Nissan Pathfinder test drive.

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 The
new Pathfinder looks OK. But it has lost all of its personality.

Which
is a good thing as far as the way it drives.
But
as far as the design, it now looks like any other large crossovers out there.
Except for the big and cheap looking “wannabe truck “ chrome grille.
Which
is too bad. They could have still made it recognizable as a Pathfinder.

Inside,
it is also pretty generic.
The
1st thing I noticed was the use of hard plastics everywhere.
And
even though it is related to the Infiniti JX, the Pathfinder interior feels and
looks much cheaper. Which I guess, is what they want since it IS cheaper…

 But
it still feels worse than pretty much all the competition out there. And that
plastic wood trim isn’t going to convince anyone

Also, the
front doors sound a bit tinny when you close them. It just doesn’t give you a great first impression…

 It is roomy, even the 3rd row is acceptable. And the front seats are very comfortable.

The stereo system can be frustrating at times. As the steering wheel controls would sometime stop working.
The main circular control on the dash is also quite stiff. Which makes it a chore to navigate through all the playlists on your phone/iPod. Otherwise it sounds just fine.
The weirdest experience was dealing with the information system. Which kept giving me the wrong info about the driving range after I added some gas. Which is really annoying. I would keep adding gas and the range would stay the same…

The
ride is smooth until you drive on other than perfect roads. Then things get
pretty bad. It can feels quite rough and busy. And the whole thing seems
to shake too much.
The
steering is one of the worse examples of the Video game type.
It
feels 100% artificial. Which is unsettling and sometimes even distracting.
The
CVT is fine. Like it is in most Nissan cars. If a bit slow.
The
V6 somehow doesn’t seem as smooth and quiet as in other cars. It is even pretty
loud at idle when cold in the morning. Strange.
Mileage
observed was 17City and 26HWY. It is rated at 20/26.
My
test car was the SL 4X2 model. With a few useless options like “Illumined kick
plates” or a tow package. It came to a total of $36 620.
Which
is quite a bit cheaper than the JX. But, the JX is actually much better.
It
is quieter, smother and has a much, much nicer interior. So there is quite a
difference between the two. The Infiniti isn’t just a dressed up Pathfinder.
The
$36 620 includes leather, but no GPS, sunroof or upgraded stereo.
For
about $1500 more, you can get a loaded Mazda CX9. Which is a much nicer car to
drive. With a much better interior.
I
also like the Ford Flex better. As well as the Chevrolet Traverse. 
The
new Pathfinder is a huge improvement over the crude truck it replaces. But it
still needs to go to finishing school…

Conversation 9 comments

  1. Nissan turned their cars into cheap crap by taking weight out of them. You want a laugh? look at the exhaust pipe on Nissan…it is paper thin.

  2. I will not buy it, but I see quite a few of them out there. Nice design. The CVT causes perception problems. In reality it works well with V6 engines for Nissan.

  3. Mr. Burlapp, with all due respect, this review screams something wrong. Nissan Interiors , today are among the best available. In 2002, that's when they truely had cut back costs and the interiors were sub par. Because of that, they stepped up their game, way beyond most of the competition. So much so, that Ward's has put this interior on a pedestal and awarded the Pathfinder one of the 10 BEST interiors available. As well, it rides exceptionally smooth, it is very quiet and is a gem to drive. I own one and am very proud of it. Plus fuel economy is best in class, and so is interior functionality and space. I did a lot of research, there is no better value out there.

  4. That is the worst fake woodgrain I've seen on the dashboard of any car in a long time. Why do automakers still do this? It's so cheesy and geriatric looking.

  5. Pretty nice Nissan Grand Murano. for $36 large, if I had that much money to spend, I WOULD rather get the "refreshed for the 2nd time" CX-9….or even the JX…or QX60..whatever.

    -FusioptimaSX

  6. The 160 mph speedometer is ridiculous in a SUV. Lots of small identical buttons. Mediocre mileage and an unappealing interior. This is a mistake on Nissan's part.

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