Drive the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder and you'll find it's pretty much the world's most perfect Ford Explorer. In terms of size, comfort and overall utility, the new Pathfinder V8 is more palatable than the familiar Ford. Too bad the Nissan is about five years too late to the party.
The Pathfinder has been around for a couple of decades, but without a V8 engine on its specification list, truck-based SUV shoppers continued circling the Blue Oval. A new V8 option, along with a higher-quality interior, could begin to give the overlooked Pathfinder a leg up on the competition. And with a base price of $32,850, the four-wheel-drive 2008 Nissan V8 Pathfinder hasn't priced itself out of consideration.
Power-to-Gas Ratio
Rated at 310 horsepower and 388 pound-feet of torque, the Pathfinder's new 5.6-liter V8 engine has plenty of power, and it pulls all the way across the face of the tachometer, a welcome signature of Nissan engines. Of course, it makes power by using lots of gasoline, which is another signature of Nissan engines. With its standard smooth-shifting, electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission, the 2008 Pathfinder V8 earns an EPA rating of 12 mpg city/18 mpg highway, and our two-week road test in the four-wheel-drive SE V8 recorded an average of just 13 mpg. At 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway, a four-wheel-drive 2007 Pathfinder V6 is more fuel-efficient, so expect to pay a weekly power tax if you choose the V8.
On the upside, our V8's 0-60-mph time of 7.0 seconds beats the 7.4-second run we timed on a 2005 Pathfinder V6. And the Pathfinder V8 smokes the Explorer V8 we tested in 2006 by 2 seconds on the way to 60 mph, so let this be your soothing mantra at the gas pump.
Crossover to Truck-Based SUVs
On freeways and city streets, the Pathfinder is as easy to drive as its sibling, the Nissan Murano crossover. Plus the Pathfinder has a high, commanding driving position that makes you feel safe. Visibility is especially good because the beltline is low, the windows are tall and the dash and hood line are down and out of the way.
Consumers often choose crossover SUVs for their carlike ride quality, but the Pathfinder's ride is spectacular for a pickup-based chassis, partly because the ride rates are very well developed. There is plenty of initial compliance in suspension, yet enough roll stiffness so the SUV doesn't rock from side to side and feel tippy. With as much nimbleness as can be expected from a 4,779-pound truck, the Nissan carves through our slalom course at 57.6 mph.
Another important contribution to the Pathfinder's smooth ride comes from its P265/60R18 BFGoodrich radial tires. The sidewalls are nice and tall, and all that rubber acts as another effective spring between passengers and the pavement. As evidence, a pair of 7-year-old giggly girls survived the 180-mile round trip to San Diego's Sea World in the Pathfinder's standard third-row seat and neither of them puked.
Of course, as solid as the brakes feel around town, they have a difficult time slowing the Pathfinder's 2.5-ton mass during our instrumented brake testing. The Pathfinder stops from 60 to zero mph in 134 feet, but the 2006 Explorer stopped 3 feet shorter.
People Package
The Pathfinder offers a nicely finished cabin with room for six. Thirty-four inches of second-row legroom falls short of the 37 inches you'll find in an Explorer, but there proved to be adequate room for a 13-year-old's gangly legs during the Sea World trip. Although as long as the Pathfinder's XM radio was piping Good Charlotte through its optional 10-speaker Bose audio system, the middle-schooler wouldn't have cared if his knees were pushed up against his metal-trimmed mouth (the hallmark of adolescence).
A revised navigation system with a 9.3-gigabyte Music Box hard drive is available for the top LE trim, but our test Pathfinder was a midlevel SE, so we did without.
Our test vehicle wears ironlike leatherette upholstery, which will automatically alienate shoppers who prefer soft luxurious leather, but this plain trim is appropriate for a vehicle that is designed to stand up to a mess from dirt, mud or snow. Like a Chevrolet Tahoe, its relative lack of sophistication in presentation is a function of its all-weather, all-terrain nature. Although the Pathfinder has the same steering wheel used in the Nissan 350Z sports car, so it's not completely devoid of style.
Towing the Line
Venture beyond the L.A. freeway system into real America and you'll find two-thirds of Floridians own a boat, half the people in Michigan have a summer cabin and nearly everybody in the Mojave Desert has a dirt bike — all reminders to appreciate the Pathfinder for what it's intended. Truck-based SUVs still serve a useful purpose in times of high-priced gasoline, as real people use them to haul boats, jet skis, dirt bikes, campers and even weekend racecars. And the Pathfinder is far livelier as a utility device than the Explorer, which is as rugged and capable, but stolid on the highway.
In addition, the Pathfinder shares its pickup truck bits with the Nissan Frontier, supplying rugged hardware for serious long-term use. Plenty of wheel travel and aggressive approach and departure angles for off-road use further distinguish its rugged capabilities. If you need to do something with a utility in this category, the Pathfinder and the Explorer are the ones you'd trust to get you there and back again.
