having both a 2WD and a 4WD (glutton for punishment ), ive found the 2WD to be remarkably capable off-road
the SE-OR, on the other hand, is amazing

I am debating on trading in the 05 Pathfinder with 109,000 miles for an 2011 or 2012 so I can have a real Pathfinder further into future. I love our 05 and would assume it has plenty of life in it, but I wonder how many people are feeling the same as I am causing a demand in near future. Any thoughts? I am also afraid my wife will like the new style

If you can afford it, I'd say go for it.

maybe it would be worth the wait just until the new one is launched. the price for the 2012 will surely drop.

if the 2013 re-design is poorly enough received, the R51 series may hold steady on their used values, and may even increase in price for a new 2012 model as availability dwindles

I don't think the 2013 Pathy is going to be ill-received; it's actually a very nice vehicle (my opinion based on the Infiniti "sister" I checked out at the auto show a few months back). It's not what "we" want here on the forums...those of us who like the fact that the Pathfinder is a body-on-frame vehicle...but it'll likely be plenty popular with those soccer moms and those that never take the vehicle off-road. I guess those who want a Nissan SUV with a body-on-frame will have to choose betweent he Xterra and Armada.

smj999smj wrote:I don't think the 2013 Pathy is going to be ill-received

True, I also believe that it will potentially do well if 1) people are only looking for a Nissan and 2) those people need a minivan/mall hauler/crossover. There really isn't much to choose from in the Nissan lineup, but when you throw the Nissan brand out the window, there are a ton of vehicles to choose from, all of which look pretty much the same to me. The "other" people I know who own & purchased Pathfinders are the ones who really like the ruggedness and 4x4 ability (all guys, go figure). Of course this mentality will change from geographic location to location. I'm about 99.9% sure I will never own a Pathfinder again, and that is based entirely on the limited usefulness of the redesign. For me personally, the outlook for my next vehicle purchase is about as grim as the current economic problems most of us are facing the world over.

Some info showing up on the Nissan site. I may actually look at this to replace wife's Sienna. It has had more problems than we care to deal with and there are no other vans she cares for these days. So that moves us to shopping 3-row SUV's, many of which are a huge step-down from a van in terms of people/stuff capacity. 2013 Pathfinder actually seems like a pretty nice combination of room and features. I'll have to see it in person but it might work over the other contenders...MDX, Highlander, or Acadia at this point.

The website says it will be rated to tow 5,000# which is in-step with others in this class. The Acadia is the only one you can get setup from the factory for towing...the others come with tow "prep" packages but require the hitch be installed as an accessory. Nissan mentions the new PF has the most "standard" capacity in its class and they show a model with a hitch so that's a good sign. I can't imagine they'll follow suit with the current PF and put the hitch on all models...but surely it's a factory option.

It also has a real 4x4 system which none of the others offer. You can pick between 2wd, auto, and 4x4 lock. So it may not be setup for off-roading but there are times it's nice to control your vehicle...which isn't an option with most AWD based vehicles.

MPG is estimated at 18mpg city. I assume that's a 2wd though..so figure 16-17 for the 4x4. Probably 22-23 for highway (my guess). That's in the ballpark for this class.

Now the bad news...power is down quite a bit. 260hp/240lb-ft. This is also lower than the Infiniti JX (probably difference between premium fuel) which turned a 0-60 run at 8.3 seconds. Getting pretty porky...and I'm betting the PF will be a tad slower on regular fuel. That's an easy second slower than the current gen and also means it won't tow anywhere near as well.

Considering towing isn't something the wife needs (but power is nice regardless) I still think this could be a good vehicle for her. The looks are on par with the others, interior actually looks very nice. We'll have to see where the fit/finish/materials come in.

Summary: New PF should be a great option for many families...that don't tow or go off-road. Which is probably 90% of the buying public so I can't say that I blame Nissan too much.

Bet'cha that the "4x4 Lock" mode is a sub 5-MPH electric clutch pack like on the Murano instead of a real transfer case...never selling my R51!

which disengages by itself randomly!
drove a murano and an xtrail offroad. they both have that useless "lock" mode that decides to disable itself on a steep curve. the only good use i see for them or the new pathfinder is better road grip when it rains.

skinny2 wrote:Summary: New PF should be a great option for many families...that don't tow or go off-road. Which is probably 90% of the buying public so I can't say that I blame Nissan too much.

nissan has 4 proper 4x4s: armada, xterra, patrol, pathfinder

6 or 7 soccer mom SUVs: rogue, juke, xtrail, 2 versions of the murano, quashqai, and the quest (i dunno if the last 2 are the same)

why reduce the BOF 4x4s and make one more mini-SUV when they already got a full line-up? should have kept the pathfinder as-is and played around with the other models

i love everything about the new pathfinder EXCEPT that its called a pathfinder.

RacerZX wrote:Bet'cha that the "4x4 Lock" mode is a sub 5-MPH electric clutch pack like on the Murano instead of a real transfer case...never selling my R51!

Maybe. I'm not familiar with the others but it looks different based on their info. Since it has a 2wd option I'd say it's not the same system as Murano at least. Doesn't clarify if 4wd is low-speed or not. Doesn't matter...really for what the wife needs her FWD with snow-tires does fine. Something simple would be best.

I wouldn't consider the Juke or Rogue SUV's... You aren't going to fit much of the soccer team in a Juke! I believe they fall under the class of "CUV's," sharing the platforms of the Versa and Sentra, respectively.

I am seriously considering The Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and the BMW X5 D as a replacement for my Pathfinder.

As a 335d owner I can heap nothing but praise on the X5d.

Nissan? Hello? Where's our diesel Pathfinder in North America? Maybe even with a manual transmission? Are you listening?!? No, didn't think so...

Some info on the Nissan and Edmunds websites-

-Base price expected to be under $30K
-Average weight improvement of 500 pounds
-20/26 MPG for the 2WD (no EPA ratings yet), I figure 19/25 for the 4WD but that's just my speculation
-No V8 option for 2013. 260-HP 3.5/CVT is only option
-Lightest 2WD Pathy is 4149 pounds. That's pretty good for a 3-row SUV, considering my small 335is convertible is 4034 pounds. From the specs on the Nissan website a silver edition 4WD weighs 4853 pounds. I'm guessing under 4500 pounds for the 2013 4WD.

PROS (for me): better MPGs, more interior space, storage under cargo area floor

CONS: Less HP/TQ, less muscular look, looks to be less capable offroad, less ground clearance, lower tow rating