NISSAN’S Pathfinder has come a long way from its time sharing much with its Navara ute sibling. Gone is much of the off-road and towing ability, replaced by a smooth – in this case petrol-electric hybrid – drivetrain, refinement within the cabin and a features list that bears further inspection.

The first incarnations of the US-sourced model felt underdone in the chassis and didn’t startle the statisticians with remarkable sales (well down on its key rivals) but the update has been to charm school and left with an added element – control.

So far this year, its sales have not reflected the improvement in the vehicle, which is something of an injustice.