2016 Nissan Pathfinder Reviews

The 'roos and carcasses and wedge-tailed eagles feeding on last night's road kill are back there in the long shadows. Out here the Nissan wagon is now running through a harsh and timeless desert land, heading for Birdsville, that far back outpost of Queensland.It's been going on 2000km since Brisbane (with some exploring of boulder opal country around Quilpie soaking up more mileage). And it's now 200 kilometres since the bitumen gave out for good (ignoring those tarred streets of Birdsville). But that dual zone airconditioning is running sweet, the six-stacker CD player is shifting through the music and the Wrangler rubber is rolling on down the gravel track.All is well inside a cabin of leather and wood trim, all is secure and comfortable and assured. Turn up a little country. The radio stations have been left a long way back and anyway, that aerial in the back window is not too good at collecting long-distance radio waves.This Ti is Nissan's up-market Pathfinder, now available with handy 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine and five-speed automatic gearbox.This is the one packed with today's essential extras — leather-upholstered seats with electric adjustments for the front pair, DVD player and airconditioning for front, back and sides. There are rear parking sensors and vehicle dynamic control and ABS brakes. And there are airbags front and side plus curtain airbags for front, second and third row occupant protection.This is a competent, quite comfortable machine though on some lumpy highway bitumen there is not quite enough suspension soak. The Nissan wagon rides fine over the little stuff, swallows up big bumps and humps with ease; just on some corrugated bitumen a little more compliance would be nice.Yet further out, out here where the way turns to a three-car wide stretch of never-ending dirt and gibber road, the Pathfinder is strolling along with a smoother attitude. Perhaps it's that little bit of slip and slide, necessary to find traction, that disguises those mid-range intrusions found on some bitumen.And out here there is a reassurance in that sturdiness and full chassis down below. Listen to those little stones bouncing up underneath, steer around the severe lumps of rock, a little sideways through the washaways, find the sweet spot in the track and let it roll. Let the wagon move around a little, keep progress calm and measured without fighting each and every twitch of the steering wheel.The Pathfinder plays the part of a proper four-wheel drive as much as it looks the part. And it keeps the dust out, even the fine and powdery bulldust.This current model was launched here in 2005, all new and smart. It carries itself with a square-jawed style, ruggedly handsome with big chrome V on the bluff nose, flared guards to break up the lines of that simple, slab profile and a neat rear end. Still here, a carryover styling cue from the first Pathfinder, are the rear door handles set high on the door pillar.It looks right outside and works right inside. There is that extra row of back seats to allow the Pathfinder to carry seven but that would be mostly for cross-town touring. On a long day, long distance run, it is best used as a four-seater; this trip it is a two-seater with the rear seat and cargo space full of loosely packed gear and a spare, spare wheel.But over a round trip closing on 4000km there was never a worry with the big and beefy Wranglers and never a drama with the Pathfinder.It carried back to Brisbane a galah-dust smudged bonnet, a few bug scars, a bit of bulldust, and some sand from running down the old Birdsville track for a bit, exploring some fine old desert landscapes.It splashed through the last of the Cooper Creek's flooding outside Windorah, climbed Simpson Desert sand tracks and ran down far western highways at a steady 120km/h. All of this for around 11.5 litres/100km, a little closer to 13 litres/100km when running down loose dirt roads.It was out here, further out in Corner Country, where the Pathfinder shone.Running in two-wheel drive down the Birdsville Developmental Road the vehicle dynamic control allows for a pleasing modicum of rear end slip before it interferes to bring the wagon back on track. And there is also that option of switching to Auto four-wheel drive for this sort of work, allowing the centre differential to send help to the front wheels if the back pair start bogging down. This was most appreciated as the light faded on the afternoon run into Birdsville and hitting roadworks where the local council had just finished watering down the track for the night, making a good bit of out-of-place mud.On into town, drink up, rest up and then south down the Inside Track for a couple of days, the little diesel purring along, gearbox slipping easily through the ratios. Here and there the sequential gear shift is called into action, generally for a quicker downshift (rather than too much braking) when confronted by a nastier piece of track. For the most part the five-speed auto is best left alone.There was dust and sand and dunes and never a drama. A couple of times the Pathfinder was switched out of two-wheel drive to Auto, a couple of times into four-wheel drive High for the sake of more confident climbs.The Pathfinder Ti was a natural out here, trolling through the desert sands, down to the riverside camp on the Diamantina, scouring desolate landscapes for old skulls of long gone cattle. All the while the Nissan was comfortable and competent.Then there was the two-day haul back to the bright lights of Brisbane, tyres and body unmarked if bird-bloodied in a couple of spots. It was a decent drive in a decent wagon.

