The Nissan Xterra is a compact SUV based on the Nissan F-Alpha platform as of the 2005 model year, and shares many similarities with the Nissan Frontier pickup. All Xterras are currently built in Smyrna, Tennessee and São José dos Pinhais, Brazil. It is called the Nissan Roniz in Iran where it is also built under licence by Pars Khodro, and is built and sold in China as the Paladin. The Xterra was named after the XTERRA series of off-road triathlon races. Nissan was the race series' primary sponsor until the end of 2006.

The Xterra was originally introduced in North America in the 2000 model year and was marketed as a simple, but capable SUV with the slogan Everything you need, nothing you don't. Although accepted by a wide range of ages, incomes, lifestyles and genders, Nissan marketed the Xterra primarily to the adventurous and outdoor consumer. Many commercials feature one driving the vehicle through mud, unloading mountain bikes out of the back, or packing up surfing equipment. Two design cues have remained constant through the vehicle's life, its raised rear roofline and the 'Hump' on the back lift gate. The raised roof allows for stadium seating and the hump allowed the inclusion of a first aid kit in the liftgate. The Xterra was not sold in Europe or Japan, where the smaller X-Trail and now Qashqai are Nissan's entries in the compact SUV segment. In the United States, the Xterra was Nissan's entry-level SUV until the arrival of the 2008 Nissan Rogue. In the Nissan lineup, the Xterra is priced between the Rogue and the Murano, but sized below the Rogue.