Car Review of the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
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MSRP As Tested: Not Available
Versions: XE, SE, SE Off-Road, LE
Vehicle Category: Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Two-Wheel Drive and optional Four-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive.
Engine as Tested: 4.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, V-6, 270 -horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 291 lb-ft torque at 4,000 rpm.
Transmission As Tested: 5-speed Automatic .
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 4x2 - 16/23, 4x4 - 15/21.
Standard Safety Features: Dual-level driver and passenger airbags, side curtain rollover airbags and rollover protection are standard on the LE and optional on the XE and SE. ">Antilock Brake System, electronic brake force distribution
Competition: Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4-Runner, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot.
Review
Nissan’s Pathfinder has always been one of our favorite Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV.) It has a good, on-road ride, and very respectable, off-road performance. Pathfinder is a great product, and the price is reasonable.
So we were, understandably, worried when we heard that the 2005 Pathfinder would be built on a different platform than its predecessor. Nissan would stop incorporating unibody construction into the Pathfinder, and instead it would be built on the same body-on-frame, F-Alpha, platform as the full-sized Armada SUV, and Titan pickup trucks.
Armada and Titan’s body-on-frame platform is not Nissan’s best. Though we hoped that some of the build-quality, and ride issues that made them unappealing to us would be corrected in the next generation of products, we were concerned for Pathfinder’s future. Fortunately the new platform suits Pathfinder much better, and Nissan has another great product in its lineup.
The original Pathfinder was introduced in 1986. Like the Toyota 4Runner, it was built on an existing pickup truck chassis. Now it is in its third generation. The 2005 Pathfinder is larger, with a more powerful engine. It remains off-road-capable, like the Xterra, and keeps the great on-road handling of the previous version. Top that off with a standard third-row, bench seat -- for the first time - and you’ve got a winning combination again.
Nissan claims the 2005 Pathfinder appeals to post-college age men moving into their careers, and starting families. But who -- at the same time - likes his sports and needs to carry kayaks, mountain bikes, and snow-sport gear. Nissan calls this guy a “responsible risk taker”, or “an Xterra guy grown up.”
Girls beware: Nissan doesn’t want you to buy this truck, because if you do, they believe that the guys they really want to have buy them, won’t. Nissan is afraid Pathfinder might get pegged as a “chicks’ car,” or worse, “a mommobile.” They’re so dumb.
Sometimes as journalists we feel automakers overstep their bounds attempting to get us to adopt their marketing messages. This is one of those cases. Not only is there no factual evidence for Nissan’s attitude toward women, their own sales data - especially for Xterra -- defy it. Over 50% of Xterra buyers are women. And that came from the current SUV Product manager.
And Nissan is stuck on this silly attitude, and we think it is likely hindering sales. Testosterone is the core message in their advertising. It would behoove Nissan to embrace its female customers, accepting their importance to the success of all their products, and find a way to speak to them too - the minivan is not enough. If they could stop this nonsense, think of the numbers of cars and trucks they could sell.
Exterior
The new 2005 Pathfinder has the same DNA as its big-sister the Armada - everything looks big, big, big. The hood is big, and so are the head lights. It has the same integrated, flared fenders that have been part of Nissan truck design since the introduction of the hard-body pickup in the US -- the truck the original Pathfinder was based on.
Pathfinder has Nissan’s signature, angled C pillar, and high-mounted, rear-door handles. It has the same cool three-section, angled-strut, industrial-looking grille as the Armada - just scaled down. The front and rear overhangs are short, giving it really good angle-of-approach and departure for steep off-road driving. The industrial look really works for Nissan.
Interior
We were pleased to see that the 2005 Pathfinder’s interior was much improved over Armada’s. Armada’s interior was really disappointing. It was unattractive, bulky, and unbalanced. Loose parts kept falling off inside the truck, like house shingles in a cartoon hurricane.
The 2005 Pathfinder has a cleaner, more refined dash. Under the cowl are a small water-temperature gauge, large tachometer and speedometer, and the gas gauge. The gauges all have chrome bezels around them giving them that hip, industrial look. The tachometer and speedometer have LED readouts, for other information.
The center stack is better integrated than in Armada, or Titan. It is more rounded, and the stereo controls are up top where they should be, followed by the climate controls.
Seat quality is good, as is the case with most Nissan products. They are firm and comfortable for long rides, and provide support, with a little give, for off-roading. The base-level, cloth-seat fabric quality seems durable. There were no patterns that would date the car quickly. And as we said above, the third-row, fold-flat, bench seat is standard -- a feature very important to Nissan customers. In fact Nissan said third-row seats are sold to 40% of all Nissan SUV customers -- this is so out of whack with their attitude toward female car buyers.
Making room for a lot of sporting gear - or groceries, plants, packs of diapers, soccer bags, etc. -- was important to Pathfinder’s design. Both the second- and third- row seats fold flat, as does the front-passenger’s seat, providing an enormous, flat area for carrying ladders, kayaks, or furniture. The second-row seats have the 40/20/40-split configuration. The second-row seats have the 50/50-split configuration. Because of seat flexibility, Nissan claims there are 64 seating/cargo configurations. There probably are.
