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Introduction
Nissan Pathfinder -- 2005 First Drive: Almost 20 years have disappeared since the first Nissan Pathfinder rolled onto the streets of America, days in which the world of cars and trucks has mirrored the frenetic changes that have coursed through America. It was 1986, sport-utility vehicles were just catching on, and the Pathfinder was a rugged utility vehicle with hardbody good looks. It was quite popular with the young crowd, not so much with families – and especially so with people who liked to go adventuring and had the time to do it.
Much has changed since then. We’re all a bit larger and, maybe, a little more desirous of creature comforts. Today’s SUVs make the grade as more an alternative to a minivan than an off-road adventure vehicle for the young. To meet this need, the family of Nissan utility vehicles has grown significantly in size and scope, now encompassing the Pathfinder, Xterra, Murano and the recently introduced full-size 2004 Armada.
And so the rise of the beast is complete. Hulking sport-utility vehicles now dominate traffic lanes like grazing buffalo, snorting and clamoring for more room, casting a long shadow on our roads and on the decisions we make when we buy a car. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t avoid them and they have changed everything. And though signs now point to a decline in the popularity of large and truck-based SUVs, these vehicles continue to impact the buying decisions people make, simply because they offer more: more room and versatility than most cars, and in a sportier-looking package -- with better performance character -- than the typical minivan.
New SUVs
SUVs have arguably become the most important vehicles in any automaker’s lineup. For domestic brands, it’s because they sell more trucks and SUVs than anything else, and for imports it’s because they would love to crack that market with product that stands up to the best from the Big Three. It’s why Honda stayed back with the release of the Pilot SUV until they had it just right.
Make a mistake with this crowd and suffer the consequences.
Nissan has taken a measured approach to their new SUVs, emphasizing car-like ride with modern design and versatility. Not too tough to gain acceptance on that basis – especially when no one has heard of your Murano and you’re on a long product win streak. But when the iron you’re twisting has a heritage – and with that heritage a long list of expectations – making a new one becomes a little tricky. Move too far away from the Pathfinder’s original charm and lose your core buyer; fail to improve it and be faced with an out-dated product in a cutthroat market.
Nissan accomplishes both with the new 2005 Pathfinder. It’s an SUV that stays true to its rugged heritage while adding improvements such as a third row of seating and a superb V6 engine, built on an all-new foundation that cost about $2.4 billion to create and will also host the new Xterra SUV and Frontier pickup truck. The Pathfinder, consequentially, finds itself back in the game as a grocery hauling, off-road threat in the SUV market. It is, truth be told, a completely different vehicle than the previous Pathfinder – and a glimpse into future SUVs and large vehicles for Nissan. The glimpse, by and large, is pleasing.
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