hi.

I was surprised to what reply I got from someone in the forums regarding my QX's off road capability& built quality vs. Mercedes ML suv, here is what he said:

The ML320 is very good for off-road excursions. It has a very short wheelbase, very high approach angles and short overhangs. Because of the superb off-road capabilities, it is a so-so on road vehicle...which is where your QX4 really shines.

The ML320 is a body on frame chassis which is what true trucks are. The QX4 is a unibody which is more for passenger vehicles.

The early ML's were plagued with build quality issues but after 2001, the quality has improved a LOT. I got a 2003 ML350 for my parents. The truck is very comfortable, very solid...but it rides just like a truck. The QX4 is a lot more comfortable...but feels like it has less room...probably because the rear seat cushions are so high. For people who go off-road a lot, the ML is the winner, for soccer moms and trips to the grocery store, the QX4 is the champ.

any elaboration welcome.rgrds

his sytatement about the unibody is correct. the unibody is really not built for full on off roading. It was even mentioned when i was a nissans technical center that what was in mind when it was made 4 wheel drive was its ability to drive up a gravel road or snow covered asphalt(sp?) with out getting stuck,but was not intended for off road use.

how many people who own suv's go off roading anyway?

i have a body on frame, 5.9 L V8, and front and rear locking diffs.

i dont go off roading. id rather use my 350 lbs of torque to light the tires up next to a civic at a stoplight. now all i have to do is pay all my damn tickets so i can get my liscense back...

thats exactly it not many people do hard core off roading. I know in beirut you pretty much dont have alot of choice sometimes.

yeah, but if the constant stress of offroading was unavoidable, i would have picked something heavier than a QX4.

My durango weighs 5000 lbs, and gets 11 miles to the gallon. talk about impracticality. i love it.

an xterra does very well off road!

The QX4 is an excellent offroader consisitently beating its competitiors like BMW X and ML320 again and again at least in off road in magazine tests.

Also I belive it is the ML320 that's the unibody.

Fred..

I dont know about the ML320 ,but the QX4/Pathfinder are unibody 1996 to present. the early pathfinder 1987 to 1995 are frame vehicles.

Thanks, Scott!

Fred...

From Car &Driver:

" this one has a sophisticated yet simple-to-operate all-wheel-drive system derived from Nissan's Skyline GT-R. At its heart is a computer-controlled multiplate clutch that can apportion up to 50 percent of available torque to the front wheels. (Pathfinders make do with a cheaper part-time system.)

Unlike many automated quasi-SUVs, the QX4 allows you to switch to basic two-wheel drive for highway travel by turning off the clutch, thereby saving the drag of an idling all-wheel-drive system. Or the clutch can be locked for four-wheel-drive high- and low-range driving on slick surfaces.Unlike Lexus's RX300, the QX4 is not a tall station wagon/ minivan crossover."

Fred..

hashem72 - You need to stop worrying about your Qx4. What did you buy the truck for? If you really wanted to go-all-out off- roading, you should have bought a jeep grand cherokee. If you like nissans you should have bought an xterra or pathfinder. The Qx4 is essentially a pathfinder and if you check SUV.com and other suv sites, the pathfinder is used a lot off road. There are even get togethers where a group of enthusiast meet to take the qx4 and pathfinder off road.

Most buyers of qx4s are not women and soccer moms. The rx300 is more suited for that crowd and Lexus even claims that. Most buyers of the qx4 are usually looking for a more rugged design than a the traditional soccer mom minivans or minivan looking suvs such as RX300, ML320 -350, MDX and so forth. I for one could have chosen either of the above models metioned (I wish the FX series was out at that time) and chose the QX4 simply for ruggedness and winter driving. Most qx4 drivers will not be going off road or doing very little of it. Infiniti saw this, and thus brought out the FX series. Sporty fun in an suv, and hoped most qx4 buyers will move over to the FX. Infiniti bringing out their FX also prompted Lexus to make their RX300 a little more sportier and faster.....and we get the RX330 which is not as smooth riding as the previous gen models. Lexus also did this to attract more male buyers. Basically in our class of SUVs (unless you move to domestics) not one of the near luxury suvs are capable of excelling in both categories; offroad and luxury. Would you take a cadillac escalade off road? I highly doubt it. By reading most of the replys to your threads, you need to visit a more diverse forum which includes an offroading clubs or topics more suited to your taste in offroading capabilities. Check out pathfinder sites and xterra sites.

I say, put some better off roading tires on the QX4, like HT wilderness, or some rugged bridgestone tires and go out 4 wheeling. I drove the qx4 through some rugged terrain in blue ridge mountains, virginia before I bought performance tires. The qx4 allwheel drive system 4hi and 4lo allowed me to tackle obstacles I wouldn't dare put my mom's RX300 to the test with. Sorry, if I went a little OT but, I have been enjoying my Qx4 for the last year and a half and I wouldn't change my truck for nobody! (Except FX45.) :oface

sorry guys when i think 4 wheelin my mind set is "rubicon" since I live near a trail named as such. Rock crawlin stuff. It would probably do well in standard hillie terrain. I dont mean to appear to be degrading the vehicle. In its class it is top notch both in amenities and in performance.

Here's a serious R50 for you. Calmini makes a nice lift kit for the 99+ Pathfinders. To bad they still haven't come out with it yet (been almost... if not over a year). I would offroad mine... but I'm selling it in two years when I stop needing to take trips where there is snow.