Pathfinder

carexpert.com.au | 28 OCT 2021 2022 NISSAN PATHFINDER TO OFFER SEVEN-, EIGHT-SEAT OPTIONS IN AUSTRALIA

NISSAN HAS CONFIRMED THE NEW PATHFINDER IS CHARTING A COURSE FOR AUSTRALIA, WITH SEVEN- AND EIGHT-SEAT OPTIONS ON TRACK FOR OUR SHORES.

SCOTT COLLIE

NISSAN’S MOST FAMILY-FRIENDLY

SUV is getting closer to Australia.

The company has once again confirmed the new Pathfinder SUV is on track to arrive in Australia during 2022, at which point it’ll go headto-head with the Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Kluger.

Now, Nissan has also confirmed it’ll feature a choice of seven- or eight-seat interiors, putting it on a par with the Palisade and offering more seating capacity than the CX-9 and Kluger.

The eight-seat has three seats in both the second and third rows, while the seven-seater has a pair of more luxurious captain’s chairs and a removable centre console in the second row.

Power in the car still comes from a 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6 with 212kW of power and 351Nm of torque, but it’s now mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel and frontwheel drive options are on the menu in the USA, but Nissan hasn’t confirmed whether both will be offered in Australia.

Although it has the same 2900mm wheelbase as before, the 2022 Pathfinder is 39mm shorter, 19mm wider, and has a 19mm higher roof than the current model.

It’s more than five metres long, but the new Pathfinder will still live in the shadow of the bigger, more off-road focused Patrol in the Nissan Australia range.

Nissan says 11 colour combinations will be available in Australia, including a selection of two-tone options.

Described as “all-new from the ground up”, the new Pathfinder has more technology inside and a tougher look on the outside.

There’s almost no link between the current Pathfinder and the 2022 model from behind the wheel.

The dashboard is dominated by a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system – goodbye button mania – and a 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle is available in the USA.

A 10.8-inch colour head-up display is also available. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a Wi-Fi hotspot, satellite navigation, and a surround-view monitor are all present.

The cleaner transmission tunnel has a huge storage space beneath it, and an effort has been made to deliver a more premium feeling with metallic accents and the option of quilted leather seats.

Boot space is 470L behind the third row, 1274L behind the second, and 2279L with both rows folded flat. That figure is likely measured to the roof of the car, not the seat backs.

A full suite of active safety features will be offered in the USA, including adaptive cruise control and lanekeeping assist that combine to take the stress out of highway driving.

High-spec models in North America will even feature the latest ProPilot Assist with Navi-Link, which is a more capable adaptive cruise control system that will slow for corners or junctions based on navigation data.

With 10 airbags, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, reverse AEB, and auto high-beam, even base models come well equipped.

The previous-generation Pathfinder was removed from sale in Australia in the middle of 2021. N

carsguide.com.au | 17 SEP 2021 NISSAN PATHFINDER 2022

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR ABOUT AUSTRALIA'S NEXT-GENERATION TOYOTA KLUGER AND MAZDA CX-9 RIVAL - INCLUDING POTENTIAL PRICING.

TOM WHITE

THE NISSAN PATHFINDER IS a key model for Nissan in Australia, despite being built in America for the US market’s tastes.

It will enter the fray at some point in 2022 to take the fight to rivals like the Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Palisade and Mazda CX-9.

While it will still compete in the same class with a similar intent, there are some big changes this time around, so here’s everything we know about the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder so far.

IT’S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE TOO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE

To be clear, we don’t know how much the Pathfinder will actually cost in Australia, but it has already been released in America (where it is built), and we can speculate that the new R53 series won’t cost too much more than the current car because it doesn’t overseas.

The current R52 generation wears MSRPs of between $44,240 and $70,140, while its replacement in America costs between the equivalent of $45,516 – $65,508.

It’s likely then that base versions will take a slight price hike, when shipping and local compliance costs take effect, while top-spec versions speculatively look to cost roughly the same as right now.

