2021 Nissan Pathfinder spied in cloth-tape camo
The 2021 Nissan Pathfinder has been caught in the wild wearing, of all things, cloth-tape camo.
These spy pics, posted on Instagram account @carsofbodensee, show the SUV sporting Nissan's 'V-motion' grille and new 'boomerang' headlights – similar to the design language on the recently-facelifted Nissan Patrol.
Nissan's engineers have opted for a few rolls of cloth-tape to help disguise this particular Pathfinder test vehicle, instead of the swirly-printed vinyl camouflage common on prototype vehicles, and seen on the upcoming Nissan Qashqai.
It's expected Nissan's new Pathfinder will carry-over the 3.5-litre V6 in the current model, but the CVT auto will be dumped in favour of a proper nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, according to sources reported in Automotive News recently.
As the new model is based on a revised Renault-Nissan D platform, it's possible the Pathfinder could get a 2.0-litre turbo powertrain currently fitted to the overseas Infiniti QX50 SUV, which shares the same underpinnings.
The 2.0-litre engine in the QX50 was the first production engine in the world to offer variable compression ratio – allowing the engine to increase performance under load, and maximise fuel efficiency when power isn't required.
The Pathfinder will be offered in both front- and all-wheel drive layouts, with a hybrid powertrain also coming at some point in the future.