The
Nissan Pathfinder and
were originally
compact SUVCompact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length roughly between . This class should not be confused with mini SUV, which refers to smaller vehicles....
s and they are now mid-size SUVs. Whereas the Pathfinder is sold in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
, the name first introduced in late 1986, elsewhere in the world the vehicle was known as the Terrano. The first generation Pathfinder/Terrano platform is known as the WD21. The second generation Pathfinder platform is known as the R50, and the third generation is known as the R51. The Pathfinder is slotted in size between the
MuranoThe Nissan Murano is a mid-size crossover SUV first manufactured by Nissan in December 2002 and sold as a 2003 model. Nissan introduced the Murano as its first crossover SUV for the United States and Canada. Designed at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California, the first generation Murano was...
and
ArmadaThe Nissan Armada is Nissan's full-size sport utility vehicle from Nissan & GNC . It shares its body-on-frame F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Titan pickup truck, Nissan Xterra SUV, Nissan Frontier pickup truck GNC Arcadia, and Nissan Pathfinder SUV. An upscale version of the Armada is sold as the...
or
PatrolThe Nissan Safari is a four-wheel drive vehicle manufactured by Nissan in Japan since 1980. Outside of Japan, it is known as the Nissan Patrol—a name carried over from the Safari's predecessor. The car is available in Australasia, Central and South America, South Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and...
, but in price between the
XterraThe Nissan Xterra is a compact SUV built on the Nissan F-Alpha truck platform. Targeted at an adventurous consumer, the Frontier-based vehicle is named after the XTERRA off-road triathlon race series Nissan sponsored through the end of 2006.-Introduction:...
and
MuranoThe Nissan Murano is a mid-size crossover SUV first manufactured by Nissan in December 2002 and sold as a 2003 model. Nissan introduced the Murano as its first crossover SUV for the United States and Canada. Designed at Nissan Design America in La Jolla, California, the first generation Murano was...
. The Pathfinders traditional Japanese competitor is the
Toyota 4RunnerThe Toyota 4Runner is an SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...
.
First generation WD21 series (1986.5-1995)
The North American first generation Pathfinder came in two different bodies and shared styling and most components with the
Nissan Hardbody Truck. Built on a ladder-type frame, the Pathfinder was Nissan's response to the S-10 Blazer,
Ford ExplorerThe Ford Explorer is a mid-size SUV sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky...
, the
Jeep CherokeeJeep Cherokee may refer to:* Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Grand Cherokee , , and * Jeep Liberty, a.k.a. Jeep Cherokee...
and other non-domestic SUV's like the
Toyota 4RunnerThe Toyota 4Runner is an SUV manufactured by Toyota and sold throughout the world from 1984 to the present. In Japan it was known as the Toyota Hilux Surf...
Isuzu TrooperThe Isuzu Trooper was a mid-size SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu between 1981 and 2002. It was exported worldwide as the Isuzu Bighorn, Isuzu Trooper, Isuzu Trooper II , Isuzu Caribe 442, Acura SLX, Chevrolet Trooper, Subaru Bighorn, Honda Horizon, Opel/Vauxhall Monterey, Holden...
and the Mitsubishi Montero. WD21 Pathfinders were available in both 2WD and 4WD configurations. In the US from 1986.5 to 1989 Pathfinders came with a two door body. In early 1990 it became a four door in the United States. Some US 1978 Pathfinder's came with the two door body, but they are rare.
When the four door was introduced, Nissan chose to conceal the door handles as a part of the
"C" pillarAn A-pillar is a name applied by car stylists and enthusiasts to the shaft of material that supports the windshield on either of the windshield frame sides...
trim to visually make it appear like a two door truck with a camper shell, with conventional door handles on the front doors. This appearance approach was also used on the first generation
Chevrolet S-10 BlazerThe Chevrolet Blazer and the similar GMC S-15 Jimmy were mid-size SUVs from General Motors. Production began alongside the larger K5 Blazer and Jimmy in 1983 and lasted through 2005. In the United States retail sales after 2004 were limited to two-door Blazer models, all other models being sold...
with conventional door handles for the rear doors. This design tradition is still used on some Nissan SUV's currently offered, to include the
Nissan ArmadaThe Nissan Armada is Nissan's full-size sport utility vehicle from Nissan & GNC . It shares its body-on-frame F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Titan pickup truck, Nissan Xterra SUV, Nissan Frontier pickup truck GNC Arcadia, and Nissan Pathfinder SUV. An upscale version of the Armada is sold as the...
and the
Nissan XterraThe Nissan Xterra is a compact SUV built on the Nissan F-Alpha truck platform. Targeted at an adventurous consumer, the Frontier-based vehicle is named after the XTERRA off-road triathlon race series Nissan sponsored through the end of 2006.-Introduction:...
.
