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Video: 2017 Nissan Pathfinder: First Drive

02:38 min
By Cars.com Editors
August 8, 2016

About the video

Nissan's three-row SUV gets an update for 2017 that will make it more comfortable to drive. Although it doesn't look like much has changed with the Pathfinder this year, there are some pretty big changes that make it much more competitive.

Transcript

(engine starts) We tend to break apart the mid-size crossover and SUV vehicles into two groups, two rows and three rows. The latest three row SUV is the Nissan Pathfinder.
It may not look that different, but for 2017, we assure you, big changes have happened and they're all for the better. In it's segment, which we consider the Traverse and Explore and Highlander and Pilot. The Pathfinder has never been more than a mid-level player, but with some of the changes they've made to the suspension, stiffening up both the front and rear springs and also making the steering a lot quicker, we think this is going to be a much more competitive vehicle for families and maybe personal use, maybe older couples that are going to be interested in this vehicle as well. Although the engine is the same size. It's a 3.5 liter V6. A lot more technology has gone into this engine. It's now direct injection offering 284 horsepower, 259 foot pounds of torque, but the fuel economy, even though it gets more power, the fuel economy stays relatively the same. It's 20 miles per gallon in the city, 27 on the highway for a 23 combined. Probably the easiest change to identify on this new model is right here on the exterior. You can tell that Nissan has tried to make this look more like an SUV than it did before, which clearly was more of a crossover look to it. You can see that Nissan has emphasized their V-Motion Grille. They've also changed the headlights in order to make them look a little bit taller and created more distance between the headlight and the lower valence. In the backend as well too, they've tried to make it look taller more like a traditional SUV, and you notice the roof rack on top, certainly that says, rugged. One thing we're glad they didn't change in this new Pathfinder is the sliding second row that does a great job of folding forward providing great access, not just for kids to the third row, but also for adults. Although technically this is a mid-model refresh, this is pretty extensive, and we like the fact that Nissan has decided to touch just about every aspect of this vehicle from bumper to bumper. Still gonna have four trim levels at S, SV, SL, and Platinum. And we're told that the S trim package is going to start right around $30,000 and climb from there. We think all these changes are going to make this vehicle much more competitive than it was in the past.

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