thoughts on the Nissan Pathfinder on the 4WD hierarchy scale?

Gday
If the vehicle has been as good as you need so far, then there is no problem. There will always be someone who wants to spend your money their way.

G'day iluv,
There are those who scoff at Pathfinders but if you check out the forum on PCOA (Pathfinders Club of Australia) you'll find there are lots of Pathy owners who really do take them anywhere and everywhere.
Mine takes me everywhere I want; and does it very comfortably - unlike some 4by's I've been in.

Its quite a good car iluvthebush and has a far degree of 4wd capability.

The front independant and rear live axle suspension have over 200mm of wheel travel each and more than the leaf springs on some other cars.

A reason people don't think of them as true 4wd is the type of body construction which is not as robust as a full seperate chassis car like a Patrol.

Pajero did this as well and seem to have survived.

A girl in our family has the later R51 (because it looks tough and was cheaper than a Hummer), but this version went back to a chassis but went independant suspension all round and these now actually have less 4wd capability than a friends 1999 model.

it would be classed as a soft off roader. No offence but when you take into account the suspension bits and pieces, driveline, clearance angles etc it's not in the same league as Patrol, Landcruiser, Defenders.

Hi Iluvthebush,

If you are happy with your machine and it has not let you down then there is no point changing at this point in time. Just get on with liking it a lot. You can't beat that feeling.

If on your travels you find it is lacking in one area of capability or another then you will know it is time to think about a more capable unit. This is not saying your machine is not capable. More that you will know when it is time to move on vehicle wise.

In the mean time let the blokes rave on as we like to do. You are probably doing more to enjoy your vehicle than they are.

The places some of the old timers went in just 2 wheel drives makes us look like whimps in our flash 4 wheel drives.

If you are happy then you are on the money. You will know when it is time to update without anyone telling you.

By the way luvthebush, don't we all mate.

Cheers and happy travels, Bruce.

Without a doubt our 1999 R50 TI Pathfinder the best allround vehicle I've owned. Was our main vehicle for many years travelling over 260000km around this great land, with 50% of that towing 2000kg van, much of that on dirt roads like Gibb River RD, Plenty Hwy, etc. 4x4 into Vic high country areas etc. only modification was PolyAir springs,it's now our just a town runabout back up vehicle.

Enjoy your travels

Ignore the comments, just understand the limitations, which it seems you do. If you love the car it sounds like a good one, so enjoy. Certainly more than a glorified station wagon.

Heres another thread on your car, all sounds good. Enjoy..

99 Pathfinder

hi iluvthebush

most of the crictics who make these comments you'll find have never driven a pathfinder
and also live and talk extreme offroad driving conditions
they drive vehicles with all the after market add-ons

half of which it is totally unneeded or just on their vehicle for show bits

they heavilly condem every other vehicle based on what they drive and in their mind to justify the money they have spent on there own rig

i might add that its their money and it's quiet ok by me
if thats what they want to do
every man to themslves and good on them for living their dream by doing this they raise the bar to a level that is way above the average 4x4 capabillities
but forget that the average 4x4 can still go places and do it quiet well with common sense approach by you the driver
don't let their boofhead comments deter you
as the pathfinder is a very capable vehicle and i have had the company of several on various 4x4 trips and they got through just as well as every other vehicle
despite the usuall comments from owners of adverse rigs claiming they would be battling
i get the same each time about my 14yr old mazda bravo but no one has had to tow me yet
but i have had to help those with the talkng heads get out of some situations

so enjoy your pathfinder and dont be put off by the ones who wouldn't be seen dead in one
the fact that there are thousands of stock standard 4x4's driving around this big country and getting there just the same
cheers and enjoy your travels and photography
barry

Gday iluvthebush,

Bought the Mrs a 02 model Pathy with low kms back in 04 and we gave it a 2" lift with Rancho shocks, bull bar and a custom made roof rack etc. It took us places like across the Simpson Desert French line, Sturt stoney desert, Birdsville tk, Old Andado tk, Boggy hole, Oodnadatta tk, Sky trek, all around the Flinders ranges, Fraser Island, down Vic etc etc.
Not to mention countless weekend camping trips sometimes towing 3 bikes car/trailer packed to the limit, It copped an absolute flogging. When we returned from our trips It got a quick tub then the Mrs got it back as her day to day commuter and shopping trolley. We sold it with over 100,000 hard kms on it and was still going strong, was just to small for our growing family.
The wife and I loved the R50 Pathy and driven with care "It would go any where a cruiser and Patrol would go".
No way is the R50 a soft roader, just have a laugh at any one that says it (actions speak louder than words).
Aftermarket accessories are a little limited compared to the others, however there is enough out there to make a pretty good "little" tourer (Long range fuel tank, Roof cage, Aftermarket suspension, polyairs, single wheel carrier, small dual battery system).

IMO the achilles heel of the R50 is the torque convertor! Make sure you do a complete auto service every 30,000kms for the torque convertors tend to delaminate If the oil is not changed at the correct intervals and when this gets pumped through the valve body of the Auto and can be a very expensive rebuild.

Other than this they are a solid little unit when set up correctly and WILL take you where ever you want to go, they have a brilliant LSD (like most Nissans) there very predictable on a dirt track with good feed back.

Cheers

Iluv,
Your Pathie was built in Japan before Nissan started losing the plot, and are far better enjineered and built then the current Spanish built ones.
Just enjoy it.
Cheers Pete

In the scale of 4x4 ability the Pathfinder is a mid range performer. It's simply restricted by wheel travel, approach, ramp over & departure angles, tyre size, gearing & ground clearance. As 90% of Aussie tracks are of an easy / intermediate standard, you will find the vehicle will go most places without too many issues however the boys probably have cause to believe you may struggle in some circumstances being a novice driving a vehicle with minimal ground clearance.
Cheers Craig................

Thanx to all you four wheel drivers out there. Inspirational stuff I can tell you. I fully have confidence back in my 'beautiful drive' Pathy now. I agree with most comments and will take all the suggestions on board. Ground clearance is definitely an issue, so will deal with that.
How would be the best way to do this? I think it already has shocks fitted by the previous owner who said it lifted the car by about 2 inches, not sure how he did it. Would definitely like to go up a little higher though.
Really appreciate all your comments and will get back to each one soon, so much help for a girl who loves the bush!......