It's a mid-sized 4WD with a reputation for smooth road manners and a surprising amount of off road ability.However, with the release of the new "Pathy" and the addition of the stylish Murano to the lineup, Nissan has clearly reached a fork in the road, with two very distinct models – one for the road and the other for the bush.Although marketed as a multi-purpose, family wagon, the new Pathfinder is in fact a traditional 4WD in every sense of the word, in the vein of the popular Pajero and Prado.Built on a proper ladder frame chassis as favoured by off road enthusiasts, it has robust, heavy duty suspension, that delivers a ride that is bumpy and unforgiving in an urban environment, with plenty of lurch and lean in corners.The original 3.3-litre V6 has been replaced with a much larger, more powerful 4.0-litre V6 or, for the first time, the option of a diesel engine in the form a 2.5-litre four cylinder turbocharged unit.The DOHC V6 generates 198kW of eye- popping power at 5600rpm and 385Nm of torque at 4000rpm.In comparison, the common-rail turbocharged and intercooled diesel is good for 128kW at 4000rpm and healthy 403Nm of torque from a low 2000rpm.We're have always been strong advocates of diesel 4WDs because the diesel engine produces better economy and is better suited to the rigors of off road work.The diesel in the Pathfinder, subject of our test, can be mated to either a six-speed manual or five-speed sequential automatic.Our mid range ST-L test model, priced from $48,990, was fitted with the auto.Nissan says the adoption of a second generation common rail diesel with an electronically controlled high pressure fuel injection pump provides more power, low emissions and low levels of NVH.In reality, we found the engine in our test car to be quite noisy with lots of the rattle that is normally associated with diesels.It also exhibited quite a lot of throttle surge, when speeding up and slowing down.Fuel economy figures for the engine are not stated, but the trip computer reported an average of 11.7 litres per 100km from the 80-litre thank, giving the vehicle a range of about 680km.That's okay but nothing special considering the smallish capacity of the the engine.Standard equipment incluces two airbags, airconditioning, ABS brakes, remote central locking, electric mirrors and windows, cruise control and CD/Tuner.The ST-L adds taller 17-inch alloys, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system, luxury cloth trim, leather steering wheel and gear shift, dual zone automatic airconditioning, roof rails, side steps, fog lamps and a 6-stacker CD/Tuner with steering wheel mounted audio controls.We gave the Pathfinder a good working over including some hard off roading.Fit and finish in the seven-seat Spanish built wagon is good inside and out.A third row of seats has been added, but we found the seats small and particularly firm and they can become uncomfortable on long trips.Second row passengers will find leg room tight and the two third row seats are strictly for small children.The third row packs flat into the floor when not in use and all seats lie flat for carrying loads, including the front passenger seat for extra long items.Off road Pathfinder has plenty of ground clearance at 211mm, but the hard plastic rear mudflaps do not compress when grounded, which can lead to rear bumper damage.While first gear in low range generates a touch too much ground speed for difficult descents.In keeping with its off road role, the vehicle is equipped with a full size spare which is mounted under the back.

Most importantly, at last there's now an optional turbo-diesel engine and it is not too thirsty. Nissan's timing in finally giving the Pathfinder a fuel-frugal turbo-diesel is perfect.An 80-litre tank gives the oil-burner Pathfinder a range of well over 750km around the city, something that might even impress Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, who last week, wearing his Einstein hat, predicted rising fuel prices would see families turn to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Sorry, Mr Treasurer, this "gas guzzler" is lighter on fuel than many family cars.The company says the 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel will return 9 litres/100km (manual) and 10.1 litres/100km (auto). This seems easily achievable after a week driving the entry-level manual version around southern Queensland.Pathfinders hadn't changed much since their introduction in 1995 and had fallen behind the medium-size 4x4 pack mostly because of the uninspiring 3.3-litre petrol engine. The original Pathfinder was based on a ute, and, although a comfortable family wagon, lost ground to Prado, Pajero and Discovery, which were designed as passenger vehicles. Its off-road ability was OK but nothing to write home about.Not any more. It's wider, longer, taller and has a longer wheelbase (2850mm, up 150mm) than the model it replaces. Both engines are new. Instead of five people, it can carry seven, preferably for short distances only. It also has the muscle to tow a decent sized boat or horse float (3000kg braked).It's priced from $44,990 for the manual ST diesel, neck-and-neck with Toyota's Prado GX diesel, about $5000 less than the comparable Pajero and a whopping $7500 more than Hyundai's Terracan CRDi. Automatic is a $3000 option on all Pathfinder diesels. The ST 4-litre petrol V6 starts at $47,990, the higher specified ST-L diesel at $48,990 and the V6 ST-L petrol $51,990. The flagship Ti V6 petrol is priced from $58,990.The diesel engine puts out 128kW @ 4000 rpm and a handy 403Nm @ 2000 rpm and is available with a new six-speed manual transmission or the five-speed automatic. It's a willing performer at all speeds, although we found the manual gear change a little vague at times, accidentally choosing fifth instead of third. So flexible is the engine that this error caused no fuss; it simply pulled away smoothly.The engine is related to the 2.2-litre engine found in European variants of the X-Trail compact 4x4 and is almost all new. It has twin overhead camshafts with 16 valves, common-rail direct fuel injection and displaces 2488cc. Turbocharged and intercooled, it develops 128kW and 403Nm of torque, which peaks at 2000 rpm.At idle, you are aware