The SUV craze really got going in the 1980s. People wanted to go off-road, slinging mud and water as they blasted through the terrain. Or, at least, they wanted vehicles thatĀ could do that, even if they never got around to it. In these heady times, the Nissan Pathfinder burst on to the scene, establishing a nameplate that lives on to this day.
The Pathfinder has been many things over the years. It’s also worn many different names in many different markets. You might have known it as the Terrano, or Terramax, or even the Infiniti QX4 at one point. Regardless of the moniker, it started out as a rugged outdoorsy machine and transformed into something altogether different over the years. How does this happen, and why does it happen so often? We’ll find out.
We’re gonna run the numbers and look at how the Pathfinder has shifted and changed over the years. We’ll look at price, equipment, and capability, and how it’s continued to find a place in our ever-changing automotive world. I’ve my usual pile of archival documentation, so let’s go!
PRICE: 2024 Nissan Pathfinder v. 1987 Nissan Pathfinder
The Nissan Pathfinder was first shown to the world in 1985, entering production in May 1986 for the 1987 model year. It was initially available as a relatively long two-door SUV, with a four-door model following in 1990 in the US. It was a proper body-on-frame SUV available in both rear- and four-wheel-drive. As was the style at the time, it shared a platform with the Nissan Hardbody truck. However, the Pathfinder gained a rear five-link coil suspension for improved handling off-road.
The 1987 model launched at a base price of $12,999, equivalent to $36,021 today. In 1993, the US median family income was $30,850, equivalent to $85,488 today.
The 2024 Pathfinder starts at $38,040 by comparison, including destination fees. That’s just over $2000 more expensive than the original 1987 model after accounting for inflationāa remarkably similar price point after all this time. In 2023, the closest year that the Census Bureau has released data for, median family income was $80,610. Adjusted for inflation in the last year, it’s equal to $83,280 today.
The Pathfinder has gotten a touch more expensive, and family incomes have gotten a touch lower, over the past 37 years. In very simple terms, it’s a bit harder to stump up the cash for a Pathfinder today, but not excessively so.
POWER & WEIGHT: 2024 Pathfinder v. 1987 Pathfinder
When it comes to the drivetrain, the original Pathfinder had some interesting engine options. The smaller, marginally more efficient choice was the fuel-injected 2.4-liter inline-four, known as the Z24i. It put out 103 horsepower and 134 pound-feet of torque, and was solely available in the E model. Not a lot of grunt! It was only available with a five-speed manual.
Alternatively, you could get the 3.0-liter overhead-cam V6 if you were so inclined. The VG30i was related to the VG30E used in the Nissan 300ZX, but relied on throttle-body rather than multi-point injection.. It was capable of putting out 140 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque. The price for that added power was a small hit to efficiency, with the V6 recording slightly poorer fuel economy figures (discussed below).
How were the engines? Reliable enough and powerful enough to do the job. Neither had an exceptional reputation, but lived up to expectations without fuss or early undue failures.
ThereĀ was a diesel version available, but not in the United States in 1987. Other markets got the Nissan TD27 diesel (94 hp), or the TD27T turbodiesel in due time (~99 hp). This may have netted some fuel economy improvements, but the American market was moving away from diesels in this class in the late 1980s.
The 2024 Pathfinder keeps things simpler. All models run the VQ35DDāa 3.5-liter direct-injection gasoline V6āas seen in the previous model as well. It delivers 284 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque, and is paired with a nine-speed automatic gearbox built by ZF.
However, you can get a slightly higher power figure on some trims. If you’re shopping at the top of the tree, you can get yourself 295 hp and 270 pound feet of torque as a nice little upgrade. This is available on the more rugged Rock Creek trim, with slightly poorer fuel economyā20 mpg city, 23 mpg highway.
Crunching the numbers, the 1987 Pathfinder didn’t have the greatest power-to-weight ratio. It hit 0.029 horsepower per pound in the base E model with the four-cylinder engine, or 0.037 horsepower per pound in the heavier XE trim with the V6. As for the 2024 models, it’s a totally different story. Power to weight is much improved at 0.065 horsepower per pound. That drops to 0.063 in the more powerful but heavier rugged trims. Either way, you’re getting more spritely acceleration than the early models.
Obviously, the current Pathfinder is quite a bit faster than the original. Car and Driver recorded the 2024 model as hitting 6.7 seconds in the zero-to-6o mph sprint. Meanwhile, in 1987,Ā Motor Trend timed a V6 Pathfinder doing the same in a leisurely 12.7 seconds. We’d estimate the four-cylinder would have landed at around the 15-second mark.
Economy: 2024 Pathfinder v. 1987 Pathfinder
But what of fuel economy? It’s a prime concern today, given the way gas prices have climbed. Gas was a fair bit cheaper in 1987ājust $0.90 a gallon, or $2.49 today. Average gas prices now sit at $3.40 a gallon across the country in 2024.
