For 2009, there's a restyled front fascia and grille, as well as the roof-mounted 50,000 candlepower lights on the Off-Road model. The grille of the Off-Road, our test model, is sort of a black egg crate hole with a floating chrome planet Nissan logo in the center, surrounded by an inverted isosceles trapezoid with wings that look like handles on a loving cup trophy made of thick Sandblast Aluminum that might also be called flat silver plastic.

The front end is all very symmetrical and beefy, with more Sandblast Aluminum in the skid plate wrapping up like a bib. Tidy, no-nonsense headlamps. The lower corners of the front fascia are rugged and massive, although not conspicuously so because they're flat black, along with the molding on the doors, which is kind of ugly especially since there are exposed bolts underneath, apparently where optional running boards attach.

Boxy fender flares hang over new wheels, the design of the standard 16s being decidedly common. Maybe it's just as well, because snazzy wheels might not go with the mud flaps. The Xterra's distinction comes as much from its roof rack as any vehicle on the road, and it's been tweaked for '09, although how much tweaking can you do to a roof rack? They call it an airdam, the compartment in front that's meant to hold wetsuits and ski boots and muddy mountain-biking clothes; it's covered by a lid held down with a sloppy plastic latch.

The back half of the Xterra is the part that people mostly notice. The brick has big windows. What's that lump on the tailgate? They might ask. That's where the First Aid kit goes. That kind of thing is what the Xterra has been all about, successfully, ever since it was introduced. And other things, such as the side steps that make it easy to climb up on the bumper and reach the roof rack.