Nissan Pathfinder Ti 2018 Review

Cool tool for school

Reversing the Nissan Pathfinder into the school parking zone would have been an intimidating prospect a decade ago.

Cars moving every which way, kids running around, it's not a particularly pleasant place to manoeuvre a two-tonne SUV.

The 2018 Nissan Pathfinder measures more than five metres long (5042mm) and almost two metres wide (1960mm). It's bigger than a white rhino bull. Its size makes it hard to place its extremities. So with kids somersaulting out of other cars, running to and fro and doing what kids tend to do – anything unpredictable – hesitance is understandable.

But on a busy Monday morning in the school car park it wasn't a torrid affair, thanks in large part to the bevy of parking cameras. As well as rear and forward facing cameras there's even a 360-degree surround-view of the car, which turned out to be one of the most used features on this test.

The 360-degree camera view works in conjunction with a moving object detection system that beeps and bleeps if something enters its proximity zone. Factor in rear cross traffic alert and the car provides several very useful extra pair of eyes.

After dropping my daughter off at school without holding up other vehicles in the busy school precinct – courtesy can reduce road rage, I reckon – it was time for a grocery run. Again, despite its size, the Pathfinder dealt with another busy (and less patient) car park with ease.

The SUV on test is the range-topping Nissan Pathfinder Ti which comes with loads of goodies, including a powered tailgate. You can adjust the position of the tailgate and it even opens with a gesture – a sharp kick under the rear bumper which is good if you're hands are full (and oddly fun when they're not).

The boot has more than enough room for a large grocery haul. Even with the seven-seat configuration engaged, a total of 453 litres of space is available, which easily swallows several full shopping bags. Fold the twin rear seats flat and the big US-built wagon gets even more space, up to 1354 litres.

Fold down the three middle-row seats and you're looking at 2260 litres, almost enough room for the whole family to lie down and have a nanna-nap. It's good that the second-row seats can slide fore and aft on rails, providing more room (and access) to the third-row occupants.

Four top-tether and two ISOFIX child seat anchorages are offered and this model gets three-zone climate control as well, so the kids (or adults) in the back can choose their own temperature.

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Refined, responsive and very cushy

Chores done, it's time to get a feel for how the Nissan Pathfinder drives, a vehicle I haven't driven in years. The good news? It's still a refined and responsive vehicle. Power and torque from the 3.5-litre V6 (202kW/340Nm) find their way to all four wheels via CVT, or continuously variable transmission, very effectively.

This automatic transmission lacks character but it is responsive and given the cars weight (2070kg) it provides the Nissan Pathfinder a surprising turn of speed.

Drop the hammer in the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder and it heaves itself up the road at an impressive clip. It's tuned for response, blasting off the line with a sharp throttle stab but is quick to build revs at high speeds for overtaking on country roads too.

The V6 petrol engine is a refined unit in all situations, purring along at low speeds and emitting a muted burble at full throttle that's somewhat endearing. It's a smooth and cheerful operator if a bit old school compared to the super-efficient four-cylinder turbos offered by other Japanese and European SUVs nowadays.

Think of the Nissan Pathfinder's naturally-aspirated V6 is a bit like a Wall Street banker – greedy. Nissan claims fuel consumption of 10.1L/100km on the combined cycle. I covered around 800km on this test (600km of freeway cruising at 110km/h) and the trip computer claimed 13.0L/100km – which isn't too shocking for a car of this bulk.

Although 98 premium unleaded petrol was used in this test, it will happily use 91 RON juice.

The Pathfinder has a 2700kg towing capacity with a braked trailer, or 750kg of haulage non-braked, and a 73-litre fuel tank which should be good for around 600km if you're not too aggressive with the throttle.

Ride comfort is seriously good, even on the big 20-inch alloy wheels. If you're looking for a super-comfy large SUV with seven seats, there are worse places to start. The plush suspension absorbs almost anything thrown at it; cracks in the road? Barely felt. Pot holes? Glides over them. Speed bumps? Like they're not even there. A pack of rabid goats? I made that one up.

There's a distinct North American feel to this vehicle which makes long distance cruising easy and comfortable and short trips to the shops equally serene. For better or worse, the Pathfinder's once rugged persona has been replaced with a smooth attitude.

