nissan Pathfinder road test reports and car reviews

Nissan Pathfinder Aventura 2006

I have owned my Pathfinder for 20 months now, having owned a Terrano for 4 years previously, and can honestly say that it is the best vehicle I have ever owned. Never get less than 30 mpg and the spec is awsome. Rear camera, Birdseye Sat Nav, Voice Command, Keyless entry and go, Memory heated Leather seats, Blue tooth, etc. Bought it with 2,000 on the clock (ex demo). Now got 20,000 on the clock. Only been back to nissan Garage once (when the phone stopped working) and they replaced a very expensive bluetooth management system under warranty (£4,000). Having the option to take it out of 4 wheel drive is important to me. I drive it in 2 wheel drive most of the time, but occasionally the ’AUTO’ mode is required (where the vehicle thinks for you and selects 4 wheel drive, if it is required. ie snow heavy rain) I will buy another one when it is time to change.

Nissan Pathfinder 2005

Please do not buy this 4x4, buyers beware if your clutch goes and it will you will be looking at a replacement bill of £1K plus. Nissan dealers are a joke!!! Also the rear door handles will break more than once, I replaced ours 3 times. I’m pleased to say this car is now history Part-X for Discovery 3, no comparison.

Responses to this review

You've obviously not looked into the reliability of other discoverys, (which is very poor), I would say you have been unlucky with your Pathfinder. Regards - Dave Stoddard from Durham

Gareth, Sorry to hear you had problems with your Pathfinder and of course you have the right to air them. The Discovery 3 is a great vehicle but certainly not problem free. My brother owned a Disco 3 and had to spend £650 on replacing rear discs and pads within the first year of ownership and had issues with this audio head unit (which LR had to send away leaving him without one!). I do not believe there is a single car out there of which you will not find a bad review or disgruntled former owner. The Pathfinder seems to be fairing above average! I'm still thinking of buying one..- Stephen Ratskin from Hampshire
>br />Hi, where did you get you door handles from and how much? Mine have just broken for the 1st time... Thanks - Kev Hardy from Derbyshire

Nissan Pathfinder Aventura 2007

A brilliant car but dogged by silly problems. I agree with the chap about Crystals - I got mine from Lincoln: flat tyre on front and covered in scratches and no service completed, low fluid levels, not even wiper wash fluid. The car (now fixed all under warranty with new clutch and flywheel and injectors) after 20000 miles is superb. The lack of service and help from Nissan GB is unbelievable but the car is robust inside and very comfy. I don’t get brilliant mpg, about 26-27, but am looking at a chip mod to see how it goes. The district manager at Crystals was ineffective and rude. If you have a problem like I did go straight to the managing director. I did ask them a week ago for some information about the TMC system but as usual I should have spoken to the wall - it would have been more effective. Don’t be put off with this car though, it’s brilliant, it’s just the Nissan support that’s c**p.

Nissan Pathfinder 2007

Bought my Nissan Pathfinder in 2007 brand new after looking at the Land Rover Discovery. Decided against my worst judgement to go for the Nissan. However was not impressed with the first service... couldn’t believe what is not covered... have previously owned a Land Rover; who are excellent at keeping their word by the way. Anyway here I sit with my Pathfinder in the garage; clutch has gone at 31,000 miles and Nissan probably wont cover it, they say it’s wear & tear. I am disgusted with them; I mean the door handles (made from plastic by the way) came off 1 yr after i bought it and... surprise surprise, they’re not covered either. Anyway the moral of my story is never buy a Nissan; give me back my Land Rover Discovery any day.

Nissan Pathfinder Aventura 2007

Probably the worst car I have ever owned! Sounded like a tractor and drove like one. Six speed manual clumsy to operate and the fuel consumption averaged 24mpg. Rear view camera and keyless open/start were useless gimmicks... sat nav was nowhere as good as portable Tom Tom. A very disappointing experience which I am glad to say is now over.

Nissan Pathfinder 2007

Best equipped 7 seater 4x4 available! Every mechanic warned me to stay away from Landrover and so I did! The Pathfinder is a workhorse and has every extra you could imagine. Great car - would highly recommend!

Nissan Pathfinder Aventura 2006

Which eBay tuning chip did you get? (Re: Peter Andrews, England) I am wondering which product you had off eBay as I am not getting too many mpg with my Pathfinder: less than 30.

Nissan Pathfinder Adventura 2007

I bought this vehicle as I suffer from arthritis of the spine and my Patrol 30 gr was a little bumpy. What a difference the pathfinder is - 34 mpg on motorway and 25 in town. However I put a plug and play tuning box from Ebay at £80 and now the BHP is up from 171 to 206. Torque is way up so is top end. But most of all I did a complete circle of the m25 with the cruise controll on 60mph and got 46.5 mpg. I now get 30+ Urban (when it’s warmed up). I love the car but you only have to look at the bodywork and a scratch or chip will appear. Water based paint is soft . I think as the Patrol was 7 years old and never showed any signes of scratches. My biggest disapointment was the dealership. Crystals of Grantham; there after-care is a disgrace. The car was presented to me with the nearside front tyre on the limit. The spare bald with a 2" split. Wipper blades worn out. No service or fluids topped up. A busted rear light cluster. The rear bumper was the wrong colour and the car had clearly had a rear end shunt. One of the backs of the seats had torn away from the leather and the sun glasses box in the roof is busted and keeps coming down and covering the interior mirror. The car is on Motorbility HP. What a disgusting way to treat a disabled person. They boast that they cannot be matched on customer care or presentation and that there vehicles go through a 94 (I think) point check etc. I keep being given the brush off as I live in Staines they think that I am to far away to do anything. I have gone to Nissan GB as well. So folks if you want a Pathfinder then go for it and fit a tuning box. But do not, under any circumstances, purchase it from Crystals of Grantham, Lincoln or Boston. Do so at your peril...

Nissan Pathfinder SVE 2006

Nightmare!! Do not buy one and never use Parks Motor Group of East Kilbride!! I bought this car when it was just over a year old, with 11k on the dial. In the 18 months that I’ve owned it, it has been into the dealership 15 or 16 times (I’ve lost count!) for a variety of issues. Several of the visits were rework as a result of the ineptitude of the local Nissan Dealership from whom I purchased the car (Parks Motor Group in East Kilbride) being unable to resolve problems without 2, sometimes 3 or 4 visits!! The most concerning of these is that the electronic ABS, ESP and 4X4 systems frequently display faults, meaning I lose all of these aids whilst driving, so compromising the safety of my family. Despite several visits on this matter alone, the dealership don’t care as they keep claiming that the system hasn’t "logged" a fault and will not, despite evidence of the problem provided by me, investigate any further. I have contacted Nissan Motors GB directly, and they have attempted to wash their hands of the affair, blaming the dealership despite the series of flaws I have encountered with the product they manufactured. I so wanted to like this car, but it has been a major disappointment and, more importantly, a serious concern as regards safety since I took ownership. Warranty expires in a few months and I think I’ll need to P/X the car, as I don’t think I can afford to repair it at the rate at which it is failing.