The Pathfinder turns 40 this year, and Nissan is celebrating with a version of the 2027 SUV that pays tribute to the original’s utility. It gets some retro touches that reference the trail-hungry original, but if you really want a Pathfinder that remembers the spirit of the first one, you’re going to love what’s coming up in 2029.
We’ll get back to that later, but first let’s deal with what Nissan dealers have in store for us this year. The 2027 Nissan Pathfinder Special Edition is at heart the same three-row SUV that debuted for 2022. But a two-tone black and burgundy interior inspired by the 1987 model’s burgundy cloth upholstery is definitely exclusive to the anniversary SUV.
The rest of package is padded out with black 20-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, second-row captain’s chairs, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, and a tow hitch receiver. That last detail increases the Pathfinder’s tow rating to 6,000 lbs (2,720 kg). There’s nothing that screams “retro” about the Special Edition’s exterior package, but the under-hood hardware looks like a blast from the past in an era dominated by turbocharged powertrains. The Pathfinder still runs a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 that makes 284 horsepower (288 PS) and 259 lb-ft (352 Nm).
A base, front-wheel drive Pathfinder SV will set you back $