The 2013 Nissan Pathfinder adopts a new crossover platform with a more sleek body design.
With the 2013 model evolving from a classic, truck-like SUV to a car-like crossover design, Nissan says the new version of its long-running Pathfinder model will be not only one of the lightest but also the most fuel-efficient V-6 entry into the large crossover segment.
Set to start at $28,000 when it goes on sale later this year, the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder will get as much as 20 miles per gallon in the City, 26 mpg on the Highway and 21 in the EPA’s Combined test cycle. That’s a roughly 30% improvement over the old Pathfinder, a significant selling point – Nissan is betting – at a time when mileage tops the shopping list for most U.S. car buyers.
The Pathfinder is the second of five new models Nissan will be bringing out during the 2013 model-year, the utility vehicle following the new Altima into showrooms. A new version of the Sentra sedan will arrive in September, with an updated Versa hatchback and another model, not yet identified, to follow in the spring.
Nissan has cut as much as 500 pounds out of the 2013 Pathfinder's mass, depending upon model.
While Altima is likely to be the big seller – Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn proclaiming a goal of toppling the Toyota Camry as America’s best-selling midsize sedan – the launch of the next-generation Pathfinder is also quite important for the maker. The outgoing model was a classic, body-on-frame sport-utility vehicle, an endangered species rapidly slipping off the sales charts as makers including Ford, with the Explorer, migrate to car-like crossover-utility vehicles.
The more modern offerings have a number of advantages in terms of lighter weight, better mileage and more roomy interiors – which helps explain why Nissan sold barely 25,000 of the old Pathfinder last year while Explorer and many similar crossover-style competitors topped 100,000 each.
“We expect to (generate) very similar numbers to our competitors’ volumes” with the 2013 Pathfinder, said Chief Marketing Manager Tom Smith, during a news briefing at Nissan’s North American research and development center in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills.
Like its arch-rival Toyota, Nissan has been ramping up engineering and design operations in the U.S. and much of the development work on the new Pathfinder was done in the States. The big CUV shares its underlying platform with another new offering, the Infiniti JX, but there most similarities end.
The front-drive Pathfinder will yield 20 mpg City, 26 Highway, 22 Combined; the all-wheel-drive ute will drop to 19/25/21.
The flexible “architecture” – also shared with the new Nissan Altima makes extensive use of lighter high-strength steel. Eliminating the truck-like frame and making changes to everything from the powertrain to the basic “nuts-and-bolts” helped trim the 2013 Pathfinder’s weight by as much as 500 pounds, according to U.S. R&D director Carla Bailo. That’s a massive reduction in an industry where engineers would sell their souls to save a couple of pounds.
The large drop in mass was accompanied by a significant improvement in aerodynamics, Nissan claiming the new Pathfinder is now best-in-class. Add improvements to the powertrain and the 2013 Pathfinder’s fuel economy will give it a big leg up over all the other V-6 crossovers it competes with. The Honda Pilot, for example, gets 18 City, 25 Highway and 21 Combined, while the Explorer is rated at 18/25/20.
There are a few asterisks, however. The all-wheel-drive version of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder sees its mileage drop to 19/25/21, though that is again a segment-best.
A more appealing alternative to the minivan? The 2013 Pathfinder's EZ Flex seats.
The only crossover in the class squeezing more miles out of a gallon is the Ford Explorer with that maker’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost 2.0-liter inline-four, at 20/28/23, but it doesn’t carry the performance or towing ratings of the Pathfinder and it carries a stiff price premium.
The Pathfinder will debut with only the well-reviewed Nissan VQ 3.5-liter V-6, mated to an updated version of the maker’s continuously-variable transmission, or CVT. The combination delivers 260 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. But other options, including hybrids, are under consideration.
The shift to a car-based crossover does have its compromises. The classic, truck-like SUV is designed “to conquer water, stones and streams,” suggested Smith. “That’s really changed. Consumers aren’t really going off road anymore.” Nonetheless, Nissan officials insist the new Pathfinder will be able to handle the toughest road conditions the typical CUV buyer should experience, including heavy snow and gravel trails. It will also be able to tow up to 5,000 pounds.
The new model boasts a more modern, more rounded shape than the boxy old Pathfinder. And the interior is notably upgraded, using better materials and offering far more features, including optional power liftgate and twin headrest-mounted video screens allowing separate inputs.
Offered only in a 3-row, 7-passenger configuration, the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder can deliver plenty of cargo space.
With family buyers likely to be in the majority, Nissan developed only a single, 3-row, 7-passenger Pathfinder. It expects the new E-Z Flex Seating System to prove especially appealing as it simplifies access to the back row even if there are child seats in place in the middle row.
So, is the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder really just a minivan without sliding doors? “For people leaving the minivan segment,” acknowledged program manager Rich Miller, “this is what they’re coming to.”
While the 2013 Pathfinder offers a backup camera and Nissan’s around-view system, which offers a seemingly birds-eye view of the area immediately around the vehicle, there were a few notable absences in the high-tech safety category, including blind-spot monitoring. Officials hinted more safety features could appear after the launch of the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, however, which will reach showrooms by autumn.