Auto review: No longer a mall rat, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder returns to its roots

Remember the Nissan Pathfinder? You know, the 2012 model, the one that was a true SUV. Its 310-horsepower V-8 could tow your house down the block if necessary.

Well,that changed for 2013, when it was recast from a rugged rock crawler to a suburban road warrior, exchanging its muddy boots and Carhartt jacket for a pair of loafers and a cardigan sweater. Its styling, once chiseled and rugged, softened like a suburban waistline as it lost its identity. The only path this Pathfinder found was the route to nursery school.

It took nearly a decade, and the ruination of its off-road cred, for sanity to return to Nissan’s product planning. The results are apparent on the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, one that repudiates the previous model developed under the auspices of former Nissan CEO, and current international fugitive Carlos Ghosn, who did much to ruin Nissan’s reputation among auto enthusiasts and Nissan’s dealer body alike. That takes talent.

But that was then, and this is now.

Hard-core truck enthusiasts might consider this new Pathfinder a sheep in wolf’s clothing, as it still employs a unibody front-wheel-drive crossover platform with its 3.5-liter V-6, rather than using body-on-frame platform with a burly V-8. But the new truck has pitched the abysmal continuously variable transmission for a traditional nine-speed automatic transmission, a welcome change. The all-wheel-drive system carries over from the previous generation, although it now sports updated software to support a terrain response system, so you can adjust the vehicle’s capabilities for the road surface.

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The retuned suspension is compliant enough for off-road work, but its orientation for pavement over the forest primeval can be felt once the concrete ends. Its wide turning radius, typical of front-wheel-drive, V-6-powered Nissans, can be cumbersome off-road. Once past pavement, you’ll find this is able to handle light off-roading, enough to get to your campsite or favorite spot, as long as it doesn’t require serious boulder bashing. Throughout it all, the cabin remains quiet, and road noise is well-suppressed.

The inside story is as good as the rest f it, with a nicely trimmed cabin and a pleather-padded instrument panel with stitching. The overall theme is similar to the one used in the new Nissan Sentra, with controls that are clear and easy to understand. Kudos to Nissan for finally using a solitary infotainment screen, with a row of physical buttons beneath it to access options quickly, such as maps, audio, etc.

If there’s one thing about the new 2022 Pathfinder that is truly a return to form, it’s the exterior design, which not only recalls earlier Pathfinders, but incorporates design cues from current Nissan trucks. Square-shouldered, handsome and sporting a black roof, its appearance is sure to draw far more buyers than the previous iteration, especially from those who remember earlier Pathfinder generations.

It’s a worthy first step in the redemption of the Pathfinder, a vehicle that’s been lost in the wilderness of mall parking lots for far too long. It may not be the hardcore 4x4 it once was, but it’s returning to the path its longtime enthusiasts prefer.