2008 Nissan Pathfinder SE-V8 Review

What We Drove

We drove a Nissan Pathfinder SE with the 5.6 liter V-8 engine, five-speed automatic transmission and all-mode four-wheel drive, which starts at $33,555 including a $705 destination charge. Among the standard features, rear-view monitor, dual zone climate control, and stability control. Option packages included the SE Premium package with moonroof, automatic headlights, and 10-speaker Bose audio system; Airbag package, which adds side impact and side curtain units; and SE Leather package, which covers the front and second rows with hide, adds heaters to the front seats and outside mirrors, and adds power to the four-way front passenger seat. Those options brought the total to $38,260.

Performance

This is the first time a V-8 has been offered in the Pathfinder. At times there’s no replacement for displacement, like when you need torque. With 388 lb.-ft. of torque, the 5.6 liter V-8 offers plenty of grunt, enough to bring the towing capacity to 7,000 pounds. Power comes on early and delivery is smooth all the way to redline. The five-speed automatic transmission’s gear ratios seem too close together for towing, but it’s smooth and never went hunting for a gear. Manual mode lets the driver select the right gear for the job.

Handling

The Nissan Pathfinder has very good on-road manners for a mid-size, off-road capable. The steering has a solid feel and is quick and precise for a truck of this size. Stability in corners and a lack of the usual wallowing that plagues other SUVs was a welcome surprise. The brakes have good pedal feel and are easy to modulate. Nissan put discs at all four corners, and it’s an antilock system with electronic force distribution. The ride is comfortable without being springy, unlike many vehicles designed for off-road use.

Visibility

For the most part visibility is good to the sides and rear. Not as good out of the front because of the high dashboard and hood, and the rear seat assist handle on the door pillar is distracting at first. Visibility to the rear gets more cluttered with the all the headrests raised, especially the third row headrests, which raise higher than those in the middle row. Outside mirrors are big enough and the rear monitor makes backing up easier, with a bright image and helpful trajectory overlay.

Fun to Drive

The Pathfinder is a true SUV that’s pretty easy to live with, except for the low fuel economy: 14.2 mpg in mixed driving conditions. It has a comfortable ride, overall decent handling and very good power from the V-8 engine. While the EPA estimate for the V-8 is 12 mpg city and 18 on the highway, the V-6 only improves to 14/20. The extra towing capacity is also a plus.

Front Comfort

When SUVs like the Pathfinder first debuted, interior comfort was secondary. Now there’s an expectation of the creature comforts found in sedans, and Nissan meets that expectation with generously sized seats. They’re supportive and comfortable and the driver’s adjusts eight ways. As expected in a truck, there’s good head and leg room. There’s a nicely padded center armrest, but it sits too far back. Door armrests are soft-touch and slightly padded. The steering wheel is covered in smooth and perforated leather and feels good in your hands. Getting in and out is fairly easy thanks to assist handles.

Second Row Comfort

Outboard seats are comfortable, and there’s adequate room for adults with good head, leg and shoulder room. However, foot space under the front seats is negligible. An adult probably shouldn’t sit in the middle position because the headrest doesn’t extend far enough to be safe, and it’s not very comfortable because it’s harder. A nice, plush center armrest folds down for when only two people are in the second row, and the outboard seats tilt back. It’s fairly easy to get in and out, but children might find the exterior handles hard to reach. There are assist handles above the doors and on the B-pillars.

Third Row Comfort

Adults will have a hard time getting in and out of the third row seats. The second row headrests must be lowered for the seat to move out of the way enough for ingress or egress. Once back there, adults won’t be comfortable. Head room is good, but leg room is cramped for anyone other than small children. Not too small, though; there aren’t any anchors for child seats. But the seats are easy to stow and raise from the back of the vehicle. Middle row seats do need to be upright, however, in order to stow the third row.

Interior Noise

While the days of spartan interiors of rubber and vinyl are gone, there’s one thing that SUV’s have a tough time avoiding: wind noise. There’s some of that audible in the Pathfinder off the mirrors and roof rack, but otherwise it’s quiet, with road and tire noise subdued. You can hear the engine under acceleration, but it’s not muscle-car loud, and just enough to make V-8 fans happy. Cruising in Drive, the engine and transmission noise is nicely muffled.

Loading Cargo

The rear hatch opens and closes easily and the cargo deck is low, making loading and unloading a snap. With the third row stowed, there’s 88.2 cubic feet of space on a flat floor that can accommodate a lot of gear. Surface is rubbery plastic, round-dot texture and there are plastic rub strips. With the third row seats raised, cargo space drops to 32.7 cubic feet. There’s a 12-volt power outlet and six tie-down hooks, along with hooks for a cargo net. There are a couple of small storage bins, one on the left side of the cargo area and one in the hatch, both with net fronts.

