The audio head didn't appear as integrated into the center stack as some I've tested, but it was easy to use and delivered good
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| The steering wheel sports a thick, leather-clad grip and thumb actuated buttons for audio and cruise control. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
sound reproduction. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit was also simple to figure out, a three dial automatic system with additional buttons located on top of the large dials. The build-quality of the three dials, which are identical to those used in the Armada, Titan and Infiniti QX56, still have me complaining however. I love how they look, and the manner in which the outside portions rotate around fixed inner buttons, but in execution Nissan has not made them of thick enough plastic and therefore they wiggle and wobble in a less than acceptable way. It's difficult to say if these will pose a particular long-term quality problem, as the longest running vehicle making use of them is the Titan, just barely a year old. Most likely they'll continue to hold together for years to come, despite feeling that at anytime they could fall off in my hands. Thin metal rings would solve the problem once and for all, without detracting any styling points.
The driver's seat, and front passenger's, gave me no reason to complain, mind you. They sit occupants high above the road below, important for this class, and in my fully-optioned version featured extremely nice quality leather
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| I took the opportunity to sit in the second row seats, and didn't have any problem stretching out. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
surfaces. I took the opportunity to sit in back too, and didn't have any problem stretching out. I declined trying to squeeze my less than flexible body into the standard 3rd row seat, however, relegating it to "just in case one of the kids wants to bring along a friend" status.
Fortunately, the 50/50 split 3rd row folds completely flat into the floor, totally out of the way. This opens up the entire cargo area for carrying stuff, unlike the Toyota 4Runner's optional side-mounted 3rd row that takes up a significant portion of space when put away - one of the only complaints I have regarding Toyota's midsize 4x4. What I like best about Nissan's system is that the 3rd row head restraints don't need to be removed in order to tumble the seat down.