In 1987, the Pathfinder’s fuel economy was typical of its era, but it’s poor by today’s standards. The four-cylinder E model would get you 16 mpg city and 19 mpg highway according to contemporary EPA estimates in the brochure. If you stepped up to the V6 models, you could expect 15 mpg city, and 18 mpg highway. Scratch that down to 16 mph highway if you were stuck with the three-speed automatic. Those figures have since been revised downwards by the EPA in the intervening years. as seen below.
The 2024 model does a fair bit better. The basic V6 models will do 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. The more rugged model with the higher-output engine will still hit 20 mpg around town, but suffers on the highway, hitting just 23 mpg.Ā
Drivetrains: 2024 Pathfinder v. 1987 Nissan Pathfinder
The Pathfinder debuted as a simple truck-based SUV. It was intended for rough-and-tumble use, and sold in some markets as a kind of trail-ready counterpart to the sporty (and road-going) Nissan 300ZX. To that end, Nissan built the Pathfinder around the Hardbody truck, and gave it the same classical four-wheel-drive drivetrain in turn.
Engaging four-wheel-drive was a manual affairāit was engaged by the driver using the second shifter, as was the style at the time. While some markets got 2WD-only models, the Pathfinder landed in the US solely in four-wheel-drive trim until some years later.
It’s worth noting that the drivetrain is very different in the current model. The Pathfinder abandoned body-on-frame after the third generation model. The current fifth-gen models are unibody SUVs that are available with either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. It’s a very different proposition to the true four-wheel-drive layout of old. It’s also only available with a nine-speed automatic, with Nissan moving away from the CVTs seen on some previous-generation models. Manuals are nowhere to be seen.
Nissan still touts the Pathfinder as an off-road vehicle, of course. The press images show us Pathfinders roaming in various outdoor scenes, and the center console boasts a fancy terrain mode selector for off-road antics. Ultimately, though, it’s very much serving road duty for many customers, given front-wheel-drive models are now so popular.
Options: 2024 Pathfinder v. 1987 Pathfinder
Despite being based on a truck, the Pathfinder wasn’t a stripped-out barebones SUV. In Japan, it was seen as a luxury upmarket vehicle, and Nissan took the same tack in the US. As per the brochure, the designers took “A sporty, aerodynamic approach that combines the fun and versatility of 4-wheel drive with the comfort of a luxury sedan.”
It was the 1980s, so that meant real buttons, cushy chairs, and yesācolors that today we’d consider utterly ridiculous. Red cloth interior? You betcha. Well, they had it in the Japanese market, at least.
To that end, it came with neat features like the upgraded 5-link coil spring suspension to improve handling versus the Hardbody pickup, and automatic locking front hubs for four-wheel-drive. Other standard features included power steering, brake wear sensors, rear defroster, low-fuel warning light, and dual mirrors. Some of this stuff we now consider basic was considered special in 1987. The base interior was trimmed in vinyl.
Cashed-up buyers could spec the pop-up sunroof, air conditioning, or the driver-adjustable shock absorbersāquite a fancy electronic feature for 1987. There was also the obvious option of a swing-away spare tire carrier, alloy wheels, and 31-inch tires on 15-inch rimsāpretty big meats for the era, and the largest in the class. Nissan also threw on power door locks, power windows, power mirrors, an adjustable steering column, tachometer, and an electronically-tuned AM/FM cassette deck for the higher trims. You could step up to tweed cloth interior, or full-face cloth, if you were buying the XE or SE trims. There was also an extra-rugged off-road suspension upgrade available if you really intended to thrash the thing.
The new 2024 model has altogether more equipment as standard. For a start, it’s got airbags, ABS, and all the usual modern safety equipment under the Nissan Safety Shield 360 pack. Basically, it includes lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warnings, and rear cross-traffic alerts to ideally keep you from hitting anything or anyone. You also get tri-zone automatic climate control as standard, because nobody wants to go without air conditioning these days. Humanity has moved on. There’s also wired Apple CarPlay on the 8-inch infotainment screen. Power locks and power windows are now standard as is typical of virtually all modern cars.Options and equipment on higher trims includes power folding mirrors, a panoramic moon roof, and power-adjustable seats. You can also specify captain’s chairs for the second row if you don’t want a bench back there. Heated and cooled seats are also available up front, as is a heads-up display and a larger 9-inch infotainment touchscreen. Nissan will also give you a wireless phone charger and a bunch of USB-A and USB-C ports to satiate your thirsty devices in the higher-end models.
You Changed
The Pathfinder has diverged wildly from its original brief. It started out as a luxury two-door SUV for roaming the wilds. It would seat five if you leaned your front seats forwards and asked your friends to jump in the back. It was plush but durable, and it was built to tackle the tough stuffāa true Sports Utility Vehicle. That’s what the Sports bit was! You were supposed to go outside and get it dirty, baby!
