Nissan Pathfinder ST 2014 Long-term Review - 2

We’ve only had the Pathfinder in the motoring.com.au garage for a few weeks now, and for the most part, it’s been a case of ‘so far so good’.

There’s really not a lot to quibble over. The ride is smooth and comfortable, the interior space is, well, spacious, and the power delivery is both effective and appropriate for the vehicle’s purpose.

Pressed into service as the family car for a weekend away, the Pathfinder’s roominess and outward vision in all three rows was impressive.

The seats are deeply cushioned yet still very supportive, and after a few hundred kilometres we stepped out no less weary than when we’d jumped in. The stadium-style seats also offer a good vantage point of the road ahead, and out the side windows. Great for quelling travel sickness.

OK, so the climate control isn’t exactly perfect. It tends to let the temperature creep up before it engages then over-reacts to restore the desired temperature. Ask for different temperatures left, right and rear and it gets a little flummoxed. I found it’s better to dial the temperature in manually and keep the fan steady for the best result.

Oh, and when descending long or steep grades the cruise control does let the speed creep up. You’ve really got to keep an eye on your speedo in these situations. At one point we found ourselves 10km/h over the posted 110 speed limit. In Victoria, that can be an expensive transgression.

But what we did notice above these minor foibles was a tendency for the trip computer to under estimate the Pathfinder’s real-world fuel use. As my colleague Adam Davis noted in our introduction to the long-term test, the Pathie isn’t exactly what you’d call economical motoring, especially around town.

Out on the highway it’s a similar story, and considering the grunt the 3.5-litre V6 provides, a higher fuel average is to be expected. Cruising gently up and down the highway to Ballarat and Daylesford from Melbourne, the Pathfinder neared, then bettered its ADR Combined average of 10.2L/100km, recording 9.6 on the trip computer’s display (for the record, the Pathfinder is still way off its ADR Extra Urban fuel consumption figure of 8.1L/100km).

I was pretty chuffed with my result. After all, I’d been trying pretty hard to go easy on the throttle and prove to my lead-footed colleague that the Pathfinder didn’t need to drink as much as he’d made out.

However, when it came time to fill up I found there was a discrepancy between the read-out on the dash and the litres I’d just pumped into the tank. Checking my maths, I found the Pathfinder had actually used 10.03L/100km against the trip computer’s claim of 9.6.

Now sure, the trip computer is in a constant state of flux and changes depending on the way the car is being driven at the time. But to by honest, there was not a lot of difference in the load on board or the way the car was being driven from beginning to end.

We did most of the trip four-up, had the climate-control running for the duration, and, by and large, stayed at a constant speed, excusing the runs in and out of towns.

It’s not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but we will be keeping an eye on it -- along with the fuel consumption on the whole. Without a diesel option the Pathfinder’s fuel use is one we’re keen to monitor, and see just how it performs at the hands of the various road trips the crew are sure to take it on over the coming months.

Watch this space...

2014 Nissan Pathfinder ST AWD pricing and specifications:
Price: $44,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 190kW/325Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 10.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 240g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP