There are moments when direct democracy swings heavily in favor of idiocy; when popular opinion descends into mob rule; and collective intelligence scrapes the bottom of the known range of an IQ test. Maybe New Coke will jog your memory.
The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, thankfully, is not one of those moments.
I would know, because I was one of the few idiots that cried out when Nissan rushed the old Pathfinder away in favor of this new machine. The outgoing model, which was approaching Starfleet class, size and price, was among one of my favorites in the Nissan range because it held true to the SUV code: body-on frame, long on capability, short on a gallon of gas. Precisely because it was one of my favorites, I’m guessing, people stayed away. The last year of the outgoing generation’s, 2012 Nissan would have had an easier time selling dengue fever than Pathfinders.
That’s because popular opinion demanded that the Pathfinder, which was never used as a search and rescue vehicle anyway, come back to reality. What’s the use for a truck chassis when the only climbing it does is when passengers scale the running boards on the way to lumbering into the seats?
Further, what’s the use of having a three-row body-on-frame SUV when the Nissan Armada performs that duty better? That last one, I believe was the death knell for the old Pathfinder.
Thus, the Pathfinder was reborn in 2012 (model year 2013) as a new vehicle. Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time the Pathfinder has pulled the SUV-crossover identity switch. The last time it happened was in the 1990s and produced perhaps the most-iconic Pathfinder ever. It’s hard to say if this time will produce similar results, so let’s examine.
First, Nissan ditched the thirsty V6 and V8 option from last year in favor of a 3.5-liter V6 this year. The 3.5-liter engine this year produces 6 fewer horsepower (260) from 2012’s model, and I happen to like that. First, because horsepower isn’t everything, and second, because the newer model weighs 300 lbs. less than the outgoing model — or three Justin Biebers. Sometimes, addition by subtraction is addition, and subtraction by subtraction is addition too, if you follow me. I sure don’t.
But the effect of a better family-hauling Pathfinder isn’t lost too. The three-row SUV still comfortably tows up to 5,000 lbs. and carries up to seven reasonably long-legged people. You won’t want to bring Michigan’s starting five to their next game, but a Junior Jazz roster and their gear is entirely likely.
There’s plenty to look at inside too. The old Pathfinder was a utilitarian paradise inside. It wasn’t exactly like a Swiss Army knife, but it was very nearly as boring as one. The 2013 Pathfinder is pleasant without being opulent, and comfortable without being swaddling. I appreciated our test car’s dual sunroofs and DVD entertainment system in the back. You might not appreciate their prices ($1,850 for DVD, $2,650 for sunroofs and other goodies) but the low $28,650 entry point should soften the blow should you choose either option.
While you drive around, watching movies and burning the sun’s corona into your retinas, think about this: you’re probably managing around 22 mpg at the moment. That’s roughly the mileage the old Pathfinder achieved when you cut the back half off, so it’s certainly an improvement, even class-leading.
And it’s a crowded class at the moment. Three-row crossovers are in vogue at the moment and everyone’s got one. The Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Highlander and Volkswagen Touareg are all betting on your penchant for procreation, and that’s not even counting their luxury equivalents.
For what it’s worth, the Nissan can compete with the lot. Although Nissan’s M.O. seems to be, “make a button for everything” the experience of driving a Pathfinder is really a no-brainer. I found myself tinkering with fewer buttons and focusing on the road more in the Pathfinder than with other Nissans that I’ve been in recently.
For 2014, Nissan announced they’d offer the Pathfinder in a hybrid model, with should take on directly the Toyota Highlander that, anecdotally and according to me, does very well in sales.
A hybrid Pathfinder flies in the face of everything that I would presume a Pathfinder to be. Or in other words, it should be very good and sell very well.
Aaron Cole is a syndicated auto columnist. He knows he’s wrong, he’d just rather hear it from you. Reach him at acole@aurorasentinel.com