One of the six exterior colors offered on the 2010 Nissan Xterra is called Red Brick, a fitting name because if there's any SUV on the market that looks like a brick, it's the Xterra. But that's part of its popularity, if not charm.

This year's remaining color choices are Silver Lightning, Night Armor, Super Black, Navy Blue and Avalanche. You get the idea.

The front end is all very symmetrical and beef. Tidy, no-nonsense headlamps. The lower corners of the front fascia are rugged and massive, although not conspicuously so because they're flat black. The grille is sort of a black egg-crate hole with a floating chrome Planet Nissan logo in the center, surrounded by an inverted isosceles trapezoid (finished in a flat silver plastic Nissan calls Sandblast Aluminum) with wings that look like handles on a loving cup trophy. More Sandblast Aluminum trim wraps up from underneath like a bib, suggesting the skid plate that's real only on the Off Road model.

Our test vehicle was an Off Road, which meant the moldings on the doors were flat black instead of body color, which is kind of ugly especially since there are exposed bolts underneath, apparently where the running boards attach to other models.

Boxy fender flares hang over the wheels: decidedly common six-slot units on the X, and no-more-interesting five and eight-spoke cast-alloy patterns on the S and SE, respectively. At least the dark centers and six machine-finished spokes of the Off-Road's wheels add some interest. 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. It was tweaked last year, although how much tweaking can you do to a roof rack? Nissan calls its sloping front surface an air dam, and that's where the Off Road model houses its 50,000-candlepower roof lights. All but X have a "gear basket" right behind the air dam 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.

Interior

2009 brought some small changes to the interior of the Xterra: a new center instrument panel cluster with new HVAC switches, new fabric upholstery for the X and S models, and unique rugged fabric with red stitching for the Off-Road. Except for the new standard equipment noted above, there have been no further changes for 2010.

The driver and front passenger seat recline way back, although when we tried to take a nap at a rest stop we couldn't line up our butt, the gap between the seat and seatback, the small of our back, the back of our head, and the headrest. The reclined seats might better fit six-footers.

The center console is deep, with coin holders and two cupholders and the emergency brake handle. Nice tray forward of the shift lever, glovebox of decent size, steering-wheel controls on most models. Good visibility out the rear liftgate window and big side rear windows.

The rear seat, split 60/40, folds flat with a few steps. Some SUV seats fold easier, some with more difficulty. Good grab handles over the rear doors, one map pocket on the driver's seatback, two 20-ounce bottle holders. Legroom in the rear seat is a bit lacking, at a mere 34.4 inches, although a person can fit their knees in there, even behind the driver with his or her seat slid back.

The cargo area is where the Xterra comes into its own. All but the base model have an Easy Clean surface, like hard vinyl, making your wet dog no problem. There's a nice deep hidden compartment under the floor, and no less than 10 utility hooks on the floor, sides and ceiling. Space and nets to carry jugs. We were intrigued by the adjustable track system in the cargo floor, similar in design to the Utili-track system offered on the Nissan Titan and Frontier pickups. Like the Easy Clean surface, it's standard on all but the base-level X.