When SUVs were called SUVs, Nissan was big off the tarmac. But meanwhile, the all-wheel drive adventure among the Asians in Europe is not far off. In the US they do it differently – for example with cars like the new Pathfinder.
Las Vegas in the evening, the crowd is in a party mood after a day at the electronics trade fair CES and a taxi is once again impossible to get. No problem, after all, the latest, now fifth generation of the Nissan Pathfinder is in the garage and, with its six surprisingly full-fledged individual seats, entices you to take a nightly drive along the promenade of the gaming metropolis.
The next day, in front of the premium outlets on Interstate 15, he swallows more groceries than his credit card allows, and on the way back to the airport in Los Angeles he also fights his way down those gravel roads in the Mojave National Preserve that the park rangers follow severe flooding were closed as impassable. Because such a small workout hike between a visit to the trade fair and a long-haul flight has to be – what the Nissan managers could think up with us at best for colorful advertising brochures is lived everyday life in the USA.
And while on this side of the Atlantic it would only work to a limited extent with cars like the Qashqai and even its big brother X-Trail, the automotive triple jump in the USA works perfectly with the Pathfinder: “It doesn’t matter whether you want to go to the city, overland or into the woods – the Pathfinder opens up all paths for you”, is the motto of the US advertisers and outlines a range of uses that they can only dream of here.
But with us, the former off-road vehicle giant Nissan no longer builds off-road vehicles and, strictly speaking, no SUVs either. Nissan itself speaks exclusively of crossovers and has soaked them in fabric softener that the cars have become dangerously interchangeable. In the rest of the world, however, Nissan does afford a few character heads and the Pathfinder is no exception.
The big cousin of the X-Trail proves that even a 5.02 meter SUV equipped for adventure doesn’t have to be a bulky block and doesn’t have to squeeze into the automotive equivalent of a lumberjack’s outfit. On the contrary: With smooth contours and clear edges, the Pathfinder is more reminiscent of a Range Rover Velar than a Land Rover Defender and cuts the same good figure on the boulevard as on the mogul slope.
The biggest plus of the Pathfinder, however, is its space, which benefits above all from the 2.90 meter wheelbase. They are enough for three rows of seats, where the last one, in contrast to the European X-Trail, deserves this name and is therefore also suitable for adults. If you order a bank there, you can start the adventure with eight, but you have to cuddle a little. However, if you opt for two individual seats, you will still travel better in the second row of first class and in the third than in economy on the plane.
And it doesn’t matter whether it’s in the front, middle or back – there is an individual climate zone for each row, there are USB plugs en masse in the consoles and so that nobody has to be thirsty on the journey from coast to coast or through the desert, the cup holders hold more cans in the X-Trail than many a bar in a German village pub.
There is also a neat cockpit with the usual screens, a head-up display and lots of assistants that make the boring rides on the dead straight highways easier. It’s just a pity that Nissan has saved on the navigation and of all things the pathfinder searches its paths on a map from the Stone Age, makes the settings for the study subject and the route guidance is as confusing as Sam Hawkins’ treasure map.
When driving, however, the Pathfinder does not show any weaknesses – neither on the jagged asphalt of the US trunk roads, where it gives the relaxed cruiser with easy steering and a benevolent chassis. Even in inner cities, where a small turning circle and the 360-degree camera help when manoeuvring. And certainly not off-road, where the switchable all-wheel drive and a few off-road programs also make sand and gravel roads a walk.
The drive is taken over by a six-cylinder, which, according to good old custom, still breathes itself instead of having the air blown in by a charger. That’s why it needs a bit more speed to get its 284 hp and 350 Nm, but then it’s easy with the colossus. Especially because Nissan, unlike us, does not expect the Americans to have a tough CVT transmission, but installs a classic automatic.
With its nine gears, it also lacks a bit of bite. But because speed is so irrelevant in the USA that Nissan does not specify the sprint values ??or the top speed, that should not bother anyone there. And the vigor is always enough for the casual rolling along, just like for the short sprint that brings the Pathfinder back into pole position past the ubiquitous pick-ups.
Sure, with its 3.5 liter six-cylinder it would be a bit out of place with us. But a decent SUV with character, space and a bit of prestige would look good on Nissan – especially since this segment is so slow to leave the competition.
And because not everyone can afford a Mercedes GLS or a BMW X7, there should also be a niche for this Nissan here – even if it didn’t end up starting at around 37,000 euros as in the USA, but probably in the US Should start in the mid 40,000s.
