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All of this athleticism is made possible by its nearly unbendable, body-on-frame construction; its all-wheel-drive system; its strong brakes; and its generous 8½ inches of ground clearance. Add to that a versatile cabin that can accommodate up to seven passengers or 141 cubic feet of cargo, and you’re talking about a truck with a lot of uses.
Concerned about safety? Nissan’s got you covered there, too. All Pathfinder models come standard with front and side-mounted airbags for front-seat passengers, side-curtain airbags that cover all three rows of seats front and rear crumple zones that dissipate crash forces and active head restraints that protect against neck injuries in rear-end collisions.
And let’s not forget the rugged and powerful engines. An optional, 5.6-liter, 310-horsepower V-8 is available on the all-wheel-drive LE Pathfinder, but the 4-liter, 266-horsepower V-6, standard on all models, will perform virtually every chore as well except one. Both engines are teamed with a five-speed automatic transmission, but the V-8 Pathfinder has a 7,000-pound towing capacity, while the V-6 model is good for only 6,000.
Wipe the Pathfinder LE clean after a day of off-road exploration and you’ve got yourself a luxury cruiser ready for country-club duty or the annual family vacation. You can enjoy the leather upholstery, the premium sound system, the climate control, the rear-seat entertainment system and find your way almost anywhere with the easy-to-operate navigation system.
Of course, there are a couple of necessary compromises that must be accepted when opting for an SUV because, after all, this is a truck at heart.
Fuel mileage will not be good. The EPA estimates you can get 15 mpg in the city/21 highway but my 15-mpg average over 300 miles was mostly on smooth, level roads with light loads. Ride quality is, well, truck-like to support the off-road mission.
Fuel mileage and ride comfort will deteriorate further on the pockmarked, traffic-clogged roads of north Jersey.
Finally, equipped pretty much like a limo, the Pathfinder LE is certainly not cheap. Base price is $38,510. Fully equipped, as the test vehicle was, the total ran to $42,960, but that included navigation ($1,850); DVD entertainment system ($1,600); and a sunroof ($1,000).
If you think that price is over the top, but you really need an SUV for family-travel versatility and outdoor adventure, well, there are ways around your predicament.