2022 Nissan Pathfinder SL

2022 Nissan Pathfinder SL

The 2022 Nissan Pathfinder may possess one of the oldest SUV nameplates, but the actual vehicle itself has changed wildly over the years. It has oscillated between body-on-frame and unibody (crossover) architecture, and has grown in size and seat number.

It’s been a vehicle actually capable of finding paths and one that’s better suited to using well-paved paths already found. Now, the Pathfinder has been redesigned again and for the first time in the nameplate’s 37-year existence, it’s maintaining its architecture and seat count from one generation to the next.

The 2022 Pathfinder is still a seven-passenger crossover, and although it continues to fall into “paths already found” camp, its bolder, more chiseled appearance is at least more in keeping with Pathfinders of old. Its interior is more modern in appearance, materials quality and technology content – it’s even one of the best in the segment in that regard.

Interior space is obviously ample considering it’s a three-row SUV, but it’s also merely average in terms of third-row and cargo space. The driving experience has also been dramatically improved from its rather unfortunate predecessor, with the highlight being a new nine-speed automatic replacing the old CVT.

It still isn’t our top pick in the segment, but we’re also no longer put off. In short, the new Pathfinder is more in keeping with the nameplate’s first three generations in vibe, if still totally different in concept and engineering. That makes it a more appealing and slightly better family hauler.