time to trade the commander, definitely not sad!

**** PLEASE USE SUBTOPICS BELOW FOR NEW TOPICS ****

Moderator: volvite

06h
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:42 pm
Location: TN

time to trade the commander, definitely not sad!

Postby 06h » Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:00 pm

I currently have a Jeep Commander 5.7L 4x4 Sport, sunroofs, leather, navigation third row seating, rear AC, 7200lb tow group. Its nice but what was I thinking. There is no room for luggage with the third row up. I'm looking at a 2010 4x4 5.6l pathfinder with the same options. I figured who knows a pathfinder better than the owners. So could some tell me your feelings on it the good and bad to help with my discussion. Any veiws on towing seeing that it will be used to tow my 4500 lb boat will be very helpful. Pathfinder seems to be the only other mid size SUV with a 7000lb towing capacity and good V-8.

Thanks


NVRDONE
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 1:35 pm
Location: seattle

Postby NVRDONE » Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:10 pm

there are lots of posts on here about towing with a Pathfinder - both boats & caravans. I tow a 19' cuddy cabin that weighs about 4200# wet on the trailer. My biggest problem is keedpig it down to below 70 mph on flat ground. I'm in Seattle & deal with lots of hills. My Path is an 06 - v6 & I love towing with it, so a v8 should be better. I do lock the trans out of 5th.
Merry Christmas

jasunderland
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:59 am
Location: Wolcottville, IN

Postby jasunderland » Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:54 pm

I have the V8 and it pulls very well. I pulled a 18' well built(heavy) trailer with 3 motorcycles on it from Indiana to North Carolina and it did not have any problems are all going through the mountins in KY and TN.

plenty of power.

User avatar
JAHBLESSINGS
Sponsored Member
Posts: 1400
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 1:36 pm
Location: 90 DEGREES FLORIDA

Postby JAHBLESSINGS » Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:07 pm

the path is a great vehicle. but the third row luggage are is also limited with the seats up. if you need more room you might wanna look at the armada for that.

Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:33 pm
Location: Great White North

Postby Junior » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:05 pm

jasunderland wrote:I have the V8 and it pulls very well. I pulled a 18' well built(heavy) trailer with 3 motorcycles on it from Indiana to North Carolina and it did not have any problems are all going through the mountins in KY and TN.

plenty of power.
Were you hauling the bikes to The Gap??


I've got the 4X4 V6 and have no problems towing a 16 foot trailer loaded down with 3 ATVs and 3 dirt bikes. It's only @ 2500lbs of weight but I barely notice the trailer is even there.

skinny2
Sponsored Member
Posts: 1531
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:07 pm
Location: BFE, Ohio

Postby skinny2 » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:20 pm

Agree with the luggage issue. Pretty much any SUV short of a Suburban/Excursion is tight on space with the 3rd row in use. Why not a full size like the Armada? The Pathfinder CAN tow ok....but it doesn't feel as stable as a full-size. By the time you get the V8 Pathfinder you're not really going to see much mpg difference between that and an Armada. I'm averaging a couple mpg better than my previous V8 full-size trucks/SUV's which pays-off when driving 20-30k miles a year. But if I was wanting/needing the V8 I would just go with the bigger vehicle right from the start.

Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:33 pm
Location: Great White North

Postby Junior » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:32 pm

As far as space goes, I looked at both the Armada and Pathfinder and honestly I only noticed a slim margin of additional space in the Armada. The substantial difference in price didn't warrant the minimal size difference.
It's funny, because the Commander was also on my short list when we got the Pathfinder. Loved a lot of the features of the Commander (those multiple sunroofs are very cool) but the Pathfinder just felt more stable when driving.

I ended up buying a 18 cubic foot Thule rooftop carrier for our family trips. At $400Cdn it was a much cheaper option...and I'm fairly certain the Armada doesn't offer an additional 18 cubic feet of internal storage compared to the Pathy.

We have 4 kids and all our luggage (6 large duffle bags) and sleeping bags fit up top when travellling. The space behind the 3rd row is reserved for the dog. :D

User avatar
disallow
Site Admin
Posts: 2820
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:02 am
Location: Winnipeg, Canada

Postby disallow » Sat Dec 25, 2010 11:35 am

Junior wrote:As far as space goes, I looked at both the Armada and Pathfinder and honestly I only noticed a slim margin of additional space in the Armada. The substantial difference in price didn't warrant the minimal size difference.
It's funny, because the Commander was also on my short list when we got the Pathfinder. Loved a lot of the features of the Commander (those multiple sunroofs are very cool) but the Pathfinder just felt more stable when driving.

