- suv
- Aurora, MO
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- autoshopper.com
2005 nissan pathfinder review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. All-new, big and comfortable, but ready for the trail. introductionthe mid-size suv market is a crowded place. From a handful of competitors 10 or 15 years ago, it's grown in numbers to rival the mid-size car market. How to stand out in such a teeming mass is the challenge nissan faced when it undertook the update of the pathfinder, its mainstay in the heavily congested mid-size suv fray. nissan had the 4x4 technology, but that alone couldn't carry the burden. It needed a stronger drivetrain. The pathfinder had long been an underdog, with barely competent power and an aging transmission. The new pathfinder had to step up with a rejuvenated engine and a state-of-the-art gear set. the solution turned out to be right at hand: the same v6 powering the 350z, nissan's performance star. With the displacement boosted to 4. 0 liters and its horsepower and torque curves redrawn to workhorse geometry, the new pathfinder engine not only substantially bettered its predecessor, it also stepped out ahead of the market's benchmark, the larger v8 in the number one-selling ford explorer. Fuel economy is improved, too, by 2 mpg on the highway. The new, five-speed automatic, geared to capitalize on the engine's torque characteristics, completes the package. Electronic stability control comes standard, giving drivers a reassuring safety blanket by controlling skids. get up and go is one thing. Looking and feeling good in the process is another entirely, and nissan had fallen behind the curve here, too. For years, the pathfinder had made do with modest, cosmetic makeovers of stale design motifs, while the market was moving toward more expressive exteriors and roomier, more accommodating interiors. again drawing on the new pathfinder's stablemates, nissan dumped its predecessor's size-limiting, frame-less body construction in favor of a larger, honest, body-on-frame truck design. This opened the door to a complete re-vamp of the pathfinder's exterior, to a bold, broad-shouldered shape more in synch with the company's all-new, full-size suv and pickup. likewise with the interior: with more room, there could be more comfort and more conveniences, not to mention more passengers, something that has become critical as suvs have grown to keep pace with growing, active families. All are powered by the 270-horsepower, 4. 0-liter v6 engine with a five-speed automatic transmission. the pathfinder xe 24,650), the base model, comes with air conditioning; cruise control; power mirrors, windows and door locks with keyless remote; halogen headlamps; am/fm/cd stereo playing through six speakers; fabric upholstery; adjustable lumbar on the driver's seat; reclining backs on the middle row seats; roof rails; and a pre-wired tow setup including hitch. The xe also comes standard with vehicle dynamic control and aluminum-alloy wheels. A choice of xm or sirius satellite radio 400) are available, but few options are available. stepping up to the se 25,850) adds power adjustable driver's seat; halogen foglights; running boards; roof rack cross bars; and middle seat fold-down center armrest. Three se option packages are available. The se comfort package 1,350) has dual-zone, automatic air conditioning; adjustable pedals; multi-accessorized, auto-dimming rearview mirror; upgraded sunvisors; leather trim (but not seats); and painted silver interior accents. The se premium package 1,700) adds a two-way power sunroof; automatic headlamps; programmable remote garage door opener; the bose stereo with six-disc cd changer and eight speakers plus subwoofer; redundant steering wheel-mounted audio controls; and capabilities for mp3 and satellite radio. The mobile entertainment system 1,600) delivers a dvd player with a rear-passenger, seven-inch color monitor and two infrared headphones. the pathfinder se off-road model comes with b. Goodrich rugged trail p265/75r16 tires on distinctive wheels; rancho off-road shocks; skid plates. The 4x4 se off-road model 30,450) also comes with hill descent control (which limits downhill speed without driver intervention) and hill start assist (which briefly holds the pathfinder on a slope while the driver releases the brake pedal and applies the accelerator). The off-road model features robust, waffle-texture fabric upholstery. The mobile entertainment system is also available. the pathfinder le tops the lineup with leather upholstery, wood-toned trim, a sunroof, the bose system with six-disc changer, eight speakers and subwoofer, and 17-inch wheels and tires. The le-exclusive navigation package 2,000) includes a dvd-based navigation system with a seven-inch, color lcd display. safety features include dual, two-stage frontal airbags; antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution; and electronic stability control, which nissan calls vehicle dynamic control. A monitor is included with the navigation package that checks the pressure of each tire. walkaroundnissan wants no one to mistake the re-positioning of the 2005 pathfinder. Any car-like pretensions previously associated with the pathfinder are now the sole domain of the nissan murano, a sleek, curvaceous crossover utility that was recently introduced. The new pathfinder is intended to be a no-compromise, fully off-road-capable suv, and its dimensions and styling make this imminently clear. to achieve this, the pathfinder's underpinnings have been dramatically altered. Its predecessor's car-like unibody, where the various body panels and connectives give the chassis its form and rigidity, has been replaced by truck-like body-on-frame construction based on a ladder-type frame adapted from the car maker's full-size armada suv and titan pickup. Thus, if the new pathfinder looks larger, that's because it is, by six inches in overall length, and by five inches in wheelbase. It's an inch wider, too, and almost five inches taller. similarly, the bloodlines of the bold, brash front end draw directly on the armada and titan, closely mirroring as well the new midsize frontier pickup. Angular chrome verticals bracket the familiar nissan logo centered in the grille. Crisply outlined headlight lenses fold around the edges of the fenders. A strong, chin-like bumper houses a wide, low air intake, with small, round sockets for the optional fog lights just inboard of the fender blister creases. from the side, those fender blisters encircle substantial tires and give substance to the mostly smooth body panels. The trademark sloping c-pillars with high-mounted rear door handles are angled less severely. The roof line, mimicking the armada's, bows slightly over the forward passenger compartment then flattens aft of the c-pillar. A vertical track carried over from the previous generation splits the rear side door windows allowing the forward two-thirds of the glass to lower fully into the door, a nice feature. Short overhangs front and rear spotlight the new pathfinder's off-road promise. Openings in the ends of the roof rails at first seem mere styling exercises, but actually offer convenient hand-holds when loading and offloading sport gear. the rear bumper copies the larger armada's, with a low lift-over between upturns at each end tying into the large taillights. The backlight's (or rear windscreen's) bottom edge tracks the bumper's geometry as part of an elongated pentagonal outline, picking up on the geometric theme first appearing on the company's more assertive off-roader, the xterra. interiorthe interior is as new as the exterior, with elements patterned after the full-size armada and titan, although appropriately downsized. the steering wheel could have come from virtually any recent model nissan. Two metallic-looking spokes, holding the cruise and redundant audio controls when ordered, at a clock face's 9 and 3 and a broad brace at 6 support a thick rim. A column stalk to the left manages the exterior lights, and one to the right runs the windshield wipers and washers. Outside mirror and pedals are adjusted with buttons located on the lower dash to the left of the steering column. To the right, the ignition key slot has relocated from the steering column to its rightful place in the dash. the stereo sits uppermost in the center stack, above the climate control panel, both fitted with delightfully basic, intuitively shaped knobs and buttons and easily deciphered displays. In models with nissan's all-mode 4x4 system and electronically controlled transfer case, a large rotary selector sits in a panel at the base below a smallish storage bin. Atop the dash above the stereo a shallow tray occupies the space reserved for the optional navigation system's pop-up display.
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