Rugged Yet Friendly? Pathfinder Tries to Please Everyone — And Fails


Can't decide whether you'd rather go on a backwoods adventure or drive the kids to school? Neither can the 2005 Pathfinder.


We like the handsome interior with its simple controls, comfortable seats and Maxima-grade cloth upholstery. But it's cheapened by hard plastic and misaligned panels.


A tow hitch is standard on all models and max capacity is 6,000 pounds, a good figure for a V6-powered SUV. However, those with larger towing jobs will want to check out competitors' V8 offerings.


Although the name "Pathfinder" has been around since the mid-1980s, you may not know the 2005 version of Nissan's bread-and-butter SUV as well as you think.

The once-unibody Pathfinder is now a body riding on a separate frame, giving it a stronger truck persona than before. Plus, Nissan has added an extra row of seats, which fold flat into the floor, to increase the vehicle's person capacity to seven.

The hope is that this combination will appeal to both solitary off-roaders looking for a feature-laden utility vehicle and family buyers shopping for a minivan substitute — without alienating the existing Pathfinder fan base, of course.

That's a lot of customers to please. And as any "centrist" Democrat will tell you, it can't be done without making some compromises, eliminating some of the small stuff longtime supporters have grown to like.

Stretching Out and Bulking Up
To make room for two additional passengers, Nissan has stretched the Pathfinder's wheelbase almost 6 inches and added 5 inches to its length.

That extra size, combined with the switch to body-on-frame design, added over 500 pounds of additional curb weight, so last year's 3.5-liter engine wouldn't have had enough grunt to get the job done. Nissan responded by adding stroke to the 3.5 and creating a new 4.0-liter V6. Horsepower is a generous 270. Peak torque is a brawny 291 pound-feet.

Step on the gas and the Pathfinder accelerates smartly off the line and maintains stamina all the way up highway grades, even when loaded with passengers and loot. Passing maneuvers come and go without drama, but the 4.0-liter, while smooth, can be noisy above 3,000 rpm. A responsive five-speed automatic transmission serves up crisp shifts at all the right times, and helps improve fuel economy over last year's model. Our test vehicle turned in a respectable 16 mpg in mixed driving.

If you're looking for a V8, you won't find one on the options list, even though most of the Pathfinder's competitors offer one. But unless you tow a trailer, you won't miss it. The Pathfinder reaches 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds, a full second faster than the old model and a couple tenths better than a V8-equipped Toyota 4Runner.

Mixed Results in the Corners
Unlike the previous Pathfinder, this one doesn't really handle like a car. A sophisticated double-wishbone suspension underpins the vehicle, but because it's tuned to accommodate a life spent both on- and off-road, the truck's ordinarily smooth highway ride gets a bit sloppy over bumps.

In sweeping turns, the Pathfinder hits its stride. The steering is firm and quick and, when combined with a small-diameter steering wheel, makes you feel like you can carve up any back road that comes your way. When the corners tighten up, however, the body rolls and the tires squeal, reminding you that this Pathfinder is related to the Xterra, not the Murano.

Driven at its limits in the slalom, the Pathfinder flailed from side to side so violently our test-driver smacked his head on the B-pillar. Its average speed through the cones was just 54.5 mph — slow by any standard. This doesn't mean the Pathfinder is a bad SUV, but it does mean you need a cool head and realistic expectations when you drive one at high speeds. Stability control, thankfully, is standard and keeps the truck from feeling dangerously tippy.

Braking proved disappointing as well. In normal traffic, the Pathfinder's four-wheel discs provide confident stops and a reassuring pedal feel. But because of its added weight and more off-road-ready tires, the truck needs 138.5 feet to stop from 60 mph. The old Pathfinder did it in 129 feet. A Ford Explorer can do it in 125.

Hit the Dirt
Some of the compromises the Pathfinder makes on pavement turn into advantages off the road. The same suspension that has it fumbling in the suburbs gives it plenty of travel when negotiating deep ruts.

A serious off-road package is available, and provides full skid plates, heavy-duty shocks and hill ascent and descent control, along with 9.2 inches of ground clearance. Since our tester was just a regular SE, we had to get by with just a two-speed transfer case and 8.8 inches of clearance. It turned out to be more than enough.

Our test trail had been ravaged by winter rains and four-wheelers with oversized treads. Along with the expected mud and ruts were three small streams to cross. None of this was any problem for the Pathfinder. We particularly liked the fact that "4 Lo" provided a truly low first gear for creeping down slippery hillsides.

Although the 4WD system was easy to use, it is a part-time system, which means you have to know when to use it. Only the top-of-the-line LE model comes with an easy-peasy full-time system with an all-wheel-drive mode.

Plenty of Amenities Inside
Our test vehicle was optioned with both the Comfort and Premium Packages, which added dual-zone automatic climate control up front, a separate rear air conditioner, a sunroof and a Bose stereo with CD changer to the SE model's already livable standard equipment list. It also had a rear entertainment system. All in all, a nice list of amenities for a $33K vehicle. The only thing we'd add is the side airbag package ($700), which provides seat-mounted bags up front and three-row side curtain bags.

Like other Nissans of late, the '05 Pathfinder has too much hard plastic in its cabin, but its cockpit is still handsome and ergonomically laid out. The controls are simple, the instrumentation legible and the seats upholstered in the same high-quality cloth used in the Maxima. The front chairs are very supportive. There's also ample legroom and lots of storage, but larger drivers may find shoulder room lacking.

The second row, although roomier than before, is still no picnic for adults. Legroom isn't as tight as it is in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the 4Runner and Explorer are more comfortable. Getting out of the vehicle can be a challenge as intrusive wheelwells threaten to dirty your pant leg.

Still, it's not a bad setup if your backseat passengers are under 12 years old. The outboard sections of the 40/20/40 second-row bench flip out of the way in one step, allowing children to find their own way to the 50/50 third-row seats.

The second- and third-row seats also fold completely flat. With 79.2 cubic feet of cargo capacity, the '05 Pathfinder trails its predecessor (85 cubes) and the domestic competitors in the numbers race, but you won't find a flatter load floor in the segment. Or a more durable one. The third-row seatbacks are coated in plastic. Fold them down and you can toss muddy stuff back there without a second thought.

Questionable Quality
We were surprised by the shoddy fit and finish of our test vehicle. Some panel fits were off by as much as half an inch, and the interior panel of the liftgate was coming off, its adhesive already worn. The quality glitches weren't limited to the interior, either, as exterior panels were also misaligned. Our Pathfinder was a very early production vehicle. We can only hope Nissan tightened up the tolerances on later models.

Multitalented But Flawed
After a week with a 2005 Pathfinder SE 4x4, we can't deny the wide-ranging capabilities of this SUV. It's certainly quick and it can haul kids and cargo with the best of 'em.

But it sacrifices the surefooted handling and braking of the old Pathfinder in the name of off-road capability. And although its cabin is comfortable and well equipped, it's not put together with a great deal of care. Were it our money, we'd think long and hard before spending it on the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder.