Its geometric looks make the new Pathfinder feel like a larger vehicle than the one it’s replacing, but the overall dimensions don’t change all that much. The slim headlights taper into the wide and prominent fenders, with the taillights stretching across the rear to again emphasize the Pathfinder’s width. I have to say it looks much, much better than the last Pathfinder, with definite family resemblance to the latest angular Nissans like the larger Armada and smaller Rogue. It’s actually a little shorter than the outgoing model, but changes its proportions by being taller and wider.Ģ022 Nissan Pathfinder | photo by Leslie Cunningham This new fifth-generation model is a complete departure that incorporates some styling cues from the original Pathfinder, such as the forward-swept C-pillar, three-slot grille and overall squared-off, thick body styling. The fourth-generation Pathfinder was a generic blob-shaped thing that bore no family resemblance to the chunky original 1986 model at all. Related: 2022 Nissan Pathfinder: Going Rogue The Family Resemblance Is Strong I drove the new ’22 Pathfinder through Southeast Michigan recently to see if Nissan’s moves to butch up the new Pathfinder have paid off. The latest automaker to do that is Nissan, which has redesigned the latest 2022 Pathfinder three-row to be more rugged, more outdoorsy and slightly more capable in the dirt than its solidly street-oriented predecessor without giving up any of the luxury, safety and connectivity that modern families expect in an SUV. But the trend we’ve spotted for the 2020s seems to be an effort by automakers to recapture some semblance of that off-road adventurism after decades of moving toward making them glorified tall wagons. Somewhere along the way, they became eight-seat family vehicles, replacing the station wagon and minivan in most driveways.

They weren’t luxurious and they weren’t comfortable they were work wagons used by forest rangers and farmers. When SUVs first arrived on the American scene, they were purpose-built, off-road adventure and utility vehicles.

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