Nissan Pathfinder Estate 2005 - Present

If you’re not content without towering over the rest of the motorists using the queen’s highway then the Nissan Pathfinder could be the motor for you.  As replacement for the Terrano the Pathfinder takes on from where the Terrano left off and builds on it.  Not just in sheer size but in quality and usability too.  The Pathfinder is competitively priced when compared to it’s peers, the likes of the Land Cruiser and discovery.  2007 saw a raft of extra gizmos and gadgets to enhance it’s abilities further.

The Pathfinder is an intimidating big vehicle to climb into for a test drive.  I’m sure that over time you’d get used to it, I suppose other cars would feel unnaturally small.  It has a lower centre of gravity than a lot of it’s rivals, which gives it a grounded feeling while driving, and does this while still retaining a large amount of clearance between the wheels and the car body.  Around town, it feels more compact than it actually is and has with decent visibility with light, accurate steering.  It is also perfectly comfortable on both A and B roads, where the good grip and limited bodyroll give a feeling of poise and control at all times.  The Pathfinder gets an enhanced version of X-Trail's ALL MODE four-wheel-drive system. In normal conditions, it's the rear wheels that get the power - when it's slippery, traction is automatically sent to all four wheels. It can also be locked into four-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive low ratio, which gives great performance and versatility.   2007 saw the addition of 'hill descent control' which uses the ABS to keep speed down when attempting steep descents, and a 'hill start assist' function which keeps the brakes applied momentarily when setting off uphill to avoid rolling back, great for traffic lights on a hill.

Although launched with a petrol and diesel unit the petrol option was phased out in 2007.  this left the very tough 174 bhp 2.5 dCi, which is a punchy unit with a lot of low down power, and the mammoth 4.0L V8 which generates 265 bhp and an impressive 284 lb-ft of torque.  The resulting engine pulls like waterskiing off the fin of a great white shark, almost from tickover.  As you put your foot down the response is incredible and if you’re not ready for it can be quite a surprise.  Unsurprisingly this goliath performance has a weakness and that is the return on fuel.  With a combined return of 20 mpg expect to drive it carefully to get sweet sixteen from it in town.  The emissions figures are pretty bad throughout the range so expect to be pelted with rotten fruit occasionally from Dave Angel and his gang.

In all but the base model there are seven seats, which I think you’d expect from a car this big.  The front two rows offer ample leg and headroom for up to five adults and extremely comfortable seats to boot.  The rear two seats are, as with many other 4X4s best suited to children unless you’ve got Jimmy Krankie with you!  The biggest issue with the comfort inside the car is the intrusion of the engine, especially the smaller diesel engine.  The back two rows of seats can be split and folded flat to provide a big carrying space if required and there are loads of storage boxes around the cabin.

The Pathfinder offers a lot of car for the money and not just in terms of it’s size.  It can be a little unrefined and is expensive to run but the ticket price will appeal if you’re in the market for a big 4X4

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