The flipside to this comfortable approach is that the Nissan Pathfinder wallows and pitches through corners, so you can't blast through roundabouts at warp speed without the tyres squealing like a quartet of terrified piglets.

This is no Nissan GT-R.

The brakes are generally up to the task of decelerating the Pathfinder's significant mass, with ventilated discs fore and aft measuring 320mm and 308mm in diameter respectively. However, in one situation, when the traffic lights flicked to orange in an 80km/h zone (and a full load of people and belongings) the stoppers needed quite a shove to bring the Nissan to a stop hastily.

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Nissan Pathfinder or Nissan Roadtraveller?

The Nissan Pathfinder used to be a rugged, go-anywhere adventure machine and today it feels a lot less of a knock-about mudslinger and a lot more like a Lexus SUV. It's good on dirt roads, no doubt about it, but ground clearance isn't anything to write home about (181mm) and its monocoque frame has more in common with your average family hatchback than a rugged off-roader.

If you get a little excited with the accelerator pedal on gravel roads the stability control does more harm than good, too. There's no nuance to its instigation and it stymies momentum with an "all or nothing" approach. It feels low tech and I found the car felt more predictable on dirt with stability control switched off.

Being the top-spec Nissan Pathfinder Ti model means you get a fully catered feast, with food, drink and after dinner mints. You can forget manually adjusting the steering wheel – power-operated all the way! Just toggle the four-way nub. Heated and cooled ventilated front seats will make your tooshie very happy whether its summer or winter and a panoramic rear moonroof and front sunroof let the sun shine in.

Electric everything – mirrors, windows, sunroof – is pleasing and I like that the windows operate after the engine's off. When there are kids in the car this is important, because half the time they’ve left the vehicle with the windows down. It wastes fuel to turn on the engine again just to wind the windows up, which is the case with some vehicles.

The infotainment system comprises an 8.0-inch touchscreen that looks and feels old compared to newer rivals; this Pathfinder was introduced in Australia in 2013 which in car terms means it's got a foot in the door of the retirement home.

The satellite navigation is a bit clunky and didn't display one newly laid road. The infotainment system got a good workout streaming Bluetooth music, podcasts, YouTube audio and telephone calls and in these respects it operated satisfactorily.

There's also twin screens integrated into the seats backs for second-row occupants with wireless headphones. Lump in a 13-speaker BOSE stereo and you'd almost be convinced this car was aimed at the premium end of the market. Then again, with on-road costs closing in on $70,000….

Radar cruise control is a nice feature, allowing you to take your feet off the pedals on the open road, and other convenience features like push-button engine start, keyless entry and eight-way power adjustable driver's seat are nice touches.

Leather upholstery gives the interior a premium feel and the seats can be ordered in black – as tested – or a beigey colour dubbed 'ivory'.

There are seven exterior paint finishes including the Cayenne Red of this model, along with blue, black, silver, white, gun metal grey and a weird military-ish green hue, dubbed Midnight Jade.

Finding new paths

The Nissan Pathfinder is not going to match it with a Toyota Prado when it comes to off-roading and given there's no diesel option. It can't match its top-selling Toyota rival in the sales stakes either. It's true that the Nissan Pathfinder can be had with a (more expensive) supercharged 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain but it's tailored to the US market and has failed to ignite the imagination of Aussie buyers where hybrid incentives don't exist.

The 2018 Nissan Pathfinder is an interesting proposition. It's easy to drive, easy to live with and has loads of room and lots of neat technology to make family life just that little bit easier – and safer. Other features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and blind spot warning are welcome additions.

You can get into a 2WD Nissan Pathfinder ST for around $42,000, significantly more affordable than this range-topping Ti at almost $70,000 and if it's space, size and grunt you're after, the entry-level model might make sense.

But when you look at vehicles like the Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Santa Fe and the Mazda CX-9, the Nissan Pathfinder loses its lustre.

The Pathfinder was once a rugged go-anywhere bush-basher that could take you to Woop-woop and back. Today it's more of an urban explorer with a smidgen of off-roadability thrown in… and a big shake of luxury if you're willing to splurge on the upmarket models. But as newer rivals start doing things differently, the Nissan Pathfinder will continue to show its age.

How much is the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder Ti 4WD?
Price: $66,190 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 202kW/340Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 10.1L/100km (ADR Combined), 13.0L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2013 tested)