Of course, SUV doesn’t really mean that anymore, or perhaps we should just call the current Pathfinder a crossover. It’s smoother, faster, and more comfortable than its predecessor, with four doors and seating for up to eight. It’ll haul a good chunk of your daughter’s lacrosse team to the state finals in style. It’s just probably not as ideal for a summer jaunt through Moab anymore.
Size tells the story, too. Where the 1987 model was 171.9 inches long and 66.5 inches wide, the 2024 model busts that out to over 197.7 inches long and 77.9 inches wide. It’s grown two more doors and 26 inches longer in the last three decades, and over 11 inches wider. It’s moved away from words like “nimble” and “lithe” and towards others like “roomy” and “practical.”
To a degree, that’s what people wanted. The 1990s saw families purchasing big SUVs and barely using the off-road capabilities. The automakers responded in turn, giving these customers more of what they wanted and less of what they didn’t need. Not every off-road model underwent this transformation; there are still holdouts like the Wrangler, of course. But a great many did, and the Pathfinder is one of them.
Americans still enjoy the Pathfinder. It’s one of the more successful models for Nissan of late. It sells over 50,000 units year in year out, and gets the people where the want to go in the manner in which they’re accustomed to. Don’t expect it to drastically change; expect it to become more of what it already is with each subsequent generation. The Pathfinder’s muddy, trail-rasslin’ roots will remain but a whisper on the wind.Ā
Image credits: Nissan, Bring a Trailer
To me, the peak Pathfinder was the 3rd gen (R51).
Available V8 but the 4.0 V6 was just fine, V6 turbodiesel in some markets all with plenty of oomph, available manual and 5-speed automatic, low range transfer case with center and even rear lockers.
It was capable off-road, but the independent rear suspension made them a lot more tolerable on-road.
After this one the 4th gen was completely enshittified with the CVT. It really ended up being just an oversized nondescript Murano or Rogue.
The current one at least has a 9-speed auto but not much better otherwise, there’s nothing that really stands out versus the competition.
The new one could easily be at inflation adjusted parity with the original if they stripped out some of the mandatory bloatware it comes with, there has to be at least $2k worth of standard features that should really just be options.
I’m tired of automakers giving me extra stuff I didn’t ask for or want, charging me for it, then expecting me to be grateful as if they did me a favor.
If you hired a guy to put a new roof on your house, then while you were at work, he also replaced your windows and exterior doors, and handed you a bill for all of it, you wouldn’t care how much nicer the new windows and doors were than your old ones
I think your analogy works better for option packaging where a moonroof gets packaged with heated seats or leather requires bigger alloy wheels, things that are otherwise unrelated other than making fewer variations and easier distribution (aka sales). Even a lot of the standard safety stuff that isn’t required by law is standard in pursuit of the safety ratings that are so important for marketing now. That’s more on the IIHS.
Some of the comfort/convenience features I’d expect are standard more because it’s cheaper to have less build variety there. Sure it has tri-zone auto HVAC standard, if it were cheaper to build a separate climate control unit I’m sure they would.
Ehh. Iād still rather have the ā87 if only because it lacks modern Nissan stigma.
The 1987 version looks a heck of a lot better than anything after it. The latest on nearly looks like a gaudy, toy-like station wagon.
The C-pillar of the 2024 gives it a Ford Explorer look.
Old Pathfinder is from the glory days of Nissan. New one is from the “what’s wrong with Nissan?” days of Nissan.
That being said, the new Pathfinder isn’t really the product to complain about when it comes to Nissan’s lineup. The lack of a cool BOF SUV is entirely Nissan’s fault by cancelling the Xterra, which would still be selling well even if they had never redesigned it.
My in-laws have a Rock Creek (lol). While the Pathfinder has gotten fat, it isn’t saddled with a lot of the baggage other Nissan products have. The V6 is fine and reportedly reliable. Thank the stars they put a conventional automatic into it. The interior is genuinely nice, only ruined by the egregious decision to mount the passenger seat lower than any other SUV I’ve ever sat in. The exterior looks pretty good! And the green you can get it in is genuinely nice.
Was it a genuinely dumb choice for my in-laws who are inactive Boomers? Oh God yes. But I don’t think it’s a terrible vehicle for the right people. The rest of the Nissan lineup however…
That original Pathfinder is from the Before Times, when Nissan was my favorite Japanese automaker. Before Nissan got Ghosned.
Yeah, they were good back in the day. A wealthy college friend had a ’91 or ’92 Pathfinder V6. I rode it in it a lot and drove it a few times. I liked it a lot and really wanted one for years.
XTerra was a sort of rebirth.