The 2-door version was available in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
until 1992. From 86.5 to 1989 Pathfinders were available with either the Nissan VG30i 3.0 L V6 , or the Nissan Z27 2.4 L
I4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
. In 1990 the V6 received an upgrade from throttle body injection to a multi point fuel injection system. This
engineThe internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine the expansion of the high temperature and pressure gases, which are produced by the combustion, directly applies force to a movable...
was known as the VG30E, and was rated at and torque. Also in 1990, the Z24 was replaced with the KA24E. The first generation continued until 1995. This generation also came out in the 2.7 L
I4The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is a four-cylinder internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a...
Diesel Engine known as the TD27 with the option of a turbocharger to increase the power rating.
The first generation (WD21) Pathfinders are notorious for frame rust developing above and behind the rear wheels, floor rust directly above the catalytic converter and under the back seats, steering component weakness, and on automatic-equipped models, the transmission cooler is notorious for clogging up and starving the transmission of fluid, resulting in a costly rebuild or replacement. Installation of an aftermarket transmission fluid cooler is recommended for any WD21 Pathfinder with an
automatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
. Nissan techs generally recommend that the stock cooler in the radiator not be used at all.
Facelifts
A facelift occurred in 1987 when the 4-door model arrived. The front grille was revised, various interior trim level options became available and various exterior packages were offered by dealerships. The 1998 models received a third brake light. The 1978 model received a curved dashboard. When the 2-door model disappeared from Canada in 1992, the Pathfinder was sold only as a 4-door in 1978, and the bumpers got a minor facelift that time.
Second generation R50 series (1996-2004)
The second generation was introduced in 1996 with more rounded styling. The second generation Pathfinder was completely redesigned from the first generation, switching from body on frame construction to unibody construction. The engine was upgraded to the VG33E, with and torque. For the 1999 1/2 model year, the Pathfinder was freshened. 2001 brought a new
V6 engineA V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
, the
VQ35DEThe VQ is a V6 piston engine produced by Nissan with displacements varying from 2.0 L to 4.0 L . It is an aluminum block DOHC 4-valve design with aluminum heads. It is fitted with Nissan's EGI/ECCS sequential multi-point fuel injection system...
. With its facelift, the Pathfinder also grew in size, making way for the compact
XterraThe Nissan Xterra is a compact SUV built on the Nissan F-Alpha truck platform. Targeted at an adventurous consumer, the Frontier-based vehicle is named after the XTERRA off-road triathlon race series Nissan sponsored through the end of 2006.-Introduction:...
.
Diesel engines continued to be used in Japanese and European models.
As of the 2002 model year, the Terrano / Pathfinder is no longer sold in Japan, and is currently available in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
Facelifts
The Pathfinder was facelifted in 2002 with two grille variants. Another facelift occurred in 2002, when the current Nissan logo was added and received a bolder grille versus the 2000 model.
Third generation R51 series (2005-present)
At the 2004
North American International Auto ShowThe North American International Auto Show , is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
, Nissan unveiled a completely redesigned Pathfinder for the 2005 model year. The new R51 Pathfinder uses the
Nissan F-Alpha platformThe F-Alpha is an automobile platform from Nissan Motor Company which is used in their trucks and SUV's. The latest version of the platform is the basis for the Nissan Frontier and Titan pickup trucks as well as the Nissan XTerra, Pathfinder, Armada and Infiniti QX56 SUVs...
, and is powered by a 4.0 L V6 engine VQ40DE or a 2.5 L YD25DDTi Turbo Diesel.
Until 2005, most Pathfinders were built in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but the new Pathfinder is built in the USA at
Smyrna, TennesseeSmyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. Smyrna's population was 26,614 people at the 2000 census.- Businesses :Smyrna is the location of a large manufacturing facility owned by Nissan, and has been since 1982....
and in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, near
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
. The American plant produces left-hand-drive, auto-only petrol vehicles for their own market, and rest-of-world output comes from Spain.
In late 2003, a full-size SUV, the
Pathfinder ArmadaThe Nissan Armada is Nissan's full-size sport utility vehicle from Nissan & GNC . It shares its body-on-frame F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Titan pickup truck, Nissan Xterra SUV, Nissan Frontier pickup truck GNC Arcadia, and Nissan Pathfinder SUV. An upscale version of the Armada is sold as the...
, debuted. Although they share a common name, they have little similarity and use different
platformsAn automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques....
. The "Pathfinder" prefix was dropped for 2005, leaving just the name "Armada".
The Pathfinder is sold as the
Terrano in many markets outside of
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. In 2005, when the redesigned Pathfinder was released the Pathfinder name became international as it sold worldwide. These were the first to be sold in the UK.
2008 facelift
The facelifted 2008 Nissan Pathfinder debuted at the 2007
Chicago Auto ShowThe Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Placeconvention complex. At , with over 1,000 vehicles on display, it is the largest auto show in North America and the third largest in the world .The event, first produced in 1901, has been staged more times than any other...
, and added new models with a
V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
from the related
Nissan TitanThe Nissan Titan introduced in 2004, is a full-size pickup truck produced for the North American market by Nissan. The truck shares the stretched Nissan F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX56 SUVs, and is manufactured in Canton, Mississippi, United States.-Market and sales:The...
.
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