I ended up buying a 18 cubic foot Thule rooftop carrier for our family trips. At $400Cdn it was a much cheaper option...and I'm fairly certain the Armada doesn't offer an additional 18 cubic feet of internal storage compared to the Pathy.

We have 4 kids and all our luggage (6 large duffle bags) and sleeping bags fit up top when travellling. The space behind the 3rd row is reserved for the dog. :D
Yeah, might as well use that roof rack for something! We were originally looking at Xterras, then shelved it for a while. When we resumed looking, the X seemed so small. I also remember trying to get into the back seat... Couldn't figure out how to do it without pulling a muscle... lol

At some point we will probably go full size. I really like the armada. There is a lot of extra space, though I think Junior is right, with the 3rd row up, there isn't much more in the Armada. However, I think the 3rd row in the Armada does have more legroom and is more comfortable. Pathy is good for smaller kids, but I know I would certainly never fit in the 3rd row. In the Armada, its more of a possibility.

Gotta love these trucks. My wife and I call them 'minivan avoidance'... lol!

User avatar
disallow
Site Admin
Posts: 2820
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:02 am
Location: Winnipeg, Canada

Postby disallow » Sat Dec 25, 2010 11:37 am

Junior wrote:I ended up buying a 18 cubic foot Thule rooftop carrier for our family trips.
I got this roof carrier from Princess Auto for $30. Its collapsible. I still haven't actually mounted it, not sure how weatherproof it will end up being.

t

skinny2
Sponsored Member
Posts: 1531
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:07 pm
Location: BFE, Ohio

Postby skinny2 » Sat Dec 25, 2010 11:44 am

It's a shame how much space is wasted in an SUV layout. Our Ody is nearly the same size as the Tahoe it replaced...but the space behind the 3rd row is HUGE compared to any of the utes.

I didn't notice a huge difference in price when shopping the Armada/Pathfinder but I was looking at slightly used. I bought mine this time last year and decided on the PF to save some fuel and I have my truck when I need to tow.

Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:33 pm
Location: Great White North

Postby Junior » Mon Dec 27, 2010 5:57 am

disallow wrote:
I got this roof carrier from Princess Auto for $30. Its collapsible. I still haven't actually mounted it, not sure how weatherproof it will end up being.

t
Is it the soft fabric one? I tried one of those at first.....absolute garbage. I made it 5kms on the highway before the first strap broke. And the thing was so noisy it sounded like the roof was being ripped off.

I wasn't impressed at having to spend $400 on the hard plastic one but I have to admit it has been well worth the money on more than one occasion.

jasunderland
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:59 am
Location: Wolcottville, IN

Postby jasunderland » Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:53 pm

Junior wrote:
Were you hauling the bikes to The Gap??


I've got the 4X4 V6 and have no problems towing a 16 foot trailer loaded down with 3 ATVs and 3 dirt bikes. It's only @ 2500lbs of weight but I barely notice the trailer is even there.
As a matter of fact I was. We go down ever labor day. I had a 16' trailer that was made for a car hauler... the thing was tandem axel and prolly weighed about 3K lbs empty.

I had an '05 Yamaha FJR1300, '02 Suzuki TL1000R and an '08 Kaw Ninja 650R. lots of fun down there.... i bet there is some good off-roading

you guys make it down there?

jasunderland
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:59 am
Location: Wolcottville, IN

Postby jasunderland » Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:54 pm

Junior wrote: Is it the soft fabric one? I tried one of those at first.....absolute garbage. I made it 5kms on the highway before the first strap broke. And the thing was so noisy it sounded like the roof was being ripped off.

I wasn't impressed at having to spend $400 on the hard plastic one but I have to admit it has been well worth the money on more than one occasion.
I borrowed one from my boss when I made a trip to FL. it was made out of a heavy gauge vinyl. did really well. not sure what brand it is, but it was nice and sintched up well.


Return to “2005-2012 Pathfinder (R51)”