Nissan

Pathfinder

The Pathfinder is a classy sports utility vehicle that really takes on the big guns in the field. With the ability to tackle and conquer any terrain, it also delivers a great drive on road and is fitted with all the little luxuries saloon drivers demand from a vehicle nowadays.

The good

Quite a beast that is up for the challenge

The bad

Heavy to manoeuvre

Tech Specs

Price from

£32,945

Combined Fuel up to

33.2mpg

0-62 from

10.7 seconds

max speed up to

115mph

co2 from

224g/km

Test Drive

Nissan Pathfinder 2.5dCi Aventura

With the country’s weather conditions constantly becoming more unpredictable there is certainly a place for the big, beefy monsters that environmentalists just love to hate.

The Nissan Pathfinder is just such a vehicle. It may not be the greenest motor on our roads today, but with more snow and ice on the agenda lately, the Pathfinder really rises to the challenge.

It boasts outstanding four-wheel-drive with excellent road-hugging qualities and the high-seated driving position means you and all passengers are treated to fantastic all-round visibility too.

In fact, it would be fair to say the Pathfinder seems to cruise through life no matter what hurdles Mother Nature throws in its path.

The seven-seater model supplied for my test drive was remarkably comfortable to drive despite its size and manoeuvrability was also deceptively good. And for anyone not used to such a large vehicle, parking is made easy thanks to a rear camera feature.

Then out on the more open road, the 2.5-litre engine was certainly powerful enough to drive this chunky all-rounder.

Despite its beefy appearance, the Pathfinder is packed with more subtle, luxurious features such as dual-zone climate control, heated leather seats, intelligent key entry system, heated door mirrors and an auto-dimming rearview mirror to name just a few.

The Pathfinder was never designed with the boy-racer buyer in mind, but instead this vehicle will appeal to the buyer who enjoys a few of life’s luxuries, but also needs a vehicle that won’t get stuck in two inches of snow.

That’s because the Pathfinder comes equipped with a drive system that can easily be switched from two-wheel, to auto to four-wheel drive.

This means that in ideal driving conditions the vehicle can be run quite economically in two-wheel-drive. But should conditions change, the Pathfinder can change too.

The vehicle is kitted out with some top notch safety specifications including anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability program, numerous airbags and lots more.

All in all, the Pathfinder may not be every drivers’ cup of tea but there is a growing demand in the marketplace for quality vehicles that don’t grind to a halt in adverse weather conditions and that’s just where the Pathfinder comes into its own.