Xterra to Civic EX Hatchback?

GalacticGrape

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Hey guys, I’ve been lurking here for a couple weeks now. I’m considering trading in my 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4x for an EX Hatchback (2017 or 2018). We have a 4 year old and a 4 month old. So one forward facing car seat and then a base with rear facing seat. I’m not too concerned with the seat fitting but rather or not that I’ll miss the extra cargo space of the Xterra.

All I know is I haven’t put it in 4WD in forever. Sure it’s fun to go wheel once in awhile (live in SoCal) but the reality is I hardly ever do so. The mountains are about 2 hours away and it makes for an awfully long day in the vehicle. Might be time to downsize.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? Did you miss the space of the larger vehicle? The last Civic I had was back in 2000, 4 door Value Package. Prior to that I had a 1995 Sedan. This was way before I had kids though. I test drove a 2018 EX Hatchback last weekend and was pretty impressed.

Decisions....
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jagnew

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I went from a ‘15 Accord to ‘18 Civic Hatchback. I was very impressed with the cargo space I got.

Dropping the seats and making extra room is a breeze as well.

Plus think of all the gas you will save by switching
 
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GalacticGrape

GalacticGrape

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The gas savings would be nice. My daily commute to work is 25 miles round trip, strictly on streets, lots of stop-and-go. My tank holds 20gal and I would say I average about 17mpg in the X.

I think that if I just pack smarter when we head out with the kids I’d be fine. My wife has a Mazda CX-9, so she packs the heavy hitting KEENZ stroll...er, Wagon.

Little more background. I take our 4 year old to school every morning and drop the 4 month off at day care on Tues/Thurs. so there would be the daily grind of putting kids in and out. I also mt. bike so I’ve been looking at YouTube videos of hitch installs.
 

jagnew

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I also mt. bike so I’ve been looking at YouTube videos of hitch installs.
I’m into mountain biking as well. I have the Hatchback Sport so had to go with the roof rack. I travel all over with my two mountain bikes with no issues. Looking into a box next for trips.
 
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GalacticGrape

GalacticGrape

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I’m into mountain biking as well. I have the Hatchback Sport so had to go with the roof rack. I travel all over with my two mountain bikes with no issues. Looking into a box next for trips.
Awesome! Which roof rack did you go with? I have seen the thread here and saw a suction cup style roof/hatch rack.
 


jagnew

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I went with the Thule roof rack, with the aero bars.

Here’s a picture when I first got the rack, awhile ago. Since then I got the second bike rack.

It’s a bit pricey but my honest opinion is it’s worth it if you’re going to use it.

Honda Civic 10th gen Xterra to Civic EX Hatchback? CB3F16B8-E0CB-4682-A2B5-97B2E50A2019
 

ITGRAD

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I traded my 2010 Xterra for a G37 and only missed it when I had the urge to use 4WD. Otherwise, did not miss it a bit.
 

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The gas savings would be nice. My daily commute to work is 25 miles round trip, strictly on streets, lots of stop-and-go. My tank holds 20gal and I would say I average about 17mpg in the X.

I think that if I just pack smarter when we head out with the kids I’d be fine. My wife has a Mazda CX-9, so she packs the heavy hitting KEENZ stroll...er, Wagon.

Little more background. I take our 4 year old to school every morning and drop the 4 month off at day care on Tues/Thurs. so there would be the daily grind of putting kids in and out. I also mt. bike so I’ve been looking at YouTube videos of hitch installs.
Keep the X. Especially since it's a PRO4X.
 
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GalacticGrape

GalacticGrape

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Thanks guys, I really am torn. I do love the ability to take an occasional trip to the mountains if we want to. And having 4x4 makes it a snap if we run into inclement weather up there during the winter.