Build Quality

The Pathfinder is pretty well screwed together. Outside, panel gaps are tight and even, with all pieces securely in place. Inside, everything is tight and the overall feel is substantial. Seams are tight and even, including the dashboard, which is made up of six panels. Going down the road, nothing squeaked or rattled. This is nice departure from Nissan’s past, when build quality detracted from good points about the vehicle.

Materials Quality

Nissan picked some very nice materials for the interior of the Pathfinder. The leather on the seats is a good compromise between supple and durable. Overhead, there’s a nicely padded fabric headliner, and under foot were optional Berber-style floor mats. The plastics are good quality, however, there are variations in the textures, even on panels of the same color. The interior door handles are covered in a rubbery material that provides good grip. More soft-touch surfaces would be nice, but overall the materials are right for a vehicle that can go off-road or on a weekend skiing trip.  

Styling

Styling differs little from the ’07 model and is in keeping with Nissan’s other trucks, so the look is aggressive. The front carries some of the same design cues as the Frontier pickup, including the lights, grill and wheel arches. The interior is functional, with a few aluminum finished accents to contrast overall color scheme. One of those accents is around the gear selector and produces a lot of glare in bright sunlight. Aside from the beige and warm gray color scheme, there was some faux carbon fiber-like plastic on the center console and stack.

Storage

Up front there are two cupholders in the center console with rubber inserts that can be removed to accommodate a one-liter bottle. Each front door has a storage bin with bottle holder. There’s a cubby in the center stack, and a recessed tray next to the shifter. A map box sits above the glove box, which also holds the interior fuse panel. The center console has a large storage area with a coin holder. Center seat passengers have two cupholders and a pocket in each door. There is also a covered area under the center seats. Third row also has a pair of cupholders.

Infotainment Controls

The audio controls are too spread out, with some placed next to the main rotary dial that navigates the information screen. To the right of that dial are buttons that control the screen’s display and tap into various settings, such as convenience functions and audio levels. The rotary knob and the buttons in its center sometimes duplicate functions, which makes navigating the screen a bit cumbersome and confusing. A separate back button returns to the previous screen.

Climate Controls

We like our climate controls well-marked and logical, and that’s what Nissan puts in the Pathfinder. Our test vehicle had a dual-zone system, with rotary knobs for driver and passenger temperature control. Buttons control air-conditioning, system on-off, fan speed, rear-window defroster, windshield defogger, air flow and fresh or re-circulate. The front seats were heated, and they got warm quickly. This Pathfinder had separate controls for the rear-seat passengers, consisting of a temperature control and fan speed. Rear system air flows from four vents in the ceiling.

Secondary Controls

Backlighting on all controls is on the dim side, making them hard to read at night. There are cruise and audio controls on steering wheel, but the mute button is among the six buttons on the center stack, which is inconvenient. Window and door lock buttons fall right to hand on the driver’s door, as they should. At the bottom of the center stack are a rotary switch for the two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes, switches for heated seats and stability control on-off. The sunroof and front windows are one-touch controls. The sunroof opens and closes in four seconds.

Competition

The Pathfinder has competition from import and U.S. branded four-wheel drive SUVs with V-8s, including its historic rival, the Toyota 4Runner. The Toyota is close in price for the Limited model, about $2,000 to $3,000 more depending on options, gives up some power but matches on towing. Then there’s the Ford Explorer Limited, which matches well on price and towing and includes a third-row seat. Dodge weighs in with the Durango, which has a third row, but tows only 5,100 pounds.

2^nd Opinion – Buglewicz

That I generally like this Pathfinder is no surprise. It’s like an Armada-lite. Same basic stuff under the skin, but left in the dryer long enough that it shrunk a little. The Armada’s humpback profile is gone from the Pathfinder, but the rest of its aggressive styling cues remain. The result is a good looking mid-sized SUV that can go off road, seat four in comfort, five in semi-comfort, and seven if two are double amputees. The thing I don’t really get is the new V-8 option. Didn’t Nissan notice the price of gas recently? …

Keith Buglewicz
MyRide Road Test Editor

2^nd Opinion – Blackett

Enough. Given the competitive nature of the business and the increasing demands of consumers, this basic term is not one with which carmakers care to associate. Each wants to carve out a niche that paints them in a more positive light, with the result being regular increases in safety, equipment, efficiency, or as in the case of the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder V-8, brute power. Apparently, there are midsize-SUV buyers out there who long for more than a stout 4.0-liter V-6 enlisting the services of 266 horses and 288 lb.-ft. of torque. … 

Thom Blackett
MyRide.com Senior Road Test Editor