2010 Nissan Pathfinder Discounted

Author's Rating:

Pros: power; looks; interior

Cons: hefty price. now way to lower it down either.

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
k

Author's Review
I have been mulling over this subject in my head for the last few days. Are SUV’s truly driver’s cars? Or are they only for those who yearn to find outrageous paths to the supermarket? Surely, give an SUV and a car in any price range, and the car will outperform the SUV on asphalt (there are, of course, exceptions – none worth mentioning though). But the SUV will probably be roomier, and offer sure control in bad weather conditions. Pathfinder is an SUV that does nothing to help my bellicose dilemma, as I can’t categorize this thing as neither an outdoorsmen’s reliable friend nor a speed demon’s preferred commuter.

First of all, Pathfinder looses in terms of an off-roader due to its refined looks. It lacks the crude angles of the Explorer, and the bulging tires of the Suzuki. Take an infinity, and raise it up a few inches and you’ve got the idea. It’s a sleek looking vehicle that might give the impression of an SUV wanna-be luxury rather than anything else. Looking at the interior won’t tell you otherwise either. Pathfinder is a very comfortable car, and its fully power seats do offer memory settings as they would in a Luxury sedan. Most of the interior comes unchanged from last year, except for a better-designed gauge cluster and driver friendly AC/Audio controls.

Nevertheless, don’t let the looks fool you, for Nissan designers have done something very simple, and yet highly impressive – they have listened to their customers. Biggest complaint with the old Pathfinder was lack of power. With around 170HP, the 4,000 lbs truck could hardly move or be considered a serious off-roader. Besides, if Pathfinder still offered the same engine, it would be overshadowed by Nissan’s mini-SUV, the Xterra. Where did Nissan go for the improved engine? Its own Maxima power plant -- the award winning 3.0 VQ would have been more than enough for a decent jump from 170HP. Yet, they have done something even smarter, and upgraded the engine size to 3.5l DOHC – the resultant HP output is 240 on an automatic and 250 on the manual transmission. This beats the hell out of any other SUV in Nissan’s price range, including the V8 on the Explorer. Thus, what we have here is a luxury SUV with an engine strong enough for those joy rides to the woods. Moreover, no more heavy breathing when you try to move into the highway. Well done, indeed.

Available in 3 models (SE, LE and the XE ) Pathfinder comes with either a manual transmission on the SE or automatic on the LE and XE. Things like Audio, Power Seats, ABS and air bags are all a part of the standard package. As a matter of fact, even the most basic Pathfinder comes with all the necessary options you would want in an SUV – given that you chose the part-time 4WD model that comes unchanged from yesteryear. You can skip the 4WD and get the full-time RWD model, but why buy an SUV than? Pretty much, the only options you might add will be leather seats, side air bags and maybe the sunroof. Like I said though, even without this package, the car comes fully loaded. Pathfinder’s price range is around $29k to $32k, almost the same as an Xterra with all the premium options. (What I am trying to say is that if you were considering a fully loaded Xterra, you might want to take a closer look at the Pathfinder)