As one of Nissan’s best-selling vehicles, the Pathfinder SUV is hugely important to the brand. However, it is also one of the oldest vehicles in the stable and begs for a major overhaul for at least a few years. Well, the wait is over – the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder is here, bringing the techno-chic look of the redesigned Rogue and facelifted Armada into a mid-sized three-row crossover.
Edgy styling aside, the Pathfinder also adds a long list of safety and connectivity gear to its selection, with family-friendly inner packaging and reasonable performance to boot. The 2022 SUV should also be more fun to drive, as Nissan tosses the old model’s booming continuously variable transmission on the scrapyard, replaced by a conventional nine-speed automatic gearbox. While still a front-wheel or all-wheel drive unibody crossover SUV, the new Pathfinder offers seven different terrain modes, as well as towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds.
Bold confidence
The outgoing Nissan Pathfinder is handsome enough, but it lacks personality. No one could blame its successor for this, thanks to headlights with wild turn signals, a square grille (which the company still calls ‘V-motion’ for some reason) and a flat bonnet that’s less minivan-like than the current Pathfinder. Blackened A, B and D pillars join a body-colored C pillar on some models, giving the SUV a floating roof effect that is more interesting than other versions of the over-the-top styling feature.
At the rear, slim LED taillights make the crossover appear wider and more planted, and the convex hatch, resplendent with a silver PATHFINDER wordmark, is reminiscent of the first-generation SUV. We don’t quite see the link at the rear, but the three mail slots in the front by the hood are a nice throwback to the Pathfinders of the 80s and 90s. Ditto the bold, blistered fender flares of the 2022 model – they’re something like total radical. Cheap nostalgia aside, those flares make the Pathfinder look a lot more muscular and planted than before.
The sitting room
Most three-row crossovers live and die through their interiors. It looks like the Pathfinder 2022 is poised to succeed in this regard, thanks to a revised technology suite that includes an available 9-inch center touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.8-inch head-up display. An 8.0 inch screen is standard, as is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We expect the trim walk to be on par with the Rogue – the smaller screen on the S, SV and SL classes, with the 9.0-inch display optional on the SL and standard on the Platinum.
Bold styling is also the order of the day, with the infotainment, climate control and instrument panel housed in a driver-focused nacelle. The HVAC outlets live in metal-finished trim that “interlock” with the dashboard, further enhancing the Pathfinder’s technically advanced appearance. Nissan will offer woven fabric, leather or semi-aniline quilted leather on the Pathfinder, the latter likely reserved for the Platinum model.
Unlike its seven-passenger predecessor, the Pathfinder 2022 gets a three-position rear seat, bringing the standard capacity to eight. For families who want a little more comfort (at the expense of one seating position), there are optional second row captain seats with an easily removable center console. The standard second row seat retains the current SUV’s fold-and-slide function (although improved with passenger and driver side access), making it easier to climb the third row, even with a child seat installed.
Nissan hasn’t revealed all of the interior dimensions yet, but the new Pathfinder offers 16.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, a marginal improvement from 0.4 feet. With the rear seats all folded flat, the SUV can accommodate a 4×8 sheet of plywood within its 80.5 cubic feet of space (a single cube more than 2021). On a daily basis, the Pathfinder’s interior maps and binnacles will be more attractive. A Rogue-esque electronic shifter opens space under the console for open storage, perfect for tablets, small bags, or face masks.
Better life through technology
Even the base Pathfinder S gets the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite, which bundles automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane warning, automatic high beam and automatic rear braking. The mid-range SV and SL models will also offer ProPilot Assist as an option, adding adaptive cruise control and lane centering to the selection. At the top is Platinum ProPilot Assist with Navi-Link, which uses data from built-in navigation to predictively decelerate for approaching road curves, motorway exits and junctions.
If it all works as well as in the Rogue, the Pathfinder should be an impressively stress-free place to get through a long road trip. That sense of tranquility is enhanced by acoustic laminated glass in the front door, thicker glass on the back door and extra insulation of doors and floors. That’s good, because one complaint about the current Pathfinder is a sense of buzz in the echo chamber at highway speeds.
Sharp performance
Further reducing noise, vibration and harshness is the decision to ditch the somewhat boomy continuously variable transmission of the outgoing Pathfinder. While the 2022 model retains its predecessor’s direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 with 284 horsepower (212 kilowatts) and 259 pound-feet (351 Newton meters), that grinder is now paired with a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Maximum towing capacity remains an impressive 6,000 pounds, but we would have been nervous towing such a heavy trailer behind a rubber CVT. The machine should be much more reliable.
Nissan claims best-in-class towing for the Pathfinder, but opts for the convenience of putting the Dodge Durango in a different category. Well-equipped, the Durango V6 can pull up to 6,200 pounds, while certain models with the V8 can pull a Suburban shaming of 8,700 pounds. Regardless, the Pathfinder outperforms the Ford Explorer (5,600 pounds of towing capacity) and Toyota Highlander, Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot (5,000 pounds).
| 2022 Nissan Pathfinder | 2021 Chevrolet Traverse | 2021 Dodge Durango V6 | Ford Explorer from 2021 | 2021 Honda Pilot | 2021 Kia Telluride | Toyota Highlander from 2021 | Volkswagen Atlas from 2021 | |
| Load volume behind 3rd / 2nd / 1st row of seats | 16.6 / 45.0 / 80.5 cubic feet | 23.0 / 57.8 / 98.2 cubic feet | 17.2 / 45.3 / 85.1 cubic feet | 18.2 / 47.9 / 87.8 cubic feet | 16.5 / 46.8 / 83.9 cubic feet | Est. 21/46/87 cubic feet | 16.0 / 48.4 / 84.3 cubic feet | 20.6 / 55.5 / 96.8 cubic feet |
| Maximum towing capacity | 6,000 pounds | £ 5,000 | 6,200 lbs | 5,600 lbs | £ 5,000 | £ 5,000 | £ 5,000 | £ 5,000 |
Make money out of it
We still don’t know exactly how much to spend on a Pathfinder 2022 when it comes time to sign at the dotted line. It probably won’t be much more expensive than the current crossover, which starts at $ 31,980 for the S 2WD or $ 44,910 in Platinum 4WD form. Each Pathfinder trim level – S, SV, SL and Platinum – is available with front or all-wheel drive.
When it goes on sale this summer, the Pathfinder 2022 will be just one of many new or recently updated models in the company’s lineup. Among the Kicks, Rogue, Pathfinder and Armada, Nissan has arguably the most comprehensive and modern utility vehicle lineup in the industry – only the Rogue Sport stands out as the only archaism. Whether that will be enough to help the Pathfinder hit big sales remains to be seen.
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