CAN an off-roader be all things to all people? Nissan hopes so with its new Pathfinder. There are five models on offer, opening from under $45,000 with the base ST and extending to the luxury Ti. It's off-road credibility is in no doubt thanks to a ladder-frame chassis, low-range gearbox, decent ground clearance and grunty turbo-diesel, while for urban folk there's a 4.0-litre petrol V6. All will seat seven. However, its truck-based chassis, courtesy of the new Navara, while strong, raises some questions about its practicality for every day urban work.
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Nissan Pathfinder
Released: February 1999
Ended: June 2005
Family Tree: PathfinderThe Pathfinder is an enduring Nissan model, having been launched here back in 1987 as a three-door wagon with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine utilising a Navara chassis. Buyers appreciated its off-road prowess but lamented the lack of five doors and a bigger engine. This changed in 1992 when it finally got a 3.0-litre V6 - plus two extra doors. The second-generation version arrived in November 1995, adopting a monocoque body and lifting engine capacity to 3.3 litres. In February 1999 it got the All-Mode four-wheel drive system as part of a substantial facelift, and has continued virtually unchanged since then.
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