2011 Nissan Pathfinder: Diverging Paths

By AARON COLE
Managing Editor, MediaOne of Utah

For a moment, let’s ponder the history of the Nissan Pathfinder. Once the stylish, lone occupant of the manufacturer’s SUV throne, the Pathfinder went through a “Flowers for Algernon” transformation seemingly overnight.

When the model was unfurled in the 1980s, the Pathfinder embodied the go-anywhere, roll-me-over attitude that the Toyota 4Runner and others had. The frame was, in fact, body-on and the fully boxed frame as rigid as an aging Republican. Then overnight — or some time in the mid 1990s — the Pathfinder switched to a softer unibody frame sans pitchforks and emblazoned torches.

If you’re wondering how such a shift would be handled today, see “Ford Explorer 2011” as a reference. (more…)