2014 Nissan Pathfinder pricing announced

Nissan has just announced pricing for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, which appeared last year as an all-new model for 2013. In addition to a Pathfinder hybrid, the lineup grows by a few trim options with the two-wheel drive Pathfinder S now starting at $29,545 and the four-wheel drive Pathfinder S starting at $31,145. At the top of the range is the Pathfinder Platinum four-wheel drive, which is expected to retail for around $42,045.

A number of options are on offer for the 2014 model year, including XM NavTraffic with NavWeather capability, Bose 13-speaker Premium Audio System, Nissan Navigation System, Voice Recognition, Zagat Survey Restaurant Guide, Bluetooth Streaming Audio, and eight-inch color touch-screen monitors.

The 2014 Pathfinder will offer 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway fuel economy in the two-wheel drive models, and 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway in the four-wheel drive models. A total of eight Pathfinder models will be offered for the 2014 model year, with four two-wheel drive models and four four-wheel drive ones. Towing capacity is 5,000 pounds across the range, and drivers in the four-wheel drive models are able to select two-wheel drive auto or four-wheel drive lock modes via a dial.

All models now come with Nissan's 3.5-liter V6, in another timely nod to the car-buying public's demands of today, and the hybrid model will be on sale in the fall. We reviewed the 2013 Pathfinder last year, and were impressed with its versatility and user-friendliness.

For 2013 the redesigned Pathfinder traded its body-on-frame construction in favor of a unibody structure, a move made by many SUVs that have morphed into crossovers over the years in response to market demand for softer handling and a bit less brawn. Out went the V8, which was replaced by a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a continuously variable transmission that is now spreading throughout the Nissan and Infiniti range. Fuel economy in the 2013 model was a respectable 19 mg city and 25 mpg highway, which is in line with the competition.

We were less impressed with the hard plastics in the 2013 model dominating the dash, as well as the resolution of the infotainment screen, which we felt should have been a bit more in keeping with the times. But we liked the versatility of the EZ Flex seating system with Latch and Glide, a clever layout that gives the Pathfinder, which seats seven passengers, a quick way to stow the extra seats.

Overall, we found the 2013 Pathfinder to have been quite a luxurious ride -- as it should have been. After all, the 2013 Pathfinder was the Nissan version of the Infiniti JX35 crossover.

Gone are the days of body-on-frame SUVs it seems, as last year the Pathfinder joined the ranks of the Ford Explorer as it reinvented itself as a more civilized soft-roader, with an interior you could only find in a luxury sedan just 15 years ago. Not that anyone's complaining, as we found that the body-on-frame trucks had perhaps overstayed their welcome given the realities of daily use in urban and suburban settings.

By Jay Ramey