- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
2.5DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
140kW, 450Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Nissan Pathfinder first drive review
“It’s as all-new as a car can get, the only thing the same is the badge,” says Nissan Australia’s general manager of marketing, Peter Clissold, about the new Pathfinder SUV.
For once that’s not car company spin, but depending on your view of the old Pathfinder it may or may not be a good thing.
Nissan started with a clean piece of paper for this new model, albeit borrowing components (such as engines) from other models. It ditched the Navara ute underpinnings that made the old model a rugged and capable off-road seven-seater and instead joined the majority of the market by building a softer, more car-like SUV.
While fans of serious off-road adventures will be unhappy the reality is the majority of SUV sales in today’s market are for these car-like soft-roaders – the likes of the Ford Territory, Holden Captiva and Toyota Kluger.
It doesn’t take long behind the wheel to feel just how much the Pathfinder has changed. The interior looks more upmarket, it’s quieter and it drives more like a big station wagon.
Off-road ability aside the other downside of the decision to move away from the Navara underpinnings is the lack of a diesel engine. Instead the new Pathfinder is only available with Nissan’s reliable 3.5-litre V6 petrol unit, which is already found in the Murano, Maxima and the upcoming Altima (and was in the old 350Z). In the Pathfinder it’s tuned for 190kW and 325Nm.
That means familiar performance; it’s quiet at low revs but responsive and happy to be revved hard to unleash its full potential - although that means it does get quite noisy.
It’s paired to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) in all models which performs better than many of its kind. The noisy nature of a CVT is less pronounced in the Pathfinder, most of the time it does its job with a minimum of fuss, matching engine revs to what the driver is calling for.
Another major change with the new model is the option of front-wheel or all-wheel drive models. Less driveline hardware typically means lower fuel consumption and in the Pathfinder that’s the case. The 2WD uses a claimed average of 9.9 litres per 100km, while the four-wheel-drive uses 10.2L/100km.
Both drive with the same road manners, the only significant differences being some minor torque-steer (or steering wheel tug) from the two-wheel drive model under hard acceleration, while the extra weight of the all-wheel drive system is noticeable occasionally.
But both drive with comfort than the old Pathfinder. The suspension is noticeably soft, with the big machine rolling in the corners. But that means it soaks up bumps better which makes it more comfortable in the urban jungle, if less capable in the rough stuff.
Exactly how it performs off-road is a test for another day because despite claims it is still capable in rugged terrain, Nissan’s launch drive avoided any serious off-road test.
The Pathfinder doesn’t set any new dynamic benchmarks for the category but it is an easy and comfortable car to drive and that helps it feel smaller on the road than it actually is.
And it is a sizeable vehicle. It is a true seven-seater thanks to a clever seating system that tilts and slides to make getting into the third row straightforward.
The second row seats slide to allow more third row legroom and headroom is good in both rows too. Adults won’t want to spend all day in the third row pews but there is enough space to make it comfortable for a decent journey. Or to put it other way, the rear seats aren’t just for occasional use by kids.
The boot is a respectable 453 litres with the third row in place and expands to 1353L with those seats stowed.
There are also loads of storage spaces, hooks and tie-down points include 10 cupholders and six bottle holders.
Nissan has kept the line-up relatively simple with three trim levels (ST, ST-L and Ti) each with the same engine/gearbox combination but each available in two- or all-wheel drive.
All Pathfinders come standard with seven-seats, tri-zone air-conditioning, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard. Six airbags, that includes curtain bags that cover all three rows, are on all models too, as is a space saver spare.
The ST 2WD starts from $39,990 (plus on-road and dealer costs) while the all-wheel drive version is priced from $44,290.
Equipment highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch colour display screen, a six-speaker stereo with 2GB of music storage, Bluetooth, cruise control, cloth trim seats and keyless entry and ignition.
The ST-L is priced from $50,290 (2WD)/$54,290 (AWD) and adds leather seats and trim, heated front seats, fog lights, a front sunroof and a panoramic glass roof in the rear.
The top-of-the-range Ti starts at $60,790 (2WD)/$64,890 (AWD) and gains 20-inch alloys, an eight-inch screen, satellite navigation, a 13-speaker Bose stereo with 8GB of storage and a power tailgate.
Vital statistics
Price: From $39,990 plus on-road costs
Models: ST, ST-L, Ti
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol
Transmission: CVT, 2WD or AWD
Power: 190kW at 6400 rpm
Torque: 325Nm at 4400 rpm
Weight: 1920-2065kg
Fuel use: 9.9L/100km (2WD), 10.2L/100km (AWD)