On Wheels: Nissan Pathfinder takes a svelte turn for the better - Washington Post
It is no place for a large sport-utility vehicle, although this one, the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum edition, was more amenable than most to the congestion of Manhattan traffic. Space is a premium commodity in New York City. The Pathfinder is 16. 5 feet long and 6. 5 feet wide, about five inches less, in each case, than the truly oversize Lincoln Navigator SUV I drove in these parts a week ago. But the difference is significant, even mentally, in a place where every available inch of road and parking space is subjected to fierce contest. I was happier with the Pathfinder for another reason. Now in its fourth generation, it has become more carlike and less of a truck, more of a crossover-utility vehicle than a bona fide sport-utility model. The transition makes it more amenable for urban use, though less desirable as a mobile companion off-road and in the rough. Instead, in places such as New York City and the District of Columbia, these vehicles are most often are employed as limousines. It makes sense, given that real-world usage, to make them more carlike, a little smaller and less space-greedy, if at all possible. Nissan, I think, is showing us the way to go with its rework of the Pathfinder, which has been on the market since 1985. The current-generation Pathfinder is a sleeker, less aggressive-looking vehicle than its body-on-frame, truck-based predecessor. Source: www.washingtonpost.com
