Longtime Pathfinder aficionados will be pleased by the appearance of the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition, a package that first appeared on the 2020 Pathfinder, when Nissan was trying to make you desperately believe it was not the mall crawler it really was.
This time, the package is more worthwhile, as it provides functional upgrades in addition to visual ones, transforming the Pathfinder into a more convincing off-roader.
The new model debuts this week at the 2022 New York International Auto Show.
The latest package is far more meaningful after the redesigned Nissan Pathfinder debuted last year, when it finally traded its suburban loafers and cardigan sweater for muddy boots and a Carhartt jacket in an attempt to regain the off-road cred the model once enjoyed.
While Nissan has tried mightily to change that perception with the new model, hard-core truck enthusiasts might still consider the Pathfinder a sheep in wolf’s clothing. It still employs a unibody front-wheel-drive crossover platform with its 3.5-liter V-6. Real truck drivers want their rig to be body-on-frame platform with a burly V-8. But the new model makes a convincing case that it’s returning to its roots, especially with the latest trim package.
“The 2022 Pathfinder was all about a ‘return to rugged,’ and the Pathfinder Rock Creek takes that spirit even further,” said Michael Colleran, senior vice president, Nissan U.S. Marketing and Sales, in a statement. “Pathfinder Rock Creek has both the style and hardware to create an adventure just about anywhere.”
What the Pathfinder Rock Creek offers
Offered in four-wheel drive only, Pathfinder Rock Creek is more than the lipstick and makeup applied to the 2020 model thanks to an off-road tuned suspension with 5/8-inch lift with unique 18-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, a tubular roof rack with a 220-pound capacity, a tow hitch receiver and harness, and LED fog lights. You’ll also get a standard “intelligent” 360-degree monitor.
Of course, the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek is still augmented with the visual upgrades that lend this truck additional off-road toughness — inside and out.
Its face gets the usual automotive powder and paint, with an exclusive front fascia with darkened V-motion grille and mesh insert and Rock Creek badging. Inside, the seats area draped in exclusive leatherette and fabric with Rock Creek embroidery and orange contrast stitching that’s also embroidered on the steering wheel, instrument panel, center console and door panels. In the rear, second row captain’s chairs are standard.
More power for off-road warriors
Opting for the Rock Creek Package also brings with it more power. The Pathfinder’s 3.5-liter double-overhead cam V-6 gets a slight bump in power as well, now rated at 296 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, as opposed to 284 hp and 259 lb-ft of torque on other Pathfinders. A 9-speed automatic transmission is standard, as are Standard, Sport, Eco, Snow, Sand, Mud/Rut and Tow driving modes.
While the extra power is appreciated, it comes from Nissan revising the engine’s fuel mapping. So to extract the extra juice, you must use premium fuel, or else you get the same horsepower available on other Pathfinders.
And the extra ponies makes no difference in towing capacity, which remains 6,000 pounds, just like the other Pathfinders, with the SL Premium Package for $2,900, or the SV Premium Package for $2,170.
As in other models, a four-wheel active brake limited slip differential, trailer sway control and hill start assist and hill descent control is standard.
Nissan did not release pricing, but did say the latest Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek is slated to go on sale in late summer 2022 along with the rest of the Pathfinder line-up.
