It feels like a big car from behind the wheel, substantial and significant, closer in spirit to its cousins in the full-size Truck range, like the F-150, and considering the popularity of those vehicles, that’s probably no coincidence. This is reflected by the driving experience itself too. The seating position, the height, the visibility the angle of the screen, even the style of the controls and the upright dashboard, all serve to give you the impression of driving an SUV. Pathfinder also has a wider tailgate opening, and very useful 360-degree camera views allowing you to easily park it. The flat-folding third row seats are far less complex and quicker to operate, though not as impressive as the flip-and-rotate action of the Explorer’s. The Pathfinder counters with a sliding middle row seat bench, adding to legroom for the last row, although taller people will find their knees up near their ears in the back. There’s lots of cool showroom appeal in this car. The touch buttons may not be to everyone’s liking but at least they do listen to feedback, as evidenced by a proper hazard button now – previously an awkward touch system. The Ford manages to feel more solid and boasts a nicer more inviting and interesting interior. Both cars have about the same amount of cargo space, and they’re remarkably similar, both have great interior space, good comfort, cupholders in identical places, and are well kitted out. It’s a full seven seater with a third row that folds flat into the floor. Is it an SUV, a Crossover, or actually a people-carrier – well it’s all three of course, but the styling is uncertain and wavy waistlines don’t serve to add any interest to the looks. After all, we can barely tell what it is. Sadly for the Nissan, this is a very dull and rather confusing and indistinct design. It’s a far cry from the blocky old Explorer, and is handsome, sleek (for an SUV) and utterly contemporary to behold. This is such an easy win for the Family Ford – after all it looks so good that some would argue Land Rover copied some of its style for its Range Rover line-up. Scroll down and click through the pictures to read our pictorial twin-test, or read the text below – ![]() However for comparison purposes we are considering the regular 290bhp Explorer (AED135k-205k ) against the 254bhp Pathfinder (AED125k-174,500 ).īoth cars also offer base-level two-wheel drive versions with the same engines priced at AED120k ($$33k) and AED115,700 ($32k) for the Explorer and Pathfinder respectively. If offers impressively quick progress, has bigger brakes, stiffer suspension and looks absolutely fantastic thanks to black exterior trim and those cool wheels). IMPORTANT NOTE! The Ford Explorer you see in these pictures is the range-topping 365bhp twin-turbo Ford Explorer Sport (priced at AED210k. Now this new one seems to be very much in the style of a family-friendly Crossover, and less of an over off-roader altogether.īut does that make it a bad car? To find out, and to try and make some sense of the Pathfinder, we decided to put it in a head-to-head with another 7-seater priced at around the same money, also featuring a 3.5-litre V6 and four-wheel drive, the Ford Explorer. The third generation version, kept some of the off-road ability, but went upmarket and upscale. ![]() The first and second-generation Pathfinders, for example, were affordable and usable off-roaders that welcomed and took abuse. The all-new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is the fourth generation car of its lineage – but the last three generations have been entirely distinct cars with barely any common thread through them. On paper these are surprisingly close, so which would we drive home?
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