Nissan is readying a very different-looking Pathfinder

The Nissan Pathfinder is getting a distinctive new look and a standard turbocharged four-cylinder engine… in China.

A Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing has revealed the new Chinese-market Pathfinder, from Nissan’s Dongfeng joint venture, will use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 185kW of power.

VC-Turbo badging on the tailgate indicates the Pathfinder uses Nissan’s variable compression technology.

The Chinese model measures 5130mm long, 1981mm wide and 1767mm tall on a 2900mm wheelbase. That’s an identical wheelbase length to the US-built Pathfinder sold here, but 126mm longer overall.

The styling closely resembles the Pathfinder concept revealed at this year’s Shanghai motor show, although there are no full-width light bars front and rear.

It also offers similar wheels to the concept, which resemble those of the Leaf.

As is typical with MIIT filings, there are no images of the interior.

Instead of subtly tweaked front and rear end styling, as is common with Chinese-market versions of vehicles, the Chinese Pathfinder appears to feature unique sheetmetal.

There are smoother flanks, as well as a different C-pillar treatment, that give the Chinese model a much closer resemblance to the Pathfinder-based Infiniti QX60.

The use of a smaller engine for the Chinese Pathfinder isn’t surprising, given larger displacement engines are taxed more heavily there.

Pathfinder concept

Nissan also already uses its 2.0-litre VC-Turbo four in the Altima sedan, as well as the Infiniti QX50 and QX55 crossovers.

While a torque figure hasn’t been listed for the Chinese Pathfinder, the Altima produces 371Nm.

The Pathfinder sold here and in North America, in contrast, uses a naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 202kW of power and 340Nm of torque.

It’s unclear whether the US-built Pathfinder will move to a turbo four, though many of its rivals have already done so. That includes the Toyota Kluger, while the Mazda CX-9 moved to a turbo four several years ago.

Australian-market Pathfinder

The Hyundai Santa Fe is also swapping its V6 here for a turbocharged four-cylinder for its next generation, while many of the Pathfinder’s rivals in the US are making the switch to turbo four power.

The Pathfinder, which slots between the mid-sized X-Trail crossover and the body-on-frame Patrol SUV, continues to be available exclusively in all-wheel drive Ti and Ti-L guise in Australia.

It was launched here late last year with three additional variants – the front-wheel drive ST and Ti, and all-wheel drive ST-L – but these were removed early this year as the company battled supply issues.

This saw the base price of the Pathfinder leap by over $14,000.

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