There is a very cool storage compartment hidden under the second-row seats for valuables. There is an optional, easy-clean cargo floor. It has a lip to contain spills, or to catch whatever drips off wet, or dirty gear. All you have to do is yank it out, and hose it off.
Performance
Nissan, as a company, likes horsepower. The 2005 Pathfinder has its share with a new, 4.0-liter, V6 engine generating 270-horsepower - that’s 30 more than the ‘04 Pathfinder!
Pathfinder’s new motor is based on the same VQ engine driving the 350Z, Maxima, Altima, and Quest. However it has been tuned for truck uses with optimized low-end torque for rock climbing, and towing. The engine has quick throttle response, and it sounds great. Nissan makes some of the best engines available.
Pathfinder is equipped with an electronically-controlled, 5-speed, automatic transmission. It has a wide gear ratio, providing good acceleration critical for passing and getting on the highway quickly.
Ride and Handling
When we learned that the 2005 Pathfinder was no longer going to have unibody construction, we were worried. The previous Pathfinder had the best on-road ride of any mid-size SUV, and we didn’t want to see that go away.
Fortunately it didn’t. The 2005 Pathfinder is built on a box-on-frame chassis, like Nissan’s other new full-size trucks. The truck responds quickly to steering input, and the handling is predictable. The harsh ride of the Armada and Titan are gone - when Nissan sets its mind to making a change, it is usually successful quickly. We drove it on the twisty roads of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. It has a great ride and we really enjoyed it.
If you want to do some serious off-roading, the 2005 Pathfinder is an excellent choice. There is a special off-road version available, based on the mid-level SE. It gives Jeep and Land Rover a run for their money. The SE Off-Road has a four-wheel, limited-slip system that controls wheel slip on dirt or snow, or any other low traction surface. Nissan provided a challenging off-road test for Pathfinder -- more extreme than the one Jeep provided for the ’05 Grand Cherokee - it did great. Optional for the SE Off-Road Pathfinder is a Hill Descent Control system (HDC.) This is technology offered in more expensive SUVs like the VW Touareg and the Land Rovers -- but not in the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. HDC is engaged by flipping a switch. It works with either four-wheel high (4hi,) or four-wheel low (4lo) gearing, and it works in reverse. HDC allows the driver to take the truck down steep hills at a safe, constant speed without the need to ride the brakes. It is a little noisy, but it works well.
Like the more expensive SUVs Nissan also offers Hill Start Assist. This system enables the driver to stop on a hill, take their foot off the brake without rolling backward for two seconds. This gives the driver enough time to move their foot from the brake, to the gas pedal, and then start up hill. Not only is this good for climbing a mountain trail, but it can very useful when you encounter steep streets on rainy or snowy days.
Safety
All 2005 Pathfinders come standard with dual-stage, front airbags. Side-impact airbags are standard in the LE model, and optional on the XE and SEs. It is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System -- something NHTSA requires only of much heavier vehicles weighing over 10,000 lbs. The ’05 Pathfinder has not yet been crash tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA.) It is however built on the same platform as the Titan and Armada, and Titan earned a “good” rating and “best pick” from the IIHS.
In Conclusion
The 2005 Pathfinder is a great SUV and gets Nissan back on track in the truck race. The on-road ride is as good, if not better, than the previous version. Pathfinder’s off-road capabilities rival those of Jeep, Land Rover and the VW Touareg, and are better than Explorer and Trailblazer. The engine is smooth, strong and reliable, with plenty of power and torque for whatever you need Pathfinder to do. It is a real value for those who want a smooth on-road ride, and go-anywhere, off-road performance, at a price lower than the competitors listed above.
Pros: Big improvement over the previous Pathfinder, great off-road capabilities, lots of horsepower, great on road ride.
Cons: Don’t love the styling.
Ratings (1-10)
- Style: 7
- Performance: 7
- Price: 9
- Handling: 7
- Ride: 7
- Comfort: 7
- Quality: 7
- Overall: 8.2
More Data
Where Built: Smyrna Mississippi
Major Options: Sunroof, Leather seating surfaces, 2-Din AM/FM 6CD Bose w/ subwoofer, DVD Navigation System with 7.0” screen, Satellite Radio (XM or Sirius) .
Seating: 7
Number of Rows: 3
Length in Inches: 187.6
Warranties: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles corrosion protection, 4 years/50,000 miles free scheduled maintenance unlimited roadside assistance.
Weight in Pounds: 4X2 4,376 - 4,573, 4x4 4,586 - 4,815
Cargo Capacity in Pounds: 4x2 - 1,424, 4x4 1,415.
Gross Maximum Vehicle Weight in Pounds: 4x2 - 5,800, 4x4 6,000.
Towing Capacity in Pounds: 2,000.
Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 21.1
Destination Charge: $560
