Pathfinder treads middle ground but steps up yet again

It's a curse of the modern family and it goes something like this: the first-born in virtually any family gets all the brains and, accordingly, most of the responsibility.

The last-born, generally known as the baby, gets the good looks and most of the attention.

And anyone born in between usually has to work twice as hard as any of their siblings - not always with much credit along the way.

As it happens, the same applies to the great automotive families.

For every Toyota LandCruiser that can boast about being the first-born in the Toyota dynasty and every market-leading RAV4 "baby", there's also a Prado or Kluger that can grizzle about being the "middle one".

Same goes for Nissan - whose range is constructed almost entirely of SUVs, with the legendary Patrol at the top of the family tree and any number of similarly-sized, designed and specified baby soft roaders such as the Juke, Qashquai and X-Trail.

And in the middle? The Nissan Pathfinder.

Reliable, practical and comfortable - but the typical "middle child": capable, willing and reliable.

Not convinced? Consider this.

The Pathfinder has been a staple on the Australian market since 1986, trailing only a handful of long-serving models on the Aussie market that can almost match the Cruiser or the Patrol for the title of longest-serving 4WD still in production.

So you'd think the Pathfinder would get almost the same warm glow as its siblings?

Hardly.

More than three decades have had a very positive effect on the Pathfinder - with size and comfort two of its key advances over the years.

With its $80,000 flagship, this latest model offers a virtual go-anywhere capability, with seven drive and terrain modes, second-row captain's chairs, rain-sensing wipers, ventilated front seats, a massive 12.3 inch touch screen, sunroof and 20-inch alloys.

Not bad for a proverbial red-headed stepchild.

The impressive, well-endowed Pathfinder deserves more credit than it gets - and Nissan is doing all it can to ensure that's the case.

The Pathfinder is in its fifth generation - not to mention any number of facelifts, engine upgrades and internal spruce-ups. This version, launched in 2021, has just received a mid-model tweak and has come out looking a million bucks.

Nissan has added a third trim level to the Pathfinder range - the tested ST-L which sneaks into the market with a very approachable sub-$60,000 price tag.

That means a Pathfinder can be bought for at least $12,000 less than either of the high-spec models in the three-vehicle fleet.

It joins the flagship Ti-L at the top of the range and - you guessed it - the Ti becomes the middle one yet again. Never mind, because this ST-L looks like a sales leader at its meagre price.

The ST-L is available in front-wheel or 4WD and is joined by the Ti, only available in 2WD.

All three are offered with Nissan's impressive six-cylinder V6 petrol engine, which brings handy performance and enough torque to take advantage of that off-road ability.

The range of five Pathfinder models has stretched to five, offered at $59,670 all the way up to the rather posh TI-L 4WD at $82,490.

The new ST-L 2WD is impressively well-equipped from the 3.5-litre, petrol V6 (202Kw, 340Nm), a buttery nine-speed automatic transmission and 8-seat capacity.

The terrain control brings 2.7-tonne braked capacity with tow mode and trailer stability program; sport, eco, snow and tow modes (4WD models only), hill descent and folding rear mirrors.

Inside, the ST-L gets power tailgate, remote engine start, leather-accented seats, 10.8-inch head up display and 9-inch touchscreen.

Like many of its mid-size SUV rivals, Nissan's long-serving Pathfinder has undergone an impressive growth spurt in its latest iteration.

Cars such as Toyota's equally matured Kluger, Mitsubishi's Pajero Sport, Japan's Isuzu MUX, not to mention the Korean fleet of contenders, including Hyundai's Santa Fe and Kia's Sorento.

Of all of them, the extra few kilos looks the most at home on the stylish Nissan Pathfinder.

Don't expect the big Nissan rising to the top-floor of the family any time soon.

Nissan has this month unveiled its all-new, 7th generation Patrol, extending the model's reign into its 73rd year of beaten tracks and rugged roads.

Yes, another big brother (or sister) to show the way. And why not?

NISSAN PATHFINDER ST-L 2WD

HOW BIG?

The Pathfinder is an impressively large and powerful machine with its 3.5-litre, V6 engine. Best of all it can fit up to eight passengers.

HOW FAST?

The punchy engine and nine-speed auto transmission make a potent combination, although Nissan doesn't offer an official figure for the 100km/h sprint. But it feels more than adequate.

HOW THIRSTY?

Unfortunately all that metal makes for a slightly heavy, paunchy machine and the Pathfinder suffers a bit. Still, an official thirst of just over 10L/100km is not too bad.

HOW MUCH?

Prices range from $59,670 (two-wheel-drive ST-L) all the way up to the flagship TI-L 4WD at $82,490 plus on road costs.