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When it comes to a three-row home SUV, the Highlander is an absolute example of its price point. In order to break the wrist with Highlander, many brands have launched special models, but Honda and Nissan, which are also the three major Japanese brands, have not been able to benchmark with Highlander, at least not in China.
Lately, though, Nissan seems to be unable to resist. As early as the end of last year, there were rumors that Nissan would introduce a three-row medium-sized SUV, the Pathfinder (commonly known as the Pathfinder), into China and achieve domestic production this year. Now, the State Intellectual Property Office has released the appearance patent map of this car, which further confirms the information that it wants to be domestically produced.
Source: Autohome Official
Although Dongfeng Nissan has not yet officially expressed its position, many people feel that localization is already a nail in the coffin. Assuming that it is really domestic, then does this car, which some people jokingly call "Nissan's Highlander", have the strength to compete with the Highlander? What advantages does it have over other models in its class?
The life of the "Pathfinder"
The new model is on the same platform as the QX60
It is expected to be domestically produced this year
Pathfinder, or Pathfinder, an early version of it, can be described as the name suggests, it is really used for off-road, pathfinding. It uses a non-load-bearing body and also shares a platform with pickup trucks.
The first generation of pathfinders
The second generation of pathfinders
In the past, pathfinders did not introduce China through official channels, and only a very small number of trolleys entered China through parallel imports and brought by foreign companies. However, the third generation of pathfinders has a distant relative in China who is not lowly known, called Zhengzhou Nissan Paladin.
The third generation of pathfinders
Paladin
In 2012, the fourth generation of Pathfinder no longer shared the platform with pickup trucks, but was built based on the "D platform". This platform is a mid-size sedan/SUV platform jointly developed by Nissan and Renault.
4th Generation Pathfinder (Australian Version)
One of the first models to be built on the D platform
Renault 3rd Laguna (2007)
In the first half of 2021, Nissan released the fifth generation of Pathfinder, saying that the car is on the same platform as the new Infiniti QX60. At present, the domestic version of the new QX60 has begun to pre-sell.
New Pathfinder (US Version)
New QX60 (domestic version has started pre-sale)
However, this car is not a major replacement of the reborn. Because it, like the fourth-generation model, is based on the "D platform".
Compared with the fourth generation, the main change of the fifth generation is the complete abandonment of the CVT, the use of a 9AT gearbox, and the addition of more safety and technology configurations, and the four-wheel drive version also adopts a new multi-terrain selection system.
At present, the State Intellectual Property Office has published the appearance patent map of the fifth generation of pathfinder domestic version (suspected), which further indicates that pathfinder is likely to be domestic. Some even feel that it will be available by the end of the year.
However, Dongfeng Nissan has not yet announced the configuration details of this car, so the next content is based on the US version of the model information, plus my speculation. If the content of the official notice does not match my prediction, please refer to the official notice.
Position medium to large SUVs
Or into Nissan's new flagship
The Pathfinder is a medium-sized SUV, and the Highlander is only a medium-sized SUV, the former is about a few centimeters more than the latter in all dimensions; but in the medium and large SUV, the Pathfinder is medium or even small, which is smaller than the QX60 on the same platform.
On paper, the wheelbase of the AMERICAN version of Pathfinder is more than 1mm more than the QX60, and this gap is caused by unit conversion (inch to millimeter + rounding). The wheelbase of the domestic version of the Pathfinder will most likely be the same as the domestic version of the new QX60.
New QX60 domestic version
The huge size brings excellent interior space, the American version of the Pathfinder has 7 seats and 8 seats in two layouts, and the two or three rows of space are excellent, and the seats are also Nissan's ancestral "big sofas". Rumors say that the domestic version will only provide a 7-seat version, but the official has not yet said anything. We hope that Dongfeng's daily production capacity will provide different options.
The US version of the Pathfinder 8-seat version
Mid-row seats
At present, the highest positioning in the Dongfeng Nissan SUV product line is Loulan, but it is only a medium-sized SUV, and the model is old, the competitiveness is weak, and the sales volume and popularity are not high. Nissan needed a more competent SUV flagship, and the larger, newer Pathfinder was a good fit for the new flagship.
Lou Lan
After clarifying the positioning of pathfinder, we can predict its price after domestic production.
Considering that the price difference within non-luxury brands in the adjacent two levels is generally smaller, we speculate that the domestic Pathfinder guidance price is about 280,000-360,000, which is about a level that is 10,000 or 20,000 more expensive than Highlander and 10,000 or 20,000 cheaper than other medium-sized and large SUVs (non-luxury brands).
And the overseas version of the comparison,
What will happen to the domestic version?
Large displacement self-priming
You may have to switch to 2.0T
The engine may be the biggest difference between the overseas version and the domestic version. Taking the US version as an example, the US version is equipped with a 3.5L V6 self-priming engine as standard, and it is known for its delicate running quality VQ35.
Source: Autohome
On the official website of the United States, the new pathfinder has a maximum power of 284 horsepower
The domestic version is likely to use the QX60's same 2.0T, which has suffered losses in displacement and number of cylinders, but with variable compression ratio technology, its parameters are also good. Compared with the US version of the big V6, the 2.0T is theoretically better at the beginning of the stage, and the fuel consumption is also lower.
Transmission performance to be seen
In terms of transmission, pathfinder comes standard with a transverse platform 9AT transmission from ZF (the supplier of BMW 8AT), which matches the front-drive and four-wheel drive systems. At this point, it should be the same as the American version of Pathfinder and the domestic QX60. In foreign countries, the wind evaluation of this gearbox is not very good, and the main problems include slow gear shifting, sudden setbacks, loud noise, etc., and the failure rate is relatively high.
