Remember when every brand got all XTREME in the late 90s and early 2000s? That's the gist of the Nissan Xterra.

By law, brands had to spell "extreme" with an "x" in those days. What on earth does Xterra mean anyway? What kind of word is that? Terra is latin for land or earth, so that works for a dirt-devouring SUV. But that X? Well, that was slapped right there up front to conjure notions of Xtreme sports and Xtreme living in your Xtreme vehicle. It also doesn't hurt that the name sounds a bit like extra, making you think you're getting more vehicle for your money. It's just one example of how smart car names can be. A couple of more:

Honda Civic: Civic is an adjective meaning of, or relating to a citizen, a city, citizenship, or community affairs. Civic also sounds like the word civil. Civil is an adjective which means courteous and polite. A Honda Civic is a courteous and polite car.

Hyundai Elantra: This car's root word is elan. Elan is an anglicized French word meaning enthusiastic vigor and liveliness. Drive an Elantra and you can wear that speedo with confidence.

Back to the X in Xterra. It's corny. Of course it's corny—they wouldn't have written it if it wasn't. Nissan built a great 4X4, but good engineering alone doesn't sell a car. Never mind that the Xterra has 9.1 inches of ground clearance. Who cares that it can tow two and a half tons? So what if the seats fold down and give you 65.7 cubic feet of cargo space? Its automatic is a five-speed instead of a boring four? Whatever. No one but serious off-roaders care that the rear end is a solid axle, enabling simpler lift kits and rear-end swaps. The engine is a 4.0-liter DOHC V6 making 261 hp at 5600 rpm and 281 ft-lb at 4000 rpm. Yawn. Factory skid plates. Blah blah blah. Herpa-derpa full-sized spare. Yada-yada-yada first-aid-kit.

None of that matters. All that matters is THE X.

The person who buys a Nissan Xterra wants a 'good SUV.'

The person who buys a Nissan Xterra wants a "good SUV" but has not done any market research into his or her needs. An Xterra customer is of the same mindset as a 58-year-old walking into Best Buy, still dressed in his work clothes from the pallet factory. He swaggers up to a blue-shirted twentysomething clerk and says in a proud baritone, "I want a good computer!"

The Best Buy Blue Boy will give Joe Punch-Clock a mid-range IBM Thinkpad or Lenovo. Joe Punch-Clock will recoil at the $900 price and remind the clerk. "I saw laptop computers on Craigslist for $250, how comes this ain't that?" he'll ask in indignation. "You asked for a good computer and this is one," the clerk will reply.

Joe Punch-Clock will see the extra vent ports and the sleek USB plugs. The laptop is shiny, black, and the edges are sharp. It looks like a better laptop. He tosses his credit card on the checkout counter in a display of nonchalance to convince himself that money ain't no thing. After all, it looks like what a good computer must look like.

A Nissan Xterra looks like a Toyota Corolla driver's idea of a good SUV. The Xterra has a stepped roof, a roof rack, a first-aid kit, and a big knob on the inside that says 2WD/4WD HI/4WD LO. The rear bumper has a step on it! The automatic gear selector is mounted high and shaped like the capital letter "T," like a 1930's electrical breaker. Best of all, the name starts with the letter "X."

X is a great letter. It fills space on the page. It dominates a word. The letter X stands with its legs apart and arms high and wide like a boxer after a winning knockout. The letter X wins. An Xterra buyer wants to win.

I've often scoffed at the Xterra for being a facsimile of an off roader.

I've often scoffed at the Xterra for being a facsimile of an off-roader—just another overpriced and over-styled Toyota RAV-4. But I never drove an Xterra off-road. I always thought that the truck would disappoint in an xtreme environment. And then a fan offered me the chance to drive and film his Xterra off-road in the snow. It was a chance to see if the Xterra could live up to the fabled X.

I had to eat my words. An Xterra works! It was on ill-equipped all-season tires, but the intelligent anti-lock and traction control kept the SUV composed as we ascended and descended a long hill. Neither I nor the brave soul who owned the Xterra were skilled off-roaders, but you couldn't tell from the outside. At one point in the video, we lose it on a snowy and icy hill descent. My butt clenched as the SUV swerved left and right on a trail with no guard rail. I knew we were going too fast for the conditions, but the progressive anti-lock subdued the slide and we were ok. As I watch the clip again, I see the slide wasn't serious. In the moment, it felt like my worst nightmare—crashing while riding shotgun in a car with someone who is trying to show off. But I'm still here. I'm ok.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The Xterra is covered in sun-tanned marketing—oiled up beachgoers with shaven chests and airbrushed abdominal muscles. X for Xterra. X for Xtreme. X for Xhilaration. X for Vin Diesel in XXX. X for X-Rated. X for Xtemporaneous. X for Xcitement, X for XXL. X for Xanatos played by Jonathan Frakes in Disney's Gargoyles.

Oh yeah, 4X4 also has an X in it.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io