Similarly, plastic door-panels on the Rock Creek looked pretty humble, but offered padded armrests and faux carbon fiber trim around the door-handles. In addition – and hooray for Nissan – the stack’s controls were logical and easy to use with knobs for the stereo and climate control systems. Though the center-stack seemed pretty modest, it was part of a suite of decent technology that included automatic emergency braking blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. Likewise, the black interior in the Rock Creek was more acceptable than outstanding.Ī deep black-plastic dashboard provided small hoods over the instrument panel and dated-looking center-stack, dominated by an 8-inch display screen. It wasn’t bad, but the Pathfinder generally felt heavy even with its fairly quick, well-weighted steering system. Step hard on the accelerator and the CVT in my Rock Creek “downshifted” once with a slight surge, embellishing the feel of acceleration.Īs you might expect, the Rock Creek’s backwoods ambitions dictated stiffer springs with a resulting firm ride that could get fidgety over some surfaces. Over the years, though, the Japanese automaker has clearly learned to tame some of the CVTs’ demons, dialing in some smooth and natural. However, the biggest surprise for me was the relative sophistication of the Rock Creek’s continuously variable transmission.Īs you probably know, Nissan insists on using the cursed, droning, belt-and-pulley CVTs in just about all of its vehicles. It also tended to stumble momentarily if floored, but gained rpm rapidly after the soft start. The spirited engine sounded a bit coarse above 5,000 rpm and seemed to work pretty hard, averaging just 22 miles per gallon. Just tell your friends it’s a Jeep.Īctually, the 4,400-pound Rock Creek gets enough low-end grunt and overall power from its 284-horsepower V-6 to climb some inclines, even offering a mode for locking the differentials.ĭespite its rather advanced age, the venerable 3.5-liter engine remains pretty lively and does a reasonably good job of launching the bulky Pathfinder, pushing it to 60 mph in an adequate 7.7 seconds, according to. Remember: As we say in Dallas and L.A., it’s not who you are that matters, it’s who you look like. Meanwhile, a slightly raised hood settled over the Rock Creek’s slab sides, sporting black-plastic trim around the wheel-wells.Īlso unique to the Rock Creek model were 18-inch black and alloy wheels wrapped with 235-60 street tires. The mid-sized, car-based Rock Creek also featured one of Nissan’s conventional large blacked-out grilles surrounded by thick trim in dark green rather than the usual chrome. Your first clue about the 7-passenger Rock Creek’s off-road intentions can be found up front, where a silver plastic “skid plate” beneath the bumper appears ready to plow through empty plastic bags and Styrofoam cups. Moreover, the dark-green model I had recently offered good value, with some unique Rock-Creek content and badging, the aforementioned all-wheel drive, V-6 power and three rows of seating for less than $40,000. Think of the Rock Creek as an accountant with a North Face flannel shirt and a dusky two-day beard. Like the new Honda Passport, the slightly aging all-wheel-drive Pathfinder looks a bit rougher in Rock Creek trim – and more aggressive garb might be all it needs. Those fantasies, though, might be the best explanation for the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder SV Rock Creek Edition, a new soft-road package for the big kid-friendly crossover.īet your lucky lottery ticket on this: No one in a Rock Creek will likely ever struggle up scrabbly mountain-sides in Colorado or bound over boulders at Moab. Soccer moms and softball dads must yearn for windswept dirt roads and empty, blue-sky silence.
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