It was a casual Thursday evening until I received a call asking me if I’d be interested in driving the all new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder over the weekend. I jumped at the opportunity, collected the car and took my family for a long drive from Sharjah to Palm Jumeirah and back.

As soon as I saw the car, it was clear that the redesigned 2013 Pathfinder looked heaps better than the previous model. It looked classy and elegant while boasting a sporty side at the same time. As I sat in the car, I was amazed by the design and feel of the dashboard and felt like I was sitting in something a lot pricier, an Infiniti perhaps.

Drive Performance

Although the Pathfinder is a large vehicle with seating capacity for 7, it never felt heavy while handling on the highway or in narrow parking lots due to its light steering. The suspension was impressive too since it tackled speed breakers extremely smoothly and allowed turns to be taken at reasonably high speeds with negligible amounts of body roll. Off the beaten path, the Pathfinder didn’t fail to impress either. It tackled soft sand and a few small dunes without any hassle.

Since Nissan has fitted the 2013 Pathfinder with a CVT transmission, drivers benefit from smooth acceleration and fantastic fuel economy, around 7.0 L/100 km. On the downside, the CVT drone is rather frustrating and acceleration is quite disappointing. Although I feel the Pathfinder would have been much better off with a standard 6 speed automatic transmission, it is beyond me as to why Nissan didn’t install a CVT which allows the driver to control shifts as they did in the Altima.

The side view mirrors are large and shaped perfectly to virtually eliminate any blind spots. On the other hand, rear visibility is terrible since the headrests are nearly the size of the rear windscreen itself and if 3 people ever decide to sit in the 2nd row seat, the rear view mirror is rendered useless since you cannot see a thing.

The following morning, I popped the hood open to have a look at the engine bay; little did I know what I was getting myself into. Once I was done, I tried shutting the hood but it refused to shut. No matter whether I tried pushing my weight onto it or slamming it shut, there was still a gap. After a good 30 minutes of fidgeting with the hood release lever and hood itself, it finally shut properly. This was when I began to question the build quality of the Pathfinder.

Interior

In terms of interior, the Pathfinder is loaded with a bunch of goodies such as seat warmers and coolers, a panoramic roof which lightens up the cabin and looks great, an 8 inch infotainment screen, a brilliant air conditioning system and an all round view monitor to name a few.

Being the tech savvy person that I am, I assumed I’d have no issues using the GPS and Bluetooth in the Pathfinder, however I was proved wrong. The GPS is extremely detailed and well laid out, but sadly also extremely complicated to use. The same applies to the Bluetooth system; it works fantastically when and if you manage to synchronize your phone to it.

As far as comfort is concerned, the second and third row seats are rather firm and lack lumbar support which does not make them ideal when travelling long distances. For example, the Mitsubishi Pajero has more cushion in it's seats, whereas the Pathfinder seats are firmer and might not give the cushion needed for long drives. However, the second row seats do benefit from wireless headphones and dual monitors with a remote control, a feature that could come in handy when stuck in traffic with children.

Once the automatic liftgate is opened, it is clear that boot space with the 3rd row seats open is very little and barely enough to fit a few shopping bags. However, it is the same case with bigger 7 seater vehicles such as the aforementioned Pajero.

So to sum it up, if you have 5 adults in the family, the Pathfinder is good but watch out for firm seats. All in all, the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is definitely worth taking a look at if you want a safe and good looking SUV that is packed with features.