Nissan takes different direction with new Pathfinder
To see the evolution of the SUVmarket, park the all-new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder next to its first-generation ancestor from1985. They share nothing but a name tag.
That’s hardly unique to Nissan Motor Co. Whensport utility vehicles started crowding mall parking lots in the mid-1980s, they were little more than rear-wheel-drive truck frames with a square box strapped to their backs. Capable and rugged, they offered little comfort or efficiency. Three decades later, most SUVs are essentially station wagons with a hormone problem. Nearly all share a platform with a front-wheel-drive sedan. Fuel efficiency and comfort must now be balanced with practicality, towing capacity and value.
Some find this balance better than others. The 2013 Pathfinder finds it better than most.
Much bigger than its predecessor, the new Pathfinder comfortably seats seven adults in three rows of seats. To do this, Nissan stretched the Pathfinder’s length by 5 inches and its width by more than 4 inches. That cleared out 7 more inches of legroom in the middle row. But that gain comes with an asterisk: It’s measured with the middle seat adjusted all the way back, at the expense of back-row passengers. Third row passengers get 2 more inches of legroom, and both the middle and rear seats fold flat for cargo.
This Nissan’s bigger insides mean it’s bigger on the outside too. Speed-sensitive steering helps, but the Pathfinder still feels big. It also looks big. More curves and softer lines can’t mask this Nissan’s newfound width. Adding to its visual mass are large, angled headlights. Their lines then flow into a trapezoid grille trimmed with thick chrome bars.
Fortunately my $39,995 tester also came standard with a feature borrowed from several Infiniti vehicles called Around View. While you park, the view from a camera on each side of the Pathfinder is stitched together on the navigation screen to form a bird’s-eye view of the entire vehicle.
But the Pathfinder’s growth has little effect on its weight. The previous Pathfinder used a heavier body-on-frame setup like that of a pickup truck. It also shares a frontwheel-drive crossover platform with its mechanical twin, the Infiniti JX, and Nissan’s smaller Murano. The switch from the prior Pathfinder’s setup means ground clearance on the 2013 model drops by more than 2 inches.
The switch helps shed several hundred pounds and gives the Pathfinder class-leading fuel economy. The two-wheel-drive model I tested is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway, gains of 5 mpg and 4 mpg, respectively.
Anew and more fuel-efficient transmission also reduces thirst. Nissan has been busy dropping a continuously variable transmission — the kind with no fixed gears — into recent models such as the midsize Altima and compact Sentra sedans and the Quest minivan. So it should come as no surprise that a CVTis the only option on the Pathfinder.
It’s paired with a single engine option as well: a 3.5-liter V-6 that Nissan borrowed from its Altima makes 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. On paper, these figures put the Pathfinder toward the bottom of its class for six-cylinder engines. But on the road, this SUVdoes not lack for power.
Rather than stand out in one or two areas while compromising performance in others, the 2013 Pathfinder does nearly everything well.