Nowadays, all the rage in cars and trucks is something that comes down in the middle between cars and trucks, the so-called “crossover utility vehicle,” or CUV.  It is built on the unibody platform like a car, but it has a size and presence (more or less) of a truck.  The success realized by Lexus with its original RX300 and Honda with its CR-V is something that other vehicle manufacturers have, belatedly in most instances, come to covet, so the market is being flooded with vehicles that are more cute than they are utile.

Still, some people really need something rugged.  Something that is able to deal with conditions that are somewhat more demanding than a Nordstrom’s parking lot or the hill that leads to the restaurant overlooking the beach.  They need a vehicle that needs frame rails below the body.  The Pathfinder has an all-steel, fully boxed frame.  It may not lead to the most comfortable driving while on the highway, but you’ve got to live with certain conditions if you want to be able to handle the rigors of challenging conditions.

The Nissan Pathfinder is a real SUV.  And what’s admirable about it is that it doesn’t try to hide what it is with sinuous surfaces.  This is pretty much a straight-forward, straight up machine that is meant to transport people and their property wherever they need to get.  Looked at from the back, it is nearly square (check the height and width dimensions, below.)  This is not to say that it is the vehicular equivalent of bread-and-water.  It’s much better than that.  But it doesn’t pretend, and there are no pretentions.  This is a truck.  Do not be misled.  It is fit for a purpose that might include going to places where the ruts in the road might swallow or otherwise deconstruct lesser vehicles, going to places where, well, you get dirty.

For the ’08 model there are some exterior changes in the front and rear, with there being a new hood, grille, front and rear bumpers, and rear liftgate.  It looks slightly more refined than the predecessor.  Slightly.  This is not about manners.  Inside, there are three rows of seating, with the third being slightly less an Iron Maiden than most third rows.  Slightly.  No one ever wants to sit in any third row unless it is something from ThomasBuilt.  Inside, there are improved amenities.  The vehicle as Driven had the “SE Leather” package ($1,850), which not only put leather surfaces on rows 1 and 2 and heaters in the front, as well as a four-way power passenger seat (the driver’s is 8-way power), and dual power heated mirrors.  Nice.

But even the shape of the IP doesn’t pretend that this is anything other than what it is.  A serious truck of the SUV variety.  If that’s what you’re looking for, look at the Pathfinder.

Vehicle as Driven

Engine: 5.6-liter V8  Aluminum block and head.

Horsepower: 310 hp @ 5,200 rpm

Torque: 388 lb-ft @ 3,400 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 112.2 in.

Overall length: 192.5 in.

Height: 72.8 in.

Width: 72.6 in.

Curb weight: 5,030 lb.

MSRP: $32,850; with accessories and destination: $38,260