Background
The first time the world heard the name of nissan pathfinder It was in the mid-1980s when the brand presented a vehicle for work and recreation in the US market that was built with the old formula called “Body on Frame” that consists of a ladder chassis with the body mounted on it.
The 2nd Generation arrived in Mexico in the 90s when the borders were opened to import new vehicles.
Many years have passed, and some generations of Pathfinder have paraded through the market, some have been successful and others not so much, because at some point the focus of the product was lost and its creators dedicated themselves to softening the exterior lines and they gave it a smooth and much more comfortable handling, they added a CVT transmission and that did not please their consumers at all.
CVT boxes have proven to be efficient, and knowing how to use them help reduce fuel consumption, but they are not good for towing, and a vehicle with Pathfinder characteristics is chosen mostly for exactly that: Towing
Nissan reconsidered and for the 5th generation -unveiled in 2021 in the US- it returned some of the attributes that its consumers from the first generations had liked.
What I consider the most important for this new generation is that the manufacturer forgot about the CVT transmission and installed a traditional automatic transmission in the “Path” hydraulic pressure automatic actuation 9-gear and with it he returned to the model one of its old virtues, the towing capacity.
Nissan Pathfinder 2023: Design
The new generation has shapes that make it look bigger than it really is, the length is a little over five meters and the body does not have dramatic design shapes and what stands out the most is a character line on the lower part of the side glass area that gives it style and visual presence at the same time.
The front part is rough, with strong and well-defined lines, following the style that all Pathfinders have had, in fact in the upper part of the grill we find some stylistic elements taken from the model of the 80s and 90s.
The rear also offers a clean design and only three elements stand out, the first being a long emblem with chrome letters with the word: PATHFINDER which is crowned by a molding that in turn connects the rear optics that at the ends becomes enveloping and laterally covers the final part of the rear side. In the lower part of the fascia we have a gray contrast that houses the area of the plate and at the ends there are some reflectors.
MEASURES (in mm)
- Length: 5,021
- Width: 1,978
- High: 1,778
- Wheelbase: 2,895
- Net Weight: 2,038kg
- Gross weight: 2,750kg
Nissan Pathfinder 2023: Specifications
The V6 called VQ35DD that carries the “Path” is one of the best creations of Nissan in the last 20 yearsIt is a robust and extremely reliable engine that has undergone several evolutions and one of the greatest successes of the engineering department was to discard the CVT transmission that the previous generation had and in this new model they resorted to a traditional nine-speed hydraulic pressure automatic gearbox. changes that, in addition to providing a better feeling behind the wheel, return to the Nissan SUV the towing capacity, a fact that was unthinkable with a CVT, the traction system is integral (AWD) with a management selector that manages the delivery of force between the two axes.
Engine Train
- Engine: 3.5-liter V6
- Power: 284 hp @ 6,400 rpm
- Torque: 259 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- AWD (All Wheel Drive)
2023 Nissan Pathfinder: Inside
Doors inside we find three rows of seats, and let’s start with the 3rd that offers good space and although it may not seem like it, access is easy, the second row is wide and finally the 1st row with the driving position. The materials and finishes are up to the segment, the board is padded and has a perimeter stitching that we also find in the seats, which are upholstered in double-textured leather, in the center it is perforated and on the sides it has two shades. The invoice quality is standard for the segment and faithful to the brand, much to my regret we find a Piano Black finish on some parts of the dashboard and the central console.
Nissan Pathfinder 2023: Infotainment
The driver has complete information displayed on two screens, we no longer find traditional needle instruments, the cluster of instruments is displayed on a 12-inch screen, there is total information on the behavior of the vehicle, speed at which it is circulating, gearbox status and valuable information such as oil pressure or fuel level. In the center of the board we find a 2nd screen with a hybrid configuration, since it has a touch function, but in the lower part we have rotary buttons and physical activation keys – that is, you have to turn or press them to activate them, in the lower part The screen also houses the controls for the three-zone climate control system -two for the first row- and the other zone irrigates the 2nd and 3rd rows.
The system is compatible with popular platforms and can be linked wirelessly or via USB port with type A and C inputs.
2022 Nissan Pathfinder: Safety
The Japanese manufacturer calls the driving assistance package under the name of Nissan Safety Shield and these assists consist of a whole “suite” that prevents and alerts everyday issues that could trigger an accident, such as the lane departure assistant (LDW/I LI)cross traffic alert (ATCM)the blind spot obstacle warning (BSW) and also has a collision avoidance intervention (BSI) that interacts thanks to lane keeping assists (LKA)front-collision-preventing brake assist is also available (I-FCW) and also the assistance that prevents pedestrians from being run over by sudden braking called (I-EB)
- 10 airbags
- Nissan Safety Shield
- ABS brakes
- Stability and Traction Control
2023 Nissan Pathfinder: Driving
Already behind the wheel of the 5th Generation of Pathfinder the interesting thing that stands out is the available powertrain, as I have highlighted from the beginning, under the hood we find a 3.5-liter V6 that is one of the great successes of the brand, since this engine has a good level of power and a very good level of torque delivery. The work of the automatic gearbox works silently, the staggering is good and this type of transmission with so many changes is designed for bearing at constant speeds where the V6 rotates at low RPM regimes with the consequent low consumption and lower emission of greenhouse effect gases.
The ride quality is good and although one might think that it has high off-road capabilities, we must not forget that the traction scheme is integral (AWD) but not 4×4. The driver has at his disposal a selector for the type of terrain to choose from SEVEN different programs for the administration of force in the drive axles, ranging from the normal and comfortable mode for use in the city to the modes for more rugged terrain or designed for when the vehicle is towing something.
On a day-to-day basis and in city traffic, behavior is refined and I daresay the handling is geared more toward giving us feedback at the wheel that can more closely resemble the feel of driving a crossover.
The handling is smooth and the suspension work is silent, perhaps the staggering of the gearbox makes the handling -especially on slopes- a bit erratic and the box gets confused between gears, an effect that can be minimized if one is firmer with the accelerator when undertaking a steep climb, nothing serious, but I noticed that detail when driving in such an area.
The quality of assembly makes the cabin quiet and the insulation is adequate as we observed in our short test. The 5th generation of Pathfinder brought out the caste of a model and a name that we were already forgetting that was gradually overshadowed by the competition due to the inclusion of a CVT box in the 4th generation.
conclusion
The “Path” does not have it easy, since in the segment in Mexico there are very robust players in the market, even one or another version of Chinese products can make it a bit of a shadow.
It is a good product, complete and with the rough character that it lost years ago, having the support of Nissan behind it makes it a good option, although the price will also have a negative effect, in relation to its competition it makes it have a slightly complicated position and Nissan will have to work on repositioning and returning the Pathfinder to its place, I insist the product is up to the task and we will have to wait to see how the public receives it.
