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Nor'West News: July 20, 2023

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12<br />

Thursday <strong>July</strong> <strong>20</strong> <strong>20</strong>23<br />

Incorporating<br />

best motorbuys<br />

www.drivesouth.co.nz<br />

Substantial overhaul for Nissan Pathfinder<br />

ARMED WITH a raft of<br />

improvements and a lot more<br />

style, the latest iteration of the<br />

Nissan Pathfinder should find<br />

the road to success smoother<br />

than its underwhelming<br />

predecessor.<br />

It borrows some bits from the<br />

old model, including the same<br />

3.5-litre petrol V6, but has had<br />

an emphatic styling overhaul to<br />

make a telling and compelling<br />

difference. This Pathfinder demands<br />

attention with its strong,<br />

muscular appearance, shorter<br />

front overhang, slimmer pillars,<br />

C-shaped LED headlights and a<br />

“floating” roofline.<br />

Seven drive and terrain<br />

settings are available for the<br />

all-wheel drive system. A new<br />

innovation is Pro-PILOT featuring<br />

semi-autonomous driving.<br />

Safety is nailed in one, thanks to<br />

nine airbags, including curtain<br />

Motoring with Bob Nettleton<br />

bags spanning all three rows of<br />

seats. Towing of braked trailers<br />

up to 2700kg is made safer and<br />

easier with a two-mode on-board<br />

trailer-stability programme.<br />

Sold here initially in <strong>20</strong>22 as a<br />

three model line-up, Nissan NZ<br />

didn’t wait long to hit the delete<br />

button on the entry-level ST.<br />

Instead, they’ve opted for a two<br />

high-spec line-up starting with<br />

the $83,490 Ti. The lavishly appointed<br />

Ti-L I road tested is the<br />

‘cherry on the cake’ model.<br />

The engine’s maximum power<br />

of <strong>20</strong>2kw is about the same as<br />

the old model, while the 340Nm<br />

of torque is under done in an<br />

SUV of this size and weight.<br />

Consequently, low-speed pulling<br />

power suffers and isn’t as<br />

strong as it needs to be to cope<br />

with long punishing hill climbs<br />

under load. This leads to the<br />

transmission hunting between<br />

gears in search of more power to<br />

keep the vehicle moving along<br />

at a respectable clip. At times, all<br />

nine gears the transmission has<br />

at its disposal need to be called<br />

into play to do their bit.<br />

A large and welcoming cabin<br />

looks and feels the real large<br />

upmarket SUV deal. Comfort is<br />

assured regardless of what the<br />

weather is doing. Making this<br />

happen is the excellent tri-zone<br />

climate controlled air-conditioning<br />

with air vents all the way<br />

through to the back row of seats.<br />

Rear sunshades do a good job of<br />

reducing heat and glare.<br />

A huge 10.8-inch Head Up<br />

Display is standard, projecting<br />

key information, including turnby-turn<br />

satellite navigation, to<br />

keep the driver focused on the<br />

road ahead. An upgraded infotainment<br />

system has integrated<br />

wireless Apple CarPlay and<br />

wired Android Auto, four USB<br />

charging points plus two 12-volt<br />

outlets.<br />

There’s a comprehensive safety<br />

package from Nissan’s Intelligent<br />

Mobility Suite. Included is a<br />

rearview camera, an Advanced<br />

Drive-Assist instrument cluster<br />

and LED dusk-sensing headlights<br />

with high-beam assist.<br />

A well-sorted double wishbone<br />

front suspension and an<br />

independent multi-link rear end<br />

with coils, brings a fair degree<br />

of handling composure to the<br />

road holding table. However, the<br />

Pathfinder’s sheer size and <strong>20</strong>00-<br />

plus kg kerb weight compromises<br />

the vehicle’s handling at its outer<br />

extremities. This comes to the<br />

fore when driving on tight,<br />

twisty terrain, which we have an<br />

abundance of on our roads. The<br />

vehicle’s handling limitations<br />

aren’t helped by light steering.<br />

To my mind, the latest Ford<br />

Everest is the road-holding<br />

benchmark model for our large<br />

SUV market. Because it’s based<br />

on the latest Ford Ranger ute,<br />

it has genuine go anywhere<br />

off-road capabilities that are<br />

superior to the Pathfinder. It’s<br />

okay on ski-field access roads<br />

and that type of driving, but<br />

little more with its average<br />

ground clearance.<br />

Rating out of 10:<br />

Performance 7; Handling<br />

6; Build Quality 7;<br />

Comfort 7; Space 8;<br />

Test consumption<br />

12.9L/100km; Value for<br />

money 6; Safety – 5-star<br />

ANCAP crash rating.<br />

Overall points out of 10: 8<br />

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owner operator<br />

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vpbaeries@gmail.com<br />

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