Cross Back to Utility
But as much as we appreciate the function of the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder V8, we also recognize that it belongs to a fairly narrow niche these days, as crossovers like the Murano have taken over the truck-based SUV's role as a family hauler, transporting kids instead of dirt bikes. But few of the crossovers actually measure up to the Pathfinder in utility or basic style, much less driving enjoyment. Usually the crossovers are simply carlike, and the familiarity wins them friends, but if you recognize your need for a true SUV, the Pathfinder provides a welcome alternative to the ordinary Explorer.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
The Pathfinder has been around for a couple of decades, but without a V8 engine on its specification list, truck-based SUV shoppers continued circling the Blue Oval. A new V8 option, along with a higher-quality interior, could begin to give the overlooked Pathfinder a leg up on the competition. And with a base price of $32,850, the four-wheel-drive 2008 Nissan V8 Pathfinder hasn't priced itself out of consideration.
Power-to-Gas Ratio
Rated at 310 horsepower and 388 pound-feet of torque, the Pathfinder's new 5.6-liter V8 engine has plenty of power, and it pulls all the way across the face of the tachometer, a welcome signature of Nissan engines. Of course, it makes power by using lots of gasoline, which is another signature of Nissan engines. With its standard smooth-shifting, electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission, the 2008 Pathfinder V8 earns an EPA rating of 12 mpg city/18 mpg highway, and our two-week road test in the four-wheel-drive SE V8 recorded an average of just 13 mpg. At 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway, a four-wheel-drive 2007 Pathfinder V6 is more fuel-efficient, so expect to pay a weekly power tax if you choose the V8.
On the upside, our V8's 0-60-mph time of 7.0 seconds beats the 7.4-second run we timed on a 2005 Pathfinder V6. And the Pathfinder V8 smokes the Explorer V8 we tested in 2006 by 2 seconds on the way to 60 mph, so let this be your soothing mantra at the gas pump.
Crossover to Truck-Based SUVs
On freeways and city streets, the Pathfinder is as easy to drive as its sibling, the Nissan Murano crossover. Plus the Pathfinder has a high, commanding driving position that makes you feel safe. Visibility is especially good because the beltline is low, the windows are tall and the dash and hood line are down and out of the way.
Consumers often choose crossover SUVs for their carlike ride quality, but the Pathfinder's ride is spectacular for a pickup-based chassis, partly because the ride rates are very well developed. There is plenty of initial compliance in suspension, yet enough roll stiffness so the SUV doesn't rock from side to side and feel tippy. With as much nimbleness as can be expected from a 4,779-pound truck, the Nissan carves through our slalom course at 57.6 mph.
Another important contribution to the Pathfinder's smooth ride comes from its P265/60R18 BFGoodrich radial tires. The sidewalls are nice and tall, and all that rubber acts as another effective spring between passengers and the pavement. As evidence, a pair of 7-year-old giggly girls survived the 180-mile round trip to San Diego's Sea World in the Pathfinder's standard third-row seat and neither of them puked.
Of course, as solid as the brakes feel around town, they have a difficult time slowing the Pathfinder's 2.5-ton mass during our instrumented brake testing. The Pathfinder stops from 60 to zero mph in 134 feet, but the 2006 Explorer stopped 3 feet shorter.
People Package
The Pathfinder offers a nicely finished cabin with room for six. Thirty-four inches of second-row legroom falls short of the 37 inches you'll find in an Explorer, but there proved to be adequate room for a 13-year-old's gangly legs during the Sea World trip. Although as long as the Pathfinder's XM radio was piping Good Charlotte through its optional 10-speaker Bose audio system, the middle-schooler wouldn't have cared if his knees were pushed up against his metal-trimmed mouth (the hallmark of adolescence).
A revised navigation system with a 9.3-gigabyte Music Box hard drive is available for the top LE trim, but our test Pathfinder was a midlevel SE, so we did without.
Our test vehicle wears ironlike leatherette upholstery, which will automatically alienate shoppers who prefer soft luxurious leather, but this plain trim is appropriate for a vehicle that is designed to stand up to a mess from dirt, mud or snow. Like a Chevrolet Tahoe, its relative lack of sophistication in presentation is a function of its all-weather, all-terrain nature. Although the Pathfinder has the same steering wheel used in the Nissan 350Z sports car, so it's not completely devoid of style.
Towing the Line
Venture beyond the L.A. freeway system into real America and you'll find two-thirds of Floridians own a boat, half the people in Michigan have a summer cabin and nearly everybody in the Mojave Desert has a dirt bike — all reminders to appreciate the Pathfinder for what it's intended. Truck-based SUVs still serve a useful purpose in times of high-priced gasoline, as real people use them to haul boats, jet skis, dirt bikes, campers and even weekend racecars. And the Pathfinder is far livelier as a utility device than the Explorer, which is as rugged and capable, but stolid on the highway.
In addition, the Pathfinder shares its pickup truck bits with the Nissan Frontier, supplying rugged hardware for serious long-term use. Plenty of wheel travel and aggressive approach and departure angles for off-road use further distinguish its rugged capabilities. If you need to do something with a utility in this category, the Pathfinder and the Explorer are the ones you'd trust to get you there and back again.
Cross Back to Utility
But as much as we appreciate the function of the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder V8, we also recognize that it belongs to a fairly narrow niche these days, as crossovers like the Murano have taken over the truck-based SUV's role as a family hauler, transporting kids instead of dirt bikes. But few of the crossovers actually measure up to the Pathfinder in utility or basic style, much less driving enjoyment. Usually the crossovers are simply carlike, and the familiarity wins them friends, but if you recognize your need for a true SUV, the Pathfinder provides a welcome alternative to the ordinary Explorer.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »