IF YOU happen to own a late-model Nissan Pathfinder, stop reading now. No, seriously. You’re not going to want to hear what has happened to the brand name and all it stood for.

Where once the seven-seat Pathfinder stood for tough outback adventure and a life of extreme, now it stands for school runs and the shopping centre car park.

Yep, the Pathie is now no better than a gumboot-wearing city slicker.

Potentially, it is a smart move for Nissan. City-friendly SUVs is where all the sales action is, not growly off-roaders, and rather than lose the Pathfinder name and all its currency, why not stick it on something that is not a true replacement for its predecessor?

While the diehards will call for the death of the usurper, a new generation of Pathfinder buyers won’t give a fig for tow ratings, low-range ratios and stump-pulling diesel growl.

But it won’t all be an easy road for Pathfinder. Oh no.

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