Riding the wave of cheap gasoline, absurdly low interest rates and America’s love for SUVs, Nissan says that the 2017 Pathfinder going on sale this week is priced from $31,000 to $44,000 in various trim levels (S, SV, SL, and Platinum), plus options. Pathfinder over 60 years has morphed in its fourth generation to a credible three-row-seating crossover.
Pathfinder is a competitor against the larger full-size Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition SUVs, which have the traditional body on frame architecture as well as the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, GMC Acadia, and Ford Flex, among others. Pathfinder is assembled in Smyrna, TN with engines assembled nearby in Decherd – noted here because it is as American and has been for a generation as the, well, traditional Detroit Three ‘merican offerings.
In keeping with auto industry marketing dynamics, what would have been a mild, mid-cycle freshening is more ambitious. There’s an exterior redesign with a new front end. So called boomerang-shaped headlights with LED daytime running lights and optional LED headlights.
More pertinent, under the hood, also reshaped sheet metal, is a new 3.5-liter direct injection gasoline V6 engine, now rated at 284 horsepower – up from the previous 260 horsepower. Maximum towing capacity increases by 1,000 pounds to a claimed class-leading 6,000 pounds when properly equipped with options for a class three hitch. This is an interesting claim given that Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition are both well above 6000 pound at ~9000 pounds. It’s all how you define the class – size based or architecture based, as is apparently going on here. Pathfinder at 199 inches of overall length is roughly 7 inches smaller than Tahoe and Expedition.
All 2017 Pathfinder models are equipped with Nissan’s third-generation Xtronic transmission – marketing babble for a CVT. The CVT transmission includes “D-Step Logic Control,” more babble, which simulates shifts, giving a traditional acceleration feel, which it does. The new Pathfinder powertrain unquestionably offers real driving benefits of more responsive acceleration and re-acceleration, such as when entering highways or passing, compared to the older one.
Safety enhancements include advanced driver assistance technology with so called Forward Emergency Braking, Intelligent Cruise Control and Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection. 
There’s also a motion activated liftgate, an increasingly common industry must have.
Driving the Pathfinder
A brief AutoInformed test drive in suburban Michigan reveals a solid vehicle – due to its curb weight of 4300 to 4700 pounds – that is typical of crossover models in this class. (Body-on-frame Tahoe is at 5500 or more pounds.) Pathfinder is quick or at least adequate in acceleration, but not agile given its weight and a numb electronic powered-assist steering system.
Pathfinder for typical drivers is quiet and smooth. It has it has 18- or 20-inch wheels and tires for styling, and noise levels vary based on the pavement surface. There’s also no getting around the large wheel effect of unsprung weight when traversing deteriorating Michigan roads. People don’t seem to mind. They actually like such mediocre dynamic behaviors. Last year, Pathfinder sold 82,000 units.
Pathfinder is a serious entry in a field that was once dominated by the Detroit Three with pickup derived, body on frame SUVs. The 2017 pricing increases – at MSRP – are modest given the competition. However, there is serious marketing incentive money on the hoods of competitors right now. How this all sorts out remains to be seen, but Pathfinder can more than run with the pack with this freshening.
