I was looking for a small 4x4 capable SUV. I checked out the 4door Wrangler, Liberty, Nissan Xterra, and FJ Cruiser. All used vehicle due to price Liberty and Xterra became the contenders. I found that going w an Xterra w higher mileage would put me on the same price range as a jeep Liberty. Most of the Xterra would be outside the warranty due to mileage. I looked at the new KK w my wife and she loved the fact that the fenders and bumpers came painted. My wife automatically fell in love w it, and for the price I could not refuse it. We love it. If you are planning on fitting bigger tires the Xterra will let you do that w little or no customization. I bet alot of the KK (customized) you will see here in the forum will go where any customized Xterra would go.
Final thought look at what you can do to your KK at
http://jeepinbyal.com/cat-Jeep_Liberty_KK-30.aspx and look at what you can do to your Xterra at
http://www.purenissan.com/2005_xterra.htm Calmini and Jeepinbyal are probably one of the best options out there if not the best. The draw back of the Xterra is that you have to find a good forum like this one.