GOOD RIDDANCE TO THE CVT

That’s right, while the Pathfinder will maintain a big V6 engine (but still no diesel option), the much-derided continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission – which is the only option in the current car – has been dumped in favour of a new nine-speed torque-converter automatic.

That bodes well for buyers in terms of drivability, and the 3.5-litre V6 petrol has taken a slight hike in power outputs to 212kW/351Nm.

It looks as though the Pathfinder will mirror its rivals, being available in either front- or all-wheel drive, with an enhanced suite of modes for its traction control systems.

THE CABIN WILL RECEIVE A SIGNIFICANT DIGITAL OVERHAUL

The Pathfinder is one of the oldest-looking and -feeling vehicles in Nissan’s current line-up, but the new version looks set to leapfrog that entirely by bringing new innovations to the range, as well as debut new styling elements for the brand in Australia.

Like its Hyundai rival, Nissan will debut a floating console design with fully fly-by-wire instruments, sport a new steering wheel, and gain a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster for high-spec versions.

Elsewhere, there’s a 9.0-inch multimedia display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as a 10.8-inch head-up display on some variants.

EIGHT SEATS?

The US-market Pathfinder is an eight-seater across the range, which will put the big Nissan in league with only the Hyundai Palisade in its large SUV segment,

looking to take sales from even people movers like the Hyundai Staria and Kia Carnival.

This comes as a surprise, and a decent value-add given the currentgeneration car is only available as a seven-seater, meaning you won’t need to stretch to an even larger and much more expensive V8 Patrol for the extra space.

Nissan wouldn’t confirm if the versions of the car which arrive in Australia will be eight-seat across the range, or if some versions would trade away the third row for more boot space, but we’d be surprised to see major changes for our market.

NO HYBRID YET, BUT BIG SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

The good news is the Pathfinder is safety heavy. Even base-spec versions in the US score the new Safety Shield 360 suite, consisting of auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear auto braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blindspot monitoring, lane departure warning and high-beam assist.

The bad news is there’s no sign of a hybrid version, which could cost the Pathfinder market share when stacked against its popular Toyota Kluger rival.

For reference, the 3.5-litre V6 Pathfinder’s official/combined consumption in the US market is 10.2L/100km, while the 2.5-litre fourcylinder hybrid Kluger is claimed to score 5.6L/100km locally.

What remains to be seen if Nissan will eventually launch a hybrid update, which could look very different from the Kluger’s seriesparallel hybrid drivetrain.

Nissan has been open about the fact that it intends to expand the use of its e-Power system, a series hybrid which resembles a range-extender electric vehicle. It drives the wheels via an electric motor only, using a petrol engine to produce energy for its hybrid-sized battery. The system is set to imminently launch in Australia in the X-Trail and Qashqai ranges.

IT’S DUE AT SOME POINT IN 2022

We don’t know exactly when the Pathfinder will launch, only that it’s due some time in 2022. Examples have already been spotted on the road, but Nissan tells us these are “likely early compliance and testing cars.” Expect more details, local pricing, and more accurate launch timing in the coming months. The Pathfinder will be one in an onslaught of new-generation Nissan products in key segments for the 2022 model year, including the X-Trail mid-sizer, and Qashqai small-tomid-size segment bender. N

chasingcars.com.au | 24 SEP 2021 NISSAN PATHFINDER 2022: WHEN WILL THE NEW-GEN MODEL ARRIVE AND WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

OFFERING GREATER PRACTICALITY, A SLEEKER APPEARANCE AND A MUCH CLASSIER INTERIOR, A REJUVENATED PATHFINDER WILL COMPLETE NISSAN’S SUV OVERHAUL. HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT AND WHEN.

TOM PLACE

AFTER BEING REVEALED EARLIER

this year, Nissan confirmed the fifthgeneration Pathfinder would make its way to Australia, though the exact timing wasn’t clear.