Since the Pro-4x is the top trim level, it makes me second guess getting rid of it. More so since the Xterras have been discontinued. I know they won’t reach Toyota status, but the Pro-4x is a bit more rare than the other Xterra trims. The thing that drives me nuts about it is the rough idle that is associated with the v6, 4.0 engines. Foot on the brake when in Drive and at a stop light is like a mini massage. That’s just the way those engines are, my Frontier was even worse.
 

crxFITcivicBOY

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I’ve got a three year old and a 6 month old and do daily daycare and grandma drop offs. I got no problem or issue with getting them in or out (my wife has a RAV4 for my other reference). The rear hatch fits a double stroller the backpacks. It’s a great grocery getter too. I’ve definitely enjoyed the ride and it’s sporty enough for me, despite not being an Si (I prefer hatch). Hope this helps on the perspective of kids :)
 


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GalacticGrape

GalacticGrape

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I’ve got a three year old and a 6 month old and do daily daycare and grandma drop offs. I got no problem or issue with getting them in or out (my wife has a RAV4 for my other reference). The rear hatch fits a double stroller the backpacks. It’s a great grocery getter too. I’ve definitely enjoyed the ride and it’s sporty enough for me, despite not being an Si (I prefer hatch). Hope this helps on the perspective of kids :)
Huge help and you sealed the deal for me! Hoping to pick up a 2018 Sport Touring hatchback tomorrow evening!
 

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fwiw, bring your "shit" to a dealer and make sure it fits. Car seats, kids, strollers etc. See if it all fits. How easy is it for the 4 yr old to climb in and out? Will they be kicking your seat back the whole time? How about bending over for the little one to place in the car seat? How much room is there with the rear facing seat for someone to sit in the front seat? Once you know all this, you'll have a better guess on if its the right choice.
 

charleswrivers

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I had a 2007 Xterra w/4WD I traded out of for the Odyssey in late 2013. I was right between the RSX and the '15 Civic and I think I had both the big Caddy and the 280Z when we let it go. I know the gen 2 Xterras were virtually unchanged from 2005 or 2006 (whenever they went to the VQ40 engine... and away from the old VG33s... I think those were the last holdouts of the old VG engines that had come out in the 1st 1/2 of the 80s. Pretty bulletproof but weak and with a timing belt vice the VQ's chain) until their demise.

The Xterra was traded with 80k miles. 10k had been used to tow. I lived for 4 winters in upstate NY and I drove to work w/4WD High on hundreds of times when the roads were covered with ice and snow. I made many thousands by towing at it's 5000 lb limit by towing my DITY moves with the navy. When I got to VA, I let it go as there just wasn't a good purpose for owning it. As a family vehicle, it was fine. I could do front or rear facing and could do 3 across the rear seat. The only big detractor really was how narrow the rear door entry was and, honestly... there wasn't much room in the back of the Xterra at all. I had an Escape before the Xterra and I think the Xterra had a little more room... but there wasn't much. If we're talking a road vehicle w/sufficient room to carry luggage for a weekend for a family of 5, the Civic is plenty fine, though it won't have any room left over. I've done a week of stuff but it's jam packed. I do it often though... though usually defer to the Odyssey for heavy road tripping. If you have no need for the utility of the Xterra… then it's pretty much an upgrade in every conceivable sense. The Odyssey was enormous compared to the Xterra. I can play soccer-dad pickup truck (though I have one of those too) by putting down all the seats and fit 4'x8' sheets of plywood in it. The Xterra being a short-wheelbase version of that era's Pathfinder could never of pulled that off.

So yeah... not using 4WD or towing? I'd unload the Xterra. It's fits the bill to be a more road friendly jeep alternative that can have some offroading chops if used for it and modded for that purpose and can tow... albeit not super well, given it's limited powertrain/drivetrain and relative low weight and short wheelbase. Still better than most crossovers however, for the sake of it's durability.
 
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charleswrivers

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...oh, and if you want to do rear facing in any vehicle with limited rear room and front seats and are general reclined, get a wedge. It will solve any issues with clearance between the front and rear seats. I had a rear facing carseat in my '15 Si and it was tighter than my '18 and had no issues. They sell them or you can just get ahold of something to fulfill the purpose. The car seats w/a base usually aren't too bad. The convertible ones though tend to be kind of tall and have a substantial lean to them.

https://smile.amazon.com/Diono-Angl...s=radian+angle+car+seat&qid=1569242201&sr=8-3
 

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Huge help and you sealed the deal for me! Hoping to pick up a 2018 Sport Touring hatchback tomorrow evening!
Sorry I should mention that I am 5’4’’, so it may skew the way things fit easily etc. while my daughter still has leg room behind my chair, if your significantly taller, like the other poster said bring said car seat along.
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