Ultimate Road Master From Japan

Author's Rating:

Pros: Styling, SHEER Power, 6-CD changer, 7 speaker stereo, The Engine, Comfort, Stability

Cons: None

Handling And Control:

Author's Review
I decided to purchase the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD as my 2nd car. I really wanted an SUV very badly, and I was considering giving away my Nissan Maxima. I really love Nissan and their cars, true Japanese road masters. Though when I was looking for SUVs, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo caught my attention. They had very comfortable seats and great styling. So I test drove one, and the 195hp engine was very weak. The V8 Jeep was only...$8000 extra, but the dealer said that it came with leather and everything else. I didn't need all of those things, I just wanted the engine, but I couldn't get it. Then I tried out the Toyota 4Runner; nice car except the 182hp engine was also very weak. Then I went on to the Nissan Xterra, it was also weak. I personally didn't like the drivetrain and styling of the 2000 Pathfinder, but then I saw the new 2001 Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD. That really caught my attention, and it has many vast improvements over the 2000 Pathfinder. Here's what I found:

Price:
I got the Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD at a price of $28538, I negotiated with the dealer. The prices of the Nissan Pathfinders vary, also depending on the dealers. Some dealers charge outrageous prices, and others charge much less. I was lucky when I got my Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD for only ~$28500. The average price for a Nissan Pathfinder SE that has manual transmission runs at around $28000, and the price of the Nissan Pathfinder XE runs slightly higher because it comes with automatic transmission. 4-wheel drive also costs much more than 2-wheel drive, I find that 4-wheel drive is worth it completely. The Nissan Pathfinder XE 4WD in my opinion is very well worth the price, it has so many great features, and blasts away competition from Toyota, Jeep, or Ford. The Nissan Pathfinder is the best in its class. The 4-wheel drive models I find to be the best, they have great performance, which can't be beaten.

Warranty:
The warranty issued with the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder is a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, and a 5-year powertrain warranty. I got the standard warranty with my car. The warranties on the Nissan Pathfinder are very good and provide a lot of coverage for it. In my older 1997 Maxima, which had a few problems, everything was taken care of very quickly and efficiently. My transmission and fuel injectors were replaced at no charge. Nissan has great warranties.

Safety:
The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder is a very safe SUV that got a 5-star crash safety rating. The Nissan Pathfinder is also very hard to flip over because it is built on a car frame that is lower to the ground and has a lower center of gravity. In the XE and SE model, there are dual airbags in the front. In the LE (luxury) model, there are also side-impact airbags. The Nissan Pathfinder is a very safe car.

Exterior Styling:
The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder has a vast improvement in styling over the 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. It looks much better. In the front, there is a new grille and the lights are less rounded and larger. The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder truly looks great, it's curved, and will be appealing to anyone who looks at it. The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder looks very similar to the Toyota 4Runner, but is smaller.

Interior Styling:
The interior styling on the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder is nothing to appealing, or at least in the XE model which I own. The front dashboard looks like that of any normal Nissan vehicle. The speedometer and the meters look great though, they have a white background and the numbers are very neat on them. The interior of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder is ok.

Engine:
This is one part of the vehicle, which truly amazes me in every aspect. It's a Nissan 240hp V6. The most powerful in it's class, and it's 70hp more powerful than the previous 2000 Nissan Pathfinder. The engine on the 2001 model is the most powerful V6 ever placed on an SUV. It's way more powerful than the V6 on either the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Toyota 4Runner. I was also amazed that the Nissan V6 240hp is more powerful than the engine on the much larger Lexus RX470! The engine is truly incredible, it purrs and it adds great power to the vehicle. This engine is probably the best that I have ever seen. The V6 is also no more less fuel-efficient than the V6 on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo which is much weaker than the Nissan.

Acceleration:
The Nissan Pathfinder accelerates like a dream. 0-60 in less than 10 seconds of what I've counted. The Nissan Pathfinder is a giddy-up car that drives very smoothly. It can out accelerate any SUV in its class. The Nissan Xterra is lighter and more easy-going than the Pathfinder, but the SUV can kill it on the highway. The Nissan Pathfinder is full of power, it feels great to hit the open road with this baby.

Response Rate:
The Nissan Pathfinder is a very responsive car. When I turn the steering wheel, it turns like it's supposed to in no time. It's a great vehicle with great performance. The Nissan Pathfinder will also have a very hard time flipping over because it's built lower to the ground and has a lower center of gravity. The Nissan Pathfinder is a very responsive car that was even more responsive than the Jeep.

Braking:
The Nissan Pathfinder has very strong brakes. There are no problems at all with handling in snow and bad weather. I was able to drive through Chicago's snowy weather with no fears of braking too late. The brakes on the Nissan Pathfinder are very strong and durable.

Ride:
The Nissan Pathfinder offers a very smooth and excellent ride. It drives just like a car. Even after hitting potholes, the Nissan Pathfinder didn't tremble immensely like the Jeep did. The Nissan Pathfinder is a very smooth SUV that will probably give you the smoothest ride from any SUV in its class.

Suspension:
The suspension on the Nissan Pathfinder is great. The shocks are very absorbent, and will absorb the ruckus from any large bumps or potholes in the road. The Nissan Pathfinder had much better suspension than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, and it was somewhat smoother than the Toyota 4Runner. Japanese cars in my opinion usually have the smoothest rides of all. The Nissan Pathfinder is great!

Fuel Economy:
The Nissan Pathfinder is just as economical as any other SUV in its class. The Nissan Pathfinder has a major power increase over other SUVs in its class, but the fuel economy stays in competition with the others. The V6 really works wonders. The city economy is ~16MPG, and the highway economy is about ~18MPG. The Nissan Pathfinder with it's super charged 240hp engine stays in the same fuel range as the Jeep or 4Runner.

Comfort:
The seats in the Nissan Pathfinder are pretty high up. The comfort is adequate, there is ample legroom and all. But I personally found the Jeep Grand Cherokee to be more comfortable. The Nissan Pathfinder is comfortable enough to last non-stop hours in the car. The Nissan Pathfinder is great for long road trips, it's very smooth and comfortable enough.

Sound System:
The Nissan Pathfinder carries on the tradition of the Nissan Maxima. The Nissans finally come with a CD player standard in their cars. The Nissan Pathfinder also has a very nice feature that the Nissan Maxima doesn't, a 6-CD changer. The Nissan Pathfinder has a 7-speaker Bose stereo system, which i find to be incredible. The sound is great, never static or anything. The sound is very smooth, playing CDs in the Nissan Pathfinder is great, Nissan really did a good job in this area of their cars.

Reliability:
The Nissan Pathfinder is a very reliable car. It's very durable and built very solid. So far, I have had no problems at all with my car. It's excellent. The Nissan Pathfinder is also not plagued with a poor transmission or fuel injectors like the older Nissans were. The gearshift is great in this car, and it will last for many years to come.

The Verdict:
The 2001 Nissan Pathfinder is without any doubt a great car. In my opinion, the Nissan Pathfinder is the best SUV in its class. The engine is incredible, and can't be matched at all by any other V6. The Nissan Pathfinder drives very smoothly, and has other great features that come with it. The 4-wheel drive XE (automatic transmission) is a great value, for around $28000. The Nissan Pathfinder will not fill buyers with remorse at all, it's a great SUV, and it'll impress you.