Nissan Pathfinder review: the CVT is finally gone, and the Pathfinder is better for it
4/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The current Pathfinder is the version to buy if the CVT reliability stories scared you off the previous two generations — this one uses a conventional 9-speed automatic and drives like a proper V6 SUV. It is not as capable off-road as a body-on-frame Patrol or Prado, and it does not need to be: most Pathfinder buyers in Bahrain want three usable rows, a manageable footprint and a reasonable running cost, and this generation delivers all three.
Pros
- Conventional 9-speed automatic replaces the CVT that defined the two previous generations
- Genuinely usable third row that folds flat and fits adults for short trips
- 271 hp V6 feels confident fully loaded, unlike the old CVT-hobbled cars
- Nissan's Bahrain dealer network is well set up to service it
- Smaller footprint and lower running cost than a body-on-frame SUV
Cons
- Fuel consumption around 10 L/100 km in mixed driving is real V6-SUV territory
- No low-range transfer case, so serious off-road use is not the car's job
- GCC power figure (271 hp) trails the North American spec (284 hp)
- No official GCC crash-test rating on record
The previous two Pathfinder generations paired a V6 with a CVT and a front-wheel-drive bias that made the nameplate feel like an oversized crossover rather than an SUV. The R53 generation, launched for the Gulf in 2022, drops both compromises: a conventional 9-speed automatic replaces the CVT, and the available Intelligent 4WD system behaves like a proper on-demand four-wheel-drive system rather than a marketing label.
What changed, and why it matters
271 hp from the familiar VQ35 V6 (GCC cars are tuned slightly below the 284 hp North American figure) is enough for confident merging onto Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway with a full load of passengers, and the 9-speed gearbox holds gears under load in a way the old CVT never convincingly managed. It is a heavier, thirstier drivetrain than a four-cylinder crossover, but it no longer feels like it is apologising for being an SUV.
The third row is the other real improvement: it folds flat, seats adults for short trips rather than just children, and the second row slides forward with a car seat still installed, which second-generation Pathfinder owners will recognise as a genuine fix rather than a spec-sheet claim.
Where it sits in the Bahrain market
Compared with a body-on-frame Patrol or a Prado, the Pathfinder trades off-road ability and ultimate towing capacity for a smaller footprint, an easier daily driving experience and a lower price of entry. Most Bahraini families cross-shopping this size of SUV never leave tarmac, which makes the trade a sensible one rather than a compromise.
Running costs sit between a Camry-sized sedan and a full-size SUV: fuel consumption in the 10 L/100 km range in mixed driving, and Nissan's dealer network in Bahrain is well set up to service the V6 and the 9-speed unit, both of which are shared with other Nissan-Infiniti products in the region.