On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, July 29, 2000

Nissan revamps its product line with 2001 Pathfinder

There was a time, and not so long ago, when canny observers of the automotive industry thought it was just a matter of time before poor old Nissan bought the farm. The company had an aging and not particularly appealing product line, and the glory days of the Z-car were long gone.
   But, as Mr. Berra points out, it ain't over till it's over. The company has not only clawed its way back from the brink; it now gives every appearance of having regained its confidence and, more important, its vision.
   The evidence is everywhere around you: the wildly successful Xterra sport-ute, combining a back-to-basics emphasis with a surfer-dude attitude; the significantly retooled Maxima, now more of a runner than ever; the new Sentra line, which hides beneath its demure lines the heart of a party animal (particularly in the higher-powered SE model) . . .
   There remained some loose ends to be tidied up, however. One fairly critical piece of business was the future of the Pathfinder, Nissan's trailblazing entry in the sport-ute field. That ol' horse was and is a worthy vehicle, stout, sturdy and trustworthy.
   Inconveniently, however, if you're standing still in the maniacally competitive SUV marketplace, you're falling behind. The Pathfinder still had its legion of loyalists; what it needed was some new (and, preferably, free-spending) friends.
   To that end, behold the really new Pathfinder (and Nissan really means that).
   So all right: It doesn't look all that different. Why would it? The '991/2 Pathfinder came in for a gentle cosmetic makeover, and the 2001 carries on with that, save for some tweaks up front and out back. The Pathfinder's styling DNA is still there - most notably in the distinctive (or, if you prefer, quirky) placement of the rear door handle just above the vehicle's belt line.
   The underpinnings date back to the '96 model year, when Nissan switched the Pathfinder from the old body-on-frame format to unibody. (Interestingly, Mitsubishi chose to go the same route this year with its Montero. Both makers claim structural integrity has, if anything, been enhanced by the change.)
   For momentous change, I would direct your attention to the engine compartment.
   Nissan, y'see, has jettisoned the worthy but overtaxed 3.3-liter 170-hp V-6 that used to power the Pathfinder. Though slightly more peppy than a boat anchor, that engine left Nissan seriously outgunned in the performance department.
   Well, as they say in Japan, voila. The 2001 Pathfinder charges into the fray with a whole new bag of horses - 250 of 'em, to be exact. (For reasons unknown, however, Pathfinders with automatic transmission get only 240 hp.) According to the company, the new motivation trims 0-60 mph by 2.1 seconds - to 8.8 seconds. Downright yeasty for a ute.
   There won't, then, be a lot of other SUVs kicking sand in your face. (As Nissan points out, this V-6 puts out more power than the V-8s in some competing utes.) Based on the V-6 used in the Maxima, the new engine is a model of smoothness. And - recognizing that real off-roaders are interested in low-end grunt - Nissan has modified the engine to ensure that you'll have all the low-to-mid-rpm torque you need for both creekbed-running and trailer hauling.
   So: We have here a Pathfinder with a newly civilized demeanor and an overachieving V-6. An attractive proposition, withal. The question is whether, competing for attention with the rugged Xterra, the Pathfinder will bring the yupsters and the Jeremiah Johnsons and the young matrons flocking into the dealerships.
   Tough to say - but if they stick around long enough for a test drive, Nissan will win some converts.
   Understand, the Pathfinder - even in the two-wheel-drive mid-line SE version we tested - will never be mistaken for a luxury sedan. There's a bit of a climb up, and at least in our tester the interior is just the least bit austere: Lots of (good quality) plasvinyl that might have benefited from a through cloth (or wood?) garnishes. The leather seats were both serviceable and attractive.
   Nor is its comportment what you'd call posh. Again, it's a leap forward from the old, knobby Pathfinder, but you still get some of the old SUV sway in the turns, and traversing rough surfaces will get you a bit of jostling now and again.
   Note that you will be feeding your new Pathfinder premium petrol rather than the regular that its predecessor drank. However, when you consider that you're getting 70 or 80 more horses, and you're still getting decent (for a ute) gas mileage, it doesn't seem all that punishing a trade-off.
   Friends of the Earth continue to wail about the wastefulness of SUVs, and they've got a point. Still, until OPEC really nails us, we will continue in our legions to throng into the SUV stores, there to lay out tons of bucks for these rugged, high-riding, politically incorrect latter-day Conestogas. And I suspect the credentials of the revitalized Pathfinder will steer more than a few of them to the Nissan store.
  
  

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