails, fording streams and muddy sinkholes-put both the power and handling to the real-world acid test. Through it all, the individual personalities of these 10 SUVs came to the fore, and those that were exceptional began to stand out from the "merely good" and "simply average." In the end, after thousands of miles of driving, we came to a final consensus of which stands above the rest as the most significant sport/utility of the year 2000.

Winner...Motor Trend 2000 Sport/Utility Of The YearNissan XterraThere's no mystery to the Xterra's winning formula. There are no tricks to what makes it such an attractive SUV. When you cut through the Gen-X-style advertising hype, and spend time living with the vehicle on an everyday basis-tackling the highways, romping through the boondocks-you really get to see the Xterra for what it is: a back-to-basics, value-packed, honest-to-backwoods sport/utility with a thoroughly youthful twist. At a time when most notable new SUVs are in the upper echelon of luxury and price, the Xterra is a breath of fresh air, with an under-$18,000 window sticker and an edgy active lifestyle appeal. Some of the staff admitted, in fact, that going into the competition they'd underestimated the Xterra. But as the driving sessions got underway, pricing was compared, features noted, and all-around liveability evaluated, it slowly but surely grew to be the favorite.