Why you should buy this car: The Pathfinder is an SUV from the old school: tough, reliable and capable. In SE guise, the Tennessee-built truck isn t afraid to bash some boulders and plug some mud. The Pathfinder s exemplary 6000lbs. towing capacity means one boat can pull the other. Surprisingly, the heavyweight, V6-engined SUV is faster than a speeding bullet. OK a bowling ball (imparting that exact same sense of something very heavy going very quickly). But the rest of the accommodation is spacious and inviting. And the price is right — especially in today s buyer s market.
Why you shouldn t buy this car: If you re not an off-roading, boat-towing kinda guy; if you don t live somewhere where it s a good idea to keep emergency space blankets in the glove box; it s time to face facts. Fifteen mpg ain t enough. Not for a family car that schleps five people (the Pathfinder s tippy-up way back seats are best suited to Oompah Loompas). If you re a suburban sophisticate or city slicker who simply must have an SUV, the new (though equally piggy) Ford Explorer V8 is the Ritz to the Pathfinder s Motel 6.
Suitability Parameters
· Speed Merchants: No
· Fashion Victims: No
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: No
· Hairdressers: No
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: No
· Working Stiffs: Yes
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: No
· Soccer Moms: Yes
· Nascar Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: No
Vitals
· Manufacturer: Nissan
· Model tested: Pathfinder SE
· Model year: 2006
· Price as Tested: $33,240
· Engine type: 4.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6
· Horsepower: 270hp @ 5600 rpm
· Torque: 291ft-lb @ 4000 rpm
· Redline: TBA
· Wheels and Tires: P265/70R16 BFGoodrich Long Trail OWL tires
· Drive type: four-wheel-drive
· 0 - 60: 8.4 seconds
· 1/4 mile: you d be lucky
· Top speed: don t ask, don t tell
· Fuel economy city/highway: 15/21
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: 4/5/3
Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Nissan Pathfinder SE, Part 1, Part 2 [internal]