[Sportymonk]

Had the day off the other day and test drove a Pathfinder SE-OR Will incorporate comments between BigDogDad's comments:

Originally posted by BigDogDad


Ride... Test drove the '05 Pathfinder and it does ride stiffer than the Pilot. Truck like? Yes, but then again it's a truck, solid frame and all.

Ride: Agree, slightly stiffer ride but not too bad. Deliberately hit some rough spots. Not too bad if you remember what you are getting into but the Pilot wins this one hands down.

Mileage... the edge goes to the Pilot plus that's on regular gas while the Pathy manual specifies higher octane gas which means more money if that's a consideration.

Mileage: Pathy rated at 16 City but 23 Hwy. Didn't spot the Premium fuel thing though. Agreed, Pilot wins here.

Room... the Pilot wins this one hands down, the Pilot feels huge inside. Plenty of room all around. 3rd row in the Pilot is slightly bigger than the Pathy but still best suited for kids or... the in-laws!

Room: Second row seats on Pathy do not adjust front to back. If you can live with where they are, ok but you cannot slide them forward to give more room to the third row people (which need all they can get) or slide them back to give the second row folks more legroom. Pilot wins.

Third row access, Pathy does win her, it was a little easier to get into the third row in the Pathy than the Pilot.

Anything else???

Towing: That would go to the Pathy

Agreed, 6500 pound rating with trailer hitch INSTALLED FROM FACTORY (Are you listening Honda?) makes it the better tower but the question is, over the next few years, how much will you tow in that range? For me, it will only be to move in a year or two. After that, hopefully never. Would be cheaper to rent something for the one time use than to live with the Pathy for years.

Quality: Plenty of room for opinion here but the top 3 Japanese manufacturers seem to be in this order... Toyota, Honda then Nissan.

Cloth seats stink! At least the blue fabric did as it had larger holes in the weave. The samples indicated the tan interior has smaller holes (look at one and hopefully you will see what I mean). Maybe they are trying to get people to buy leather.

Sales & Service: Depends on your local dealer. My local Honda dealer is far nicer to deal with then when I had my 4Runner... hated the Toyota dealer, would never go back just for that reason.

Other:
- Nissan: Pathy is newly redesigned for '05 if you are concerned with "first year flaws". Nice to be able to get NAV & RES!

- Honda: At or below invoice deals and.... HP-Org!

Good luck with your decision!

Seats did fold relatively flat which after much looking at different vehicles, appears to be a rarity. (Don't know why.) Cargo area in back was not carpeted.

IMHO If you need an off road vehicle or you have a business which requires towing a lot, the Pathfinder is hands down the way to go BUT if you are the average person who simply makes an occasional heavy tow and the rest of the time simply tows a boat of stuff from Home Depot and you want a decent riding vehicle, then the Pilot is the hands down winner. It all depends upon your needs.

For me - Honda Pilot wins. Now to find out what the 06s will be like. If they have VCM like the Ody, I may get an 05 instead. (Steel Blue EX-L, Tow package, crossbars, mudflaps, extended warranty,)