2008 Nissan Pathfinder 2.4 turbo diesel from Australia and New Zealand
General Comments:
Not a bad 4WD really. After a year of ownership I only find a few minor dislikes.
The big disadvantage (only if you would need it) is the limited range one 80 litre fuel tank gives you. With the rear seats and the spare wheel tucked away very nicely underneath, there's just no spare room for another tank - despite what some Nissan salesmen may tell you.
Now here's a problem - Can you believe that Nissan put alloy wheels on the Pathfinder, but:
THE SPARE WHEEL IS A NON MATCHING STEEL WHEEL WITHOUT EVEN A DUST CAP.
So whenever you get a puncture and put on the spare, it looks total crap and you then have to swap it back when the puncture's fixed.
And... when you rotate the tyres, if you want to rotate five tyres as we've always done so as to get max use out of our tyre set, you have to remove the tyres from two wheels and swap them over each time.
Nissan have even changed their manuals to now show a four wheel tyre rotation instead of the old five wheel rotation.
I can't believe Nissan would deceive their customers in this way, just because the spare wheel is out of sight underneath. All to save a measly few dollars.
There's a simple answer:
When you buy your vehicle, SPECIFY A SPARE WHEEL TO MATCH THE OTHER FOUR, or if they won't wear that, then after you've agreed your price:
DEDUCT A FURTHER $500 TO COMPENSATE YOU FOR THE ADDED EXPENSE OF SWAPPING TYRES ALL THE TIME.
Here's another issue.
Think carefully before you accept Nissan's 'Vehicle protection Plan' - It's grossly overpriced, and my experience the gunk they spray over the inside paint surfaces is a total pain. It leaves a sticky surface which attracts dust and never looks clean, and I suspect it damages the paintwork, as my paintwork now scratches and flakes at the slightest touch.
flebus41@yahoo.com
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 28th September, 2009
12th Sep 2011, 05:42
Don't be too hard on the spare wheel. With modern radial tyres, I'm told that once the rotation direction has been established, it should not be changed. Hence a spare, which can be used either side, should always be used as a spare. The other four tyres simply get swopped back to front and vice versa to keep the wear pattern fairly uniform. The spare only becomes an issue if you decide to change the type of tyre, so that the spare ends up being very different, and you drive as though the tyres match. My suggestion is to keep the spare as a spare, and then you only ever have to replace 4 tyres at a time - much easier on cash flow timing, too.
My car came with Wrangler S4's, and I replaced them with BFG A/T's, and I kept the best Wrangler as a spare. The Wranglers only lasted 50000km, but the BFG's are due for replacement now at a further 90000km. I'll keep the Wrangler as it is still in good condition, and doesn't have much wear or sun damage on it. But if I'm in a pickle with a puncture, I'll just drive carefully on the Wrangler until the new tyre gets repaired.