MEDIUM SUVs with any real talent for towing and off-roading are getting thin on the ground, but there are a few that keep some semblance of their 4WD heritage, such as the R51 Nissan Pathfinder.

On the market now for five years, the Nissan wagon has just had its mid-cycle maker-over, with a light powder over the nose and a few other cosmetic tweaks.

There’s also improved outputs and economy from the turbo-diesel engine, but are the upgrades enough to make the king of 4WDs, Toyota, worried?