A road warrior?
And not much of a threat off-road? The Pathfinder's allure says otherwise what with huge tires, tow hooks, large flared fenders, all-mode 4WD with 2-speed transfer case and up to 9 inches (22 cm) of ground clearance. My first encounter with the 2005 Pathfinder left me stranded in 8 inches (20 cm) of snow while comparing it to a Grand Cherokee. Thankfully, the Jeep yanked us out without breaking a sweat.
At the time, I relegated the fault to the running boards. Nevertheless, in another comparative test a few years later, the Nissan came in last in a comparo test that pitted it against the likes of the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Volkswagen Touareg. Where it lost the most points was in the off-road portion of the evaluation. Now, I'm not saying that the Pathfinder is useless off the beaten path, there are worse candidates out there, but this should not be the principal motivation for its purchase.
Not really anything...
On top of the aural discomfort created by the truck while cruising, the Pathfinder's steering is fairly vague and handling inspires far less than confidence. What the Pathfinder isn't, is particularly good at anything when it comes to driving. For example, the Wrangler is a frightful beast to behold on a smooth surface but, when given the chance, will make a mockery of any form of rough terrain.
To make matters worse, main competitors like the Volkswagen Touareg display superior skills in both on and off-road settings. The final nail in the Nissan's coffin is its gargantuan thirst for fuel. With the V6, on the highway from Montreal to Niagara, I could average no better than 14L per 100 km. If you're thinking about a V8 (new from the US or used), expect to consume at least 25% more black gold.
And yet...
And yet, despite all of the Pathfinder's shortcomings, I still like it. It's got presence, plenty of room and is almost handsome enough to be considered good-looking. Problem is that in an ever-shrinking segment, the Nissan cannot depend on its pedigree and first impressions. Take the Toyota FJ Cruiser for example, not only will it spank the chrome of the Pathfinder's grille in the tough stuff, it's basically a better drive in urban settings (and better on gas). The next-gen trail-locator, which should theoretically arrive by 2011 as a 2012, will have to address all of these issues.
The as-tested price of $47,348 (base LE) puts it directly in the crosshairs of a number of CUVs and SUVs including the Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander and 4Runner, Ford Explorer and the aforementioned VW. This is indeed a tough crowd and unfortunately, the Pathfinder falls short on too many counts to be considered above any of these vehicles.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
And not much of a threat off-road? The Pathfinder's allure says otherwise what with huge tires, tow hooks, large flared fenders, all-mode 4WD with 2-speed transfer case and up to 9 inches (22 cm) of ground clearance. My first encounter with the 2005 Pathfinder left me stranded in 8 inches (20 cm) of snow while comparing it to a Grand Cherokee. Thankfully, the Jeep yanked us out without breaking a sweat.
 |
| The Pathfinder is useless off the beaten path, but this should not be the principal motivation for its purchase. |
At the time, I relegated the fault to the running boards. Nevertheless, in another comparative test a few years later, the Nissan came in last in a comparo test that pitted it against the likes of the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Suzuki Grand Vitara and Volkswagen Touareg. Where it lost the most points was in the off-road portion of the evaluation. Now, I'm not saying that the Pathfinder is useless off the beaten path, there are worse candidates out there, but this should not be the principal motivation for its purchase.
Not really anything...
On top of the aural discomfort created by the truck while cruising, the Pathfinder's steering is fairly vague and handling inspires far less than confidence. What the Pathfinder isn't, is particularly good at anything when it comes to driving. For example, the Wrangler is a frightful beast to behold on a smooth surface but, when given the chance, will make a mockery of any form of rough terrain.
To make matters worse, main competitors like the Volkswagen Touareg display superior skills in both on and off-road settings. The final nail in the Nissan's coffin is its gargantuan thirst for fuel. With the V6, on the highway from Montreal to Niagara, I could average no better than 14L per 100 km. If you're thinking about a V8 (new from the US or used), expect to consume at least 25% more black gold.
And yet...
And yet, despite all of the Pathfinder's shortcomings, I still like it. It's got presence, plenty of room and is almost handsome enough to be considered good-looking. Problem is that in an ever-shrinking segment, the Nissan cannot depend on its pedigree and first impressions. Take the Toyota FJ Cruiser for example, not only will it spank the chrome of the Pathfinder's grille in the tough stuff, it's basically a better drive in urban settings (and better on gas). The next-gen trail-locator, which should theoretically arrive by 2011 as a 2012, will have to address all of these issues.
The as-tested price of $47,348 (base LE) puts it directly in the crosshairs of a number of CUVs and SUVs including the Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander and 4Runner, Ford Explorer and the aforementioned VW. This is indeed a tough crowd and unfortunately, the Pathfinder falls short on too many counts to be considered above any of these vehicles.
 |
| The as-tested price of $47,348 (base LE) puts it directly in the crosshairs of a number of CUVs and SUVs. |
photo:Matthieu Lambert
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