• Summary
• What's Good
• What's Bad
• On the Road
• In The Cabin
• Prices and Specs
• Owners' Reviews

Nissan is getting out of volume and into niches. Nissan's X-Trail has outsold its Primera and been much more profitable because it has sold at much closer to the list price asked. And demand for used X-Trails is even greater than for new ones, keeping used values so high that I am now seeing them selling at auction at a higher percentage of their new prices than same age, same mileage BMW 320dSEs.

So, unsurprisingly, one of the directions Nissan is following is the off-road route. Late last year saw the introduction of the extraordinary Murano, a Lexus RX300 competitor with a detuned Nissan 350Z motor. The enormous V8 Nissan Titan is by far the best big pick-up to drive and is also hugely capable off-road. Later this year we'll get a new ladderframe chassis Navara pick-up. And now, to grab a fat chunk of the 7-seater 4x4 school bus market, Nissan presents us with the large and perfectly formed Pathfinder, also on a tough ladderframe.

It's roughly the same size as the Discovery 3 and does pretty much the same job at prices starting £5,000 lower. These days £25,800 isn't a lot to pay for this much vehicle and, as with the X-Trail, Nissan stands a good chance of not having to discount.

So does it get the nod? Emphatically yes, because it's a huge 7 seater 4x4 that does all it is supposed to, is also very good to drive on the road, promises over 30mpg and at £25,800 is very good value for money. But if you need a 4x4 to take 7 adults any distance, you are going to have to fork out the extra £5,000 for a Discovery 3.