Price Range: $34,150-45,000

Engines: 3.5-liter, 240-horsepower V6

Front Engine/ Rear & All-Wheel Drive

Transmission: Electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive

Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city/ 20 mpg highway

Safety Features: Driver and passenger side airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes are standard

(Lake Placid, NY) This is what everyone has in mind when they buy a sport ute, and their mind is filled with visions of comfortably and securely navigating snow covered back roads, while on the way to fun and frolic. However, they spend most of their time in suburban commuting, and there most of their gripes and shortcomings surface.

I personally have always liked Nissan's sport utes, even better than most of the competition. When the Pathfinder was introduced I was immediately taken with the smooth and powerful engine and stable suspension. Just looking at it from the rear gives a good feeling of competence. Note how many sport utes look tall and tipsy, while the low wide profile and generous track makes the Pathfinder, and now its luxury cousin the QX4, look solid, which they are.

Credit Nissan as the initial Japanese automaker to recognize the importance of designing products tailored to the American market's unique taste. Pathfinder's original model, a 3-door sport-utility vehicle built atop the chassis of Nissan's pickup truck, became one of the first concepts from the company's design facility in La Jolla, California.