Country Car : Nissan Pathfinder 4×4 18/02/05

SEVEN, IT seems, is the big number for 4×4 manufacturers these days. Seven seats that can carry assorted children, in-laws and grannies but which don’t require the suppleness of an Olympic gymnast to reach the third row.

So can Nissan’s new Discovery rival pass muster? A blocky, square-jawed set of features mean it looks as big as Land Rover’s latest but get out the ruler and you’ll find it measures 100mm (4in) shorter and is a little lower. So there shouldn”t be too much embarrassing scraping of car park entry height restrictors.

Into that space the designers have fitted three rows of seats with the second and third rows folding flat to the floor. In fact, if you fold down the passenger seat-back you can fit in a 2.8m (9ft 2in) plank or steel girder.

On many vehicles, folding and unfolding all these seats can be something of a Chinese puzzle. But Nissan has made a pretty good job of it, with only minimal muscle needed to convert the Pathfinder from minibus to van-like furniture swallower. Critically, too, there’s 500mm (20in) of load bay length even when the 3rd row of seats is in place.

The main engine choice at the moment is a 2.5 litre 174hp 5-cyl diesel, though a V6 petrol will appear later in the year. That may not sound a market-leading power figure, but the Pathfinder is 500kg lighter than the Discovery so performance is pretty liveable-with.

Though more on-road biased than its Patrol big brother, the Pathfinder shouldn”t leave you stranded in the mud. It’s not a system packed with complex electronics or automated features but there’s 2WD, 4WD high, 4WD low and auto, which switches between 2WD and 4WD. On Nissan’s fairly fierce test track it was master of all it encountered.

Prices start at £24,000 for a five-seat S model with six-speed manual box, CD player and climate control.