Boston.com's view

Bill Parcells and Popeye share a basic philosophy:

”You are what you are,” the football coach says of the state of his team at any slippery junction.

”I am what I am,” says the cartoon sailor man.

They are notions that the buyers of many SUVs should hold tight as they head out into traffic. In many cases, they may be surrounded by luxury, electronic wizardry, and spacious utility, but what they are driving is more like a truck than a car. It should be driven accordingly.

Case in point: today’s test vehicle, the redesigned 2005 Nissan Xterra SE-V6 4×4. For all its refinement, it is a truck.

It’s been several years since I drove the first generation (2000-2004) Xterra, and that was an SUV I loved for its purpose: It was a dorm room on wheels — boxy, with washable seat coverings, storage bins everywhere, a bicycle rack in the rear cargo bay, cargo nets, and even a first-aid kit.

It was aimed at the young and active, and it sold to the young and active — and to those who felt that way. Between 2000 and 2004, without much evolution, about 70,000 or more were sold every year.

It rode on what was strictly a ladder frame pickup truck platform and did not offer much power, just 210 horsepower in its most brutish form.

Its successor is a far more powerful SUV, with 265 horsepower from a V-6 engine. The engine can be linked to either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic and all-wheel drive (as tested).

It comes in three trim levels: the base S; a scrambling, armored, rock ‘n’ roll-ready off-road model with hill-descent and hill-start features; and the top-of-the-line SE. It rides atop a more forgiving frame, this a version of that found beneath the hulking Armada SUV and Titan pickup.

Inside, cup holders, tie-downs, cubbies, and overhead bins abound.

Outside, while it remains obviously an Xterra, bulging fenders and muscular cladding give it a more imposing look. A stepped roof, rising just behind the front seat, gives overhead space for the 60/40 split, folding, rear stadium seating. The seating is flat and firm all around, yet manages to handle the forces that a trucklike ride can deliver.

Straight ahead, the Xterra rolls true, if a bit loudly. Engine noise creeps up at center front floor, and wind whistles over the roof racks that come as standard features. Bumps are felt with a bit of a jar.

Cornering — I am what I am — has to be considered by any who drive this or similar vehicles. It is not made to push hard into corners or to exit fast from them, or to swerve in and out of highway traffic in high-speed lane changes. It’s not the best of rigs in which to handle a sudden, high-speed emergency that requires heavy braking and swerving.

Do any of this (I did in test mode) and it can get downright tippy and squirrely. Drive it right, and it’s a fine vehicle.

Think of this every time you read, all too frequently, of yet another SUV disaster. But don’t blame the vehicle. You are what you are. And you should be driven accordingly, which means with awareness. And the Xterra is a fine and safe model of its ilk.

It comes with standard ABS and a dynamic stability control system that should be able to fix reasonable driver errors.

Standard interior features include a 380-watt sound system with an in-dash, six-disc CD changer; MP3 capability; a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls; adjustable cleats in the cargo area; an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat; a cargo net and first-aid kit; a front overhead sunglass holder; and a trip computer. The test car (base price: $27,300) climbed to nearly $30,000 by adding side curtain air bags and side impact front bags, XM Satellite Radio, and a tow package. (Towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.)

It’s not the Spartan dorm room that defined the first Xterra — it’s more like grad student living quarters with real furniture — but the Xterra remains one of my favorite little SUVs.

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THE BASICS

Base price/as tested: $27,300/$29,610

Fuel economy: 18.4 miles per gallon in Globe testing

Annual fuel cost: $1,783 (at $2.524 per gallon, regular, 13,000 miles per year)

THE EARLY LINE

An old college roommate gets a makeover. Will he/she dance at the mud bog boogey?

THE SPECIFICS

Drivetrain: All-wheel drive (rear drive an option)

Seating: 5 occupants

Horsepower: 265 | Torque: 284 lb.-ft.

Overall length: 178.7 inches

Wheelbase: 106.3 inches

Height: 74.9 inches | Width: 72.8 inches

Curb weight: 4,350 pounds

THE SKINNY

Nice touch: Built-in steps at ends of rear bumper. Yes, you can have your roof rack and reach it, too.

Annoyance: $100 extra for floor mats. You sell me a car that, at the very least, might wind up on a muddy back road near a trout stream, and you charge for mats to protect the floors?

Watch for: The makeover to result in dates with young suitors who might be casting a straying eye at Jeeps or Land Rovers, Kias, or Hyundais.