Cherokee: This gearbox is unreliable
ZF said that its own gearbox hardware foundation is very good, and the main reason for the above problems is improper software matching. In addition, the wind evaluation of poor transmission reliability mainly comes from Jeep and Chrysler's cars, and the reliability of these brands has never been high, and car companies should not dump the supplier.
Guandao: This gearbox, I use reliably
We believe that Nissan's software tuning ability is relatively strong, and this gearbox will be more mature today than it was a few years ago. However, for the sake of insurance, after the pathfinder is domestically produced, everyone may wish to wait and see for a while.
10 airbags may become 8
In terms of configuration, the standard 10 airbags in the whole series is a highlight of the US version of the Pathfinder, but we speculate that the domestic version has a high probability of not having this configuration, because the domestic QX60, which starts from 450,000, only has 8 airbags.
Schematic diagram of the layout of the U.S. version of the Pathfinder airbag
Two knee airbags are missing in the front row
Although there are not many 8, we still hope that domestic cars will not reduce the allocation of air bags.
Competitor comparison
Pathfinder space is not small
But the advantages of the border are even greater
Pathfinder's most direct opponent is the medium-sized and large-scale SUVs with three rows of seats under the joint venture non-luxury brand, such as Volkswagen Lanjing and Ford Explorer.
Although the Highlander is positioned as a medium-sized SUV, due to its prominent reputation, it is often "touched by porcelain" by competitors with high-half-grade models. In terms of size, the Highlander does have a significant gap with these medium- and large SUVs.
Constrained by size, Highlander's third row is small and has a high platform, with thin cushions and steep backrests, making the ride feel average.
This is the third row of the Crown Land
The small roll was already a little suffocated sitting in
The Ford Explorer uses a longitudinal layout, and the powertrain encroaches on more cockpit space, and the actual space is not so large. Relatively speaking, the space of pathfinders and borderliners performs better.
The third row of the overseas version of pathfinder
In fact, it is only a little stronger than Highlander
Of course, if the third row of your car often needs to sit people, the larger package is more suitable for you.
The third row of space is OK
The power level is in the same level as the upper middle
In terms of power, the strongest in the same class is undoubtedly Volkswagen's 2.5T, and it is also a six-cylinder machine, which is more delicate in theory, and the confidence is more sufficient when accelerating on the highway. The Pathfinder's power level is still outstanding, between the 2.0T high power and 2.5T version, but it is inferior to the Explorer's 2.3T.
The V6 engine of the Frontier is very powerful
In addition to these cars in the table, the medium and large SUVs of non-luxury joint venture brands also have Chevrolet Trailblazer, Buick Encore Flag, etc., most of which use 2.0T engines, but the maximum power is generally around 230 horsepower, which is about 20 less than the Pathfinder. Overall, I think pathfinder's power level is in the upper middle of the same level.
However, the Explorer is the only one of these models to use a longitudinal four-wheel drive platform, and the ability to limit the sliding between axles is also stronger. In terms of off-road capabilities, all of the above cars are far inferior to the explorers.
Fuel consumption and reliability remain to be seen
As for the fuel consumption that everyone cares about, the Highlander equipped with a hybrid system needless to say, such a large car is generally only 7 or 8, and there can be 5 or 6 oils under ideal conditions. The comprehensive fuel consumption of other models is basically about 10, and the 2.5T six-cylinder is even 12 or more.
Only the fuel consumption of the Pathfinder is unknown, the US version of the powertrain is completely different, equipped with the new QX60 domestic version of the same 2.0T+9AT is still in the pre-sale stage, and there is not even a car equipped with the same 2.0T+9AT in China (the QX50 engine is the same model, but the gearbox is CVT), so there is no reference object. So, if you're interested in Pathfinder but are more concerned about fuel consumption, we recommend you wait and see for a while.
In addition to fuel consumption performance, Pathfinder's reliability performance also requires more attention. In recent years, Nissan's reliability ratings have been declining, and even Infiniti has not been spared. Last year, the imported previous-generation QX60 also appeared on the 315 party due to frequent transmission failures.
The old QX60, who was named at the 315 party
By this generation of QX60, the "culprit" CVT gearbox has been completely abandoned, we are willing to believe that the new QX60, as well as the domestic pathfinder that may use the same gearbox, the reliability has made great progress.
The new QX60 with a powertrain
However, nissan/Infiniti once had a big selling point of high reliability, but now it is a pity to worry that it is unreliable.
Write at the end
I regret that the new cars that Nissan had pinned high hopes on failed to carry the flag. For example, the new Qijun head iron for three cylinders led to dismal sales, forcing the old Qijun to resume production; on the contrary, the Qashqa has not changed for many years, but sometimes it can become the second pillar of brand sales.
Although such a situation will not directly threaten the survival of the enterprise, it will be quite damaging to the brand power. Therefore, as a new model, the Pathfinder will not only become the new flagship of the SUV, but also take on the responsibility of maintaining the brand image.
Pathfinders, who may really be helping Nissan find their way
According to the information of the US version of the model, I speculate that the domestic version of the Pathfinder should be a medium and large three-row SUV with high space utilization, emphasis on comfort, and power level in the same class. Cars with the above characteristics should be more popular in China as long as the price is reasonable.
So, what are your expectations for the domestic pathfinder? How much do you think this car should sell for? Can it be the "Highlander of Nissan"? Feel free to speak up in the comments section!