If you pay any attention at all to the off-road SUV space, you know that turbo four-bangers are everywhere. Most Ford Broncos are sold with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost, while Jeep moves an awful lot of turbocharged 2.0-liter Wranglers. Heck, Toyota only sells the new 4Runner with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder, though you can have your choice of hybrid or not. Despite all of this, Nissan believes people would rather have something else. That’s why one of the brand’s executives recently told The Drive that the new body-on-frame Xterra will have a V6 as its sole gas engine.
Nissan North America Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer Ponz Pandikuthira sat down with us last week at the New York International Auto Show. While going back and forth about the Xterra’s return, he explained that just because everyone else is doing turbo-fours doesn’t mean Nissan has to. Even from an emissions perspective, the automaker doesn’t believe it’s a concern.
“From a pure physics and chemistry standpoint, you can invest the right amount of money in a V6 and make it match the emissions of a turbo-four. You can,” Pandikuthira said. “So the question is, you’ve got to make an architectural decision because you like the torque profile and the overall performance and the feel and even the cache that goes with a V6 over a four-cylinder, and you can pick a V6. Some other OEMs have also done the same.”
Nissan currently offers a 3.8-liter V6 in its Frontier pickup and nothing else. The automaker has won the affections of traditionalists all over for that. Some are concerned about the truck going hybrid, and understandably so, but it’ll likely have to in order to meet emissions regulations. Pandikuthira insists that Nissan can swing it without compromising the engine’s character.
“They prefer the V6, they want the V6,” he said referring to customers. Pandikuthira continued, “It’s for the driving personality of a V6 over a four. So decision number one, the ICE [for Xterra] will be a V6, and it’ll be hybridized. So if you invest correctly in the V6, pick the right V6 that’ll deliver that.”
“You can get a fuel-efficient V6. And when you hybridize it, you’ll get all the other benefits of reduced emissions, better miles per gallon,” Pandikuthira said.
Turbo four-cylinders aren’t as thirsty as larger engines on paper, but in real-world conditions, they can certainly gulp their fair share of gas. Spend much time running the engine in boost, and you’ll have a hard time meeting the official EPA ratings. Nissan seems to believe that avoiding forced induction and adding an electric motor can deliver more consistent results.
Importantly, Pandikuthira said it does not have to be a plug-in hybrid. When asked if customers even want those, he responded, “Not today.”
I’m eager to see how Nissan handles the Xterra revival. As it sits right now, I’m cautiously optimistic—Former Nissan SVP Michael Soutter already told us it has to start under $40,000 and come in yellow. The automaker knows it has to hit a homer here, and it has a car guy CEO who knows what enthusiasts are asking for. Here’s hoping the bean counters are OK with it.
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