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2006 Nissan Pathfinder Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
With car-like SUVs all the rage, Nissan sticks with SUV's truck-like roots
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New Car Review of the 2006 Nissan Pathfinder Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $25,400 - $35,700
Base Invoice Range: $23,756 - $33,017
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MSRP As Tested: $37,310
Versions: S, SE, LE
Vehicle Category: Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Rear-Wheel Drive, Four-Wheel Drive.
Standard Engine: 4.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 24-valves, V-6, 270 – horsepower at 5600 rpm and 291 lb-ft torque at 4000 rpm.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 15/21, 2WD 16/23.
Transmission: Five-speed automatic.
Standard Safety Features: Dual front airbags, Front side airbags, Front-seat active head restraints, Antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, Antiskid system, Tire-pressure monitor.
Competition: Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander.
It's becoming rare to find a truck that's truly a truck.
The hottest new SUVs all look like big, brash, brawny pickups that happened to grow a passenger compartment, but underneath their bulky sheetmetal you'll find they're actually built like a puny family car. These crossover vehicles are great if their most adventurous excursion is to the Home Depot parking lot, but anybody who needs serious off-road capability is out of luck.
Unless they look at the Nissan Pathfinder.
While it has the same trendy look as so many other SUVs, it's actually -- get this -- built on a truck frame that comes from the tough Nissan Titan. What a novel idea!
That means it's designed to take a beating off the pavement, using a true ladder-style frame to give it the stiffness and strength it needs to survive off-road driving. It's a proven, time-tested, old-school design that works wonderfully for navigating rough terrain, but it's disappearing so fast that it ought to be on the automotive equivalent of the endangered-species list.
More and more car manufacturers are moving away from the truck-style frame because it has several inherent drawbacks when you're driving on pavement. For one, it's heavier than unibody construction, so you get worse gas mileage and less precise handling than with a car-like SUV.
For another, it allows the cabin to wiggle and shake much more than in a typical car, and that translates into more noise and a sloppier feel as you drive down the road. It's clearly designed for traveling over rough terrain and hauling heavy loads -- the kind of jobs trucks are meant to do -- rather than floating serenely around town like a crossover SUV.
That said, the Pathfinder isn't all that uncomfortable to drive around town.
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