Given the considerable delays being experienced by the automotive industry, Chasing Cars understands that Nissan Australia will reveal the expected launch timing for the all-new Pathfinder (and 2022 X-Trail) in the coming weeks, with exact pricing and specification to be announced closer to launch.

Replacing the now-discontinued fourth-generation Pathfinder (launched in 2013), Nissan’s new large SUV is likely to arrive during the second half of 2022, around the same time as the next-gen X-Trail midsize SUV.

The more stylish 2022 Pathfinder appears to be more practical and capable than its patchy predecessor, with the availability of both seven- and eight-seat options on US models, intended to take on full-bodied rivals such as the Mazda CX-9 and new Toyota Kluger.

WHAT WILL THE 2022 PATHFINDER RANGE LOOK LIKE?

As with the previous generation, the 2022 Pathfinder bound for Australia will be manufactured in Nissan’s Tennessee plant in the US, where it has only recently gone on sale.

The old Pathfinder is no longer available in Australia, leaving a hole in Nissan’s SUV-focused line-up, though the more expensive Patrol 4WD remains on sale.

Prior to its discontinuation, the Pathfinder was offered in four grades – the ST, ST+, ST-L and Ti, and available with front- and all-wheel drive.

A similar four-variant grade structure is used for the new Pathfinder in the US, so we expect this will continue when the large SUV arrives in Australia.

Nissan previously offered two drivetrains on the outgoing model: a 3.5-litre direct-injection petrol V6 engine developing 202kW of power and 340Nm of torque, and a supercharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder

petrol-electric engine that produced a combined 188kW/330Nm.

Under the bonnet of the fifthgeneration Pathfinder resides an updated version of the 3.5-litre petrol V6 with outputs boosted to 212kW/351Nm in US form. At the time of writing, it remains the sole engine choice for the 2022 Pathfinder, with no replacement yet announced for the previous Pathfinder Hybrid.

The somewhat unloved CVT transmission has been (thankfully) ditched in favour of a new ninespeed automatic transmission, and buyers can still choose between front- and all-wheel drive options.

While the new Pathfinder continues to be a monocoque design, towing is almost on par with many body-on-frame vehicles at up to 2720kg braked, and even combines with a dedicated towing mode.

While Australian specification is yet to be detailed, Nissan offers the US Pathfinder with a fairly generous level of specification as standard.

The two entry-level trims feature cloth seats while the higher-grades receive a leather-appointed interior of increasingly lush quality as you move up the range.

All bar the entry-level grade receive heated seats as standard, with the top-spec model featuring a heated and cooled front row, and a heated second-row for the outboard positions.

Buyers can choose between an 8.0-inch or 9.0-inch centre touchscreen, with wireless Apple Carplay and a wireless phone charger available on higher grades. Other notable features include three-zone climate control and a 13-speaker Bose sound system.

Directly in front of the driver sits a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster flanked by analogue dials or a larger 12.3-inch digital display paired with a head-up display in the flagship Pathfinder.

Safety has been given a boost with front AEB with pedestrian detection, rear AEB, blind-spot monitoring, lanedeparture warning, rear cross-traffic alert and auto high-beam, along with 10 airbags dotted around the cabin.

HOW MUCH WILL THE 2022 PATHFINDER COST?

With the new Pathfinder receiving an extensive (and expensive-looking) upgrade to its exterior styling, along with new safety technology, we expect to see a slight price rise across the range.

The outgoing Pathfinder was priced from $44,240 to $70,140 (before on-road costs), though the removal of the more expensive hybrid option could see the price ceiling remain similar, which would broadly align with its topspec competitors.

While the level of specification chosen in Australia could raise or lower the price, in the US the Pathfinder starts at $45,484 (US$33,410) and tops out at $66,831 (US$49,090).

Given that prices have increased by around $2000-$4500 in the US, we expect the new Pathfinder to start at around $46,500 and command $70,500 in top-spec Ti 4WD trim, with both prices listed before on-road costs.

Nissan Australia has yet to confirm the pricing or exact specifications, but we expect to hear more information soon. N