Looking at trading for an improved 2017 Nissan Pathfinder for towing our 2013 21bhs.
We want more ease on towing but don't want to go with a much bigger suv for everyday use.
2014 Pathfinder 2017 Pathfinder
5,000 towing 6,000 towing
260 hp 284 hp
240lb torq 259lb torq
Do you think the difference will make a huge difference for us and happier with towing?
Thank you!
[p]You have more info as to how the 2013 Pathfinder tows the 21BHS than I have with my 2013 Pathfinder and 16TBS. I presume that it tows your 21BHS fine or maybe not so fine and that is why you are considering an upgrade. I have previously opined here that I think it takes a 4 liter engine to safely (well maybe I should say more reliably) tow a 21.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Frankly I doubt that there are any meaningful towing upgrades to the 2017 Pathfinder. The engine spec improvements are just tweaks that improve fuel economy, not towing ability. Motor Trend reports that they stiffened the suspension which should help some.
I do have a concern with the Pathfinder's continuously variable transmission (CTV). Ours has had the reported "shudder" ever since almost new, but is getting more noticeable now with 50,000 miles, about 10,000 miles towing on it. I have not been satisfied with the response Nissan has made to others who have taken it in with more serious shudder, but it is impossible to know what is more serious. A new transmission is $4-5,000 and I still have 10,000 miles of power train warranty left to sort it out.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Motor Trend does report that the 2017 has a third generation CVT, so we will have to see how that works.[/p][p]
[/p][p]I wouldn't make a change until there is some real world experience that indicates that the transmission is fixed.
David[/p]
Our shudder was fixed with a recall that my main dealership never picked up on but was getting oil changed at another dealership and they told me there had been a recall for months on it. Took it back to them and no shudders since.
2014 pathfinder pulls it ok but could use more power for hills. Wonder if 24 more horse power and 19 more lbs of torque with 1,000 more towing capacity would make a difference.
Upgrade to a pickup truck and you will be happier with the towing experience :-)
I don't begin to use all of the available hp out of my engine going up a hill, so it would make no difference with an additional 8-10% more torque/horse power.
While climbing a 6-8% grade I tow at about 40 mph and hold that speed with about 3,000 rpm. When I look down at the instantaneous MPG I see 5-6. That tells me I am pulling roughly 100 hp from the engine. With your heavier 21BHS, you will probably have to mash down a little further and let the CVT rev the engine to about 3,500 rpm, but that is still about half of the available hp. A few more ponies on the top end won't make a hill of beans worth of difference, only more liters or cubic inches will.
The only real improvement I see that would affect towing is the reported 25% stiffer suspension, which surprises me as I think that the 2013-16 Pathfinder is a pretty good compromise between comfort while not towing vs safety while towing.
Do you find any deficiency in towing with your 2013 now?
David
Our 2014 path pulls it ok but nothing to brag about but then I am not one to ever care about bragging about anything except maybe my avatar on here! lol
You for sure know there is a 21 bhs behind you and i was hoping 1,000 more lbs with the new 2017 model would help that some so i can keep my regular daily mpg of a mid size suv for camping less than 10 times a year from buying a larger suv with low gas mileage. We want to go to Gatlinburg and other elevated landscapes without chugging along like some of the 18 wheelers we have seen in the past. We really want the family feel of the suv rather than a crew cab truck since we have sons pre-high school.
[font size="3"]I concur the small increase in ratings probably won't be noticeable. The advertised towing capacity is more an indication of frame and braking capability than acceleration/hill climbing ability. The tow weight ratings are based on low profile dead weight like a boat or flatbed truck. The main contributor to towing performance with a camping trailer is frontal cross sectional area. It's a lot harder to tow a light parachute than a heavy rock. That frontal area also determines gas mileage which is almost independent of the tow vehicle itself. In an attempt to meet government mandated fuel economy all manufacturers are tweaking their vehicles for every last 1/10 MPG. A little tweak on the engine, higher RPM, lighter oil, different tires, etc. All to get more out of smaller engines. What is still unknown is the long term effects on these small engines. Even the 2013 Pathfinder max horsepower is specified at 6400 RPM. IMO that's too high and will effect engine longevity, but warranties are only good for 36K miles. The fact is a 3.5L engine is still a 3.6L engine. The only significant improvement is a bigger engine. Some SUVs like the Jeep GC, Nissan Armada , GMC Yukon, Chevy Tahoe are available with small V8s. And don't pay much attention to advertised gas mileage. They are determined under very tightly controlled non-real world test conditions. Fuel usage is much more affected by driving conditions and driver habits.
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I agree with Charlie. Well, he was agreeing with me wasn't he ;-).
The only tow vehicle that I know of today that will (mostly) meet your needs is the Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is considered a medium SUV, but comes with a 5.7 liter V8 and a 3.0 liter diesel. Or maybe the Dodge Durango with its 5.7 liter V8, but I think that the Durango is a bit bigger than the JGC.
The gas V8 will have poorer gas mileage while not towing and the diesel will do better towing or not towing but at a price.
Me, I would just move over into the 18 wheeler slow lane while climbing mountains.
David
And I agree with David and Charlie. Stick with the '14 Pathfinder until you need/want a bigger change than just moving to the '17. Too incremental and mostly "sales hype". I didn't know about the CVT issues in the Pathfinder, but I did have a CVT fail in a Honda and it was catastrophic. That vehicle stopped where it was and it was $5500 new trans time. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is used successfully for towing Camplites by other members with both the 6 and the 8 cyl engines. That 5.7L may be nice, but it's available only if you move up to the Limited trim and is a $3300 option all by itself which pushes the base MSRP to almost $43K. Add a few other options and it's possible get on the bad side of $50K. Like David noted, it may be more fun in the slow lane anyway. Sort of a "rich in the slow lane" or "poor in the fast lane" kind of thing.