Nissan Tries Off-Road Edge for Pathfinder

Long ago, the Nissan Pathfinder was an off-roading legend. Then Nissan decided to turn it into a unibody grocery getter, using the X-Terra to satisfy the urge to play in the dirt. Then it canceled the X-Terra, leaving no Nissan-branded off-roader in North America. Somehow, debuting a special edition of the current Pathfinder that looks tough is supposed to make this better?

The 2019 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition really toughens up the crossover with dark 18-inch wheels, all-season tires, and black exterior trim pieces. To ensure you stay comfortable while driving on a graded dirt road or just to the mall, the interior also features two-tone seats with Rock Creek badges and contrast stitching, plus metallic trim pieces. Nissan didn’t even try to pretend the Pathfinder can become off-road-worthy by throwing in mud tires or a telescopic recovery shovel, and that’s probably a good thing.

Ironically, this special edition of the Pathfinder probably couldn’t really handle Rock Creek, but I digress.

At least the Rock Creek Edition package only costs $995. Is it worth even that? You have to decide the value of image, since that’s all it adds. The package is available for Pathfinder SV and SL trims.