it is a not a petrol engine, but at highway speeds the muffled rattle up front becomes a reassuring hum.This Pathfinder has a full ladder chassis, which some see as the mark of a "true" 4x4. The cost may be a less refined ride on rough surfaces but generally the Pathfinder handled ruts and corrugations without fuss. There was very little kickback through the precise (rack and pinion) steering.A brief off-road trip left no doubt that this is a much more competent Pathfinder. Low-range first is a true crawling gear and throttle response is good for careful manoeuvring. Overall ground clearance is up 11mm to 211mm. Approach and departure angles are also better at 33 and 26 degrees.Purists may sneer at "all-mode" 4x4 systems operated by rotary switches but for the average driver, the latest version of Nissan's system takes all the hard work (read "fun"?) out of choosing how to cross difficult terrain. Electronics take care of all traction needs and low range gears for off-road work, offering Auto, 2WD, 4WD (Hi) and 4WD (Lo). All modes can be accessed on the move, except 4WD (Lo) , for which you have to stop.For everyday use, the switch is left in either Auto or 2WD mode. When locked in 2WD or when the roads are dry and the system is in Auto, the vehicle operates in rear-wheel-drive only, saving fuel.The temptation is to leave it in Auto mode, in which electronic sensors constantly monitor wheel slippage and automatically send signals to the hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch, mounted ahead of the rear axle, to apportion torque correctly. When no slippage is detected, the system distributes the torque 0:100 front to rear, but this can change in any proportion up to 50:50 if the going gets too slippery.We tried, unsuccessfully, to fool the system and spin one or two wheels, which, on sand, means you can go down to your axles. It does the job well.Standard on the entry ST diesel are 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, ABS, dual airbags, remote central locking, electric mirrors and windows, cruise control and a reasonably good CD stereo.Finish on the Spanish-built Pathfinder was very good and the clear instruments were welcomed by one driver who needs spectacles to read but drives without them. He wondered why vehicle makers don't offer an optional stick-on lens that magnifies instrumentation, like those available for some camera viewfinders.The front seats were supportive, if a little firm for some passengers. One middle-row passenger also got squirmy after an hour on the road. Back row is for kids only, and light ones at that.As in the previous Pathfinder, seating and luggage space options are very flexible. Nissan claims 64 seat/cargo variations and we believe them. Any handyman who has tried to fit timber in the family car will appreciate a fold-flat front passenger seat, which allows a load length of 2.8m.Despite its apparent size, the Pathfinder is easy to drive around the city and suburbs.Rear visibility is better than in most 4x4s.The turning circle of 11.9m (up 0.5m on the previous model and the biggest in the class) is not a problem if you remember.In summary, the diesel Pathfinder was worth the wait.It is a nimbler, more economical option to a big 4x4, yet has most of the appeal of the big boys.Around town it's easy to handle and park; on the highway you set the excellent cruise control, sit back and enjoy the fuel economy.And Pathfinder owners no longer have to suffer the sneers off-road

The five-door, seven-seater is a proper four-wheel-drive wagon with a deal of flexibility.It has good road manners, big solid feel and practicality with up to 64 seating/cargo configurations, plus enough room for a quiet kip, or cargo up to 2.8m long.All Pathfinders feature ABS brakes, dual airbags, airconditioning, remote central locking, electric windows and CD stereo. The entry-level ST sits on 16-inch alloy wheels.The ST-L adds 17-inch alloy wheels, Vehicle Dynamic Control, dual-zone airconditioning, side steps and six-stacker CD stereo.Pathfinder's top-of-the-tree Ti is available only with the 198kW V6 and five-speed automatic, a creamy combination. Extras here include leather upholstery, rear seat DVD entertainment and side curtain airbags.All look the part, a little like the Discovery in profile with Nissan's big and bold chrome V up front, relating the Pathfinder back to the Patrol and X-Trail. And for old time's sake the rear door handle sits high on the window frame.The rugged, no-nonsense theme is carried over into the cabin. Here the Pathfinder's interior is neat, tidy and practical with straight dashboard lines, big and legible analogue instruments plus decent seats and the usual cubby holes.It is bigger than before. And again the look is a little like the Discovery's prestige-adventure theme.The 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine pushes out 128kW at 4000rpm and 403Nm of torque at 2000rpm, making for both an easy tourer and tower. And the diesel can be mated to either the six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox.It is a willing worker although there remains a tiny touch of truck about the manual gearbox, although that may vary from Pathfinder to Pathfinder.This is a very willing, very responsive diesel although not super-quiet at idle. It should make for a good tourer. As with the petrol V6, the diesel Pathfinder is rated to tow a decent 3000kg.The petrol V6 with automatic transmission is the smoother operator, at least until the revs head toward the redline. By then the Pathfinder has stepped off at a fair pace and the auto's slurred through the changes with some finesse.On the road — good and rough surfaces — the Pathfinder sits and steers with confidence. There is a firm reassurance to the steering.Yet there is no doubt there is still a full-sized, framed chassis below — with full independent suspension — for on some corrugations there is some feedback through the body.The Pathfinder feels like a solid wagon, a firm and solid worker for road and bush tracks. It is an honest four-wheel-drive wagon (with full-sized spare) with a simple, honest approach to four-wheel driving.In style and substance it has the ability to provide Nissan with a reliable weapon in this medium-sized SUV battle.