I have always maintained this. As the Pathfinder went flaccid, the Xterra existed as the modern spiritual successor to the 1st gen Pathfinder. Slow, perhaps. Crude, yes. But rugged, BOF, and a legitimately good 4×4? Absolutely. Killing off the Xterra, though logical in the current automotive climate, was nonetheless dumb.
Hey I had a 1991 Pathfinder in college and loved it as well. The year was 2006. I was not wealthy. š
This was 1994-1996
Better in almost every way but the loss of a low range and the additional width is not for me. I keep getting into arguments with fellow Old people who insist old cars are better than new cars blah blah metal and fixable I like new safer much more reliable cars now. I do miss the actual off road capability of older SUVs.
I want to see Nissan take their new Pathfinder on the exact same path they took the original to Tierra Del Fuego.
The evolution of SUVs from capable adventurers to bloated on-road-only vehicles is so perfectly American.
It’s a sad metaphor of the generation that made them popular.
It’s a painful reminder that so many people are 11 inches wider these days.
LOL, microcomputer.
Did the guy get something stuck in his zipper? He is awfully cool about it if so.
Eric is waiting for his dad to come and help.
I think Nissan could be raking in cash right now if they plopped a boxy SUV body on the Frontierās chassis and sold this new Xterra at a price that undercut the insane prices for anything beyond a stripper Wrangler or Bronco. But this is Nissan weāre talking about, soā¦
This warmed my heart. I bought a used ’87, 2-door, SE, manual, swing-out tire carrier, sunroof, and 31’s. I was 16 and king of the world in my 4×4.
I think you missed a key item of interest in the ’87:
The fuel gauge! It had a sub-gauge for the last quarter of a tank. You could drive down to your last 17 ounces of fuel and still make it.
You can pick these up for a song, but you can’t make decent (let alone modern) power out of the motor without a ton of work. If anyone is looking for something to enjoy and to thrash, this is your toy.
So you say it needs an SR20 swap???
The modern Pathfinder is objectively better in every way, but subjectively? Give me the old Pathfinder every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
New pathfinder is better in every stat basically, but lacking horribly in v i b e s
If you look closely, the newer Pathfinders also have the three nostrils look in the upper part of the grille as a nod to the old design. The Rock Creek edition gets a different grille that really highlights it: 2023_nissan_pathfinder_4dr-suv_rock-creek_fq_oem_1_1280.jpg (1280Ć855) (edmunds-media.com)
Hey man, sorry to tell you this, but you messed up on the title. It should read “The 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Is Only $2000 More Expensive Than A 1987 Model, How Much
BetterWorse Is It?” The new one does nothing for me, whereas the old one really revs my engine. 3 nostrils FTW!I’m not a fan of modern Nissans, but at least this current Pathfinder seems to be somewhat competitive. My parents had a previous generation Pathfinder, and the CVT Nissan slapped in it was absolutely not up to the task at hand. It was whiny, droned like crazy, didn’t get good gas mileage, and the interior had that awful button filled fiasco of a command center that was outdated when that car was new nearly a decade ago.
It seems like there’s at least a shred of simplicity in the interior design, and a real transmission that’s made by ZF. Couple that with a meh but proven VQ35 and it seems like the new car is at least a decent vehicle for a change. The engine is getting outdated, but compared to any other modern turbo Nissan engine, it’s the one I’d want. It’s one completely divorced in ethos from the original, but at least it’s finally built to task for what it’ll be used for, shuttling children.
Like you I’m not too down on the current one either. The old one seemed outdated the moment it went on sale, with an interior already ~5 years old by Nissan’s design language then. The current one looks decent inside and out, fuel mileage is the same or a tick better than the Pilot with its updated V6…I’d be more worried about resale than durability. Speaking of resale, might make a QX60 of the current gen a good used buy. At least before MY2025 because they’re switching to the VC 2.0T. I guess they’re trying to fulfill a supplier contract or something? Hopefully the Pathfinder avoids the same fate, but I’m not too confident since I think it is or will be the last model standing with the VQ35.
why is the red interior utterly ridiculous? I would love something other than black/gray.
It’s a rather tasteful red interior, too. Compare it to Fords with red interiors at the time and the Nissan interior is much easier on the eyes.
The Ford reds were always the most whorehousey
That is a perfect description and a metric we should use for rating vehicles more often.
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
I get excited when I see brown, red, blue interiors these days. Does anyone really want the plain old black leather?
My mom had a 70s car with a white leather interior. I thought with 4 kids and 2 dogs that was not a good idea.
It’s awful when you think about the vast array of interior colors that was available in the past. But the sad truth is- making just one or two interior colors instead of 5-6-7 or even 8 saves the manufacturer an obscene amount of money. It’s cheaper, faster, and makes QC easier, so it’s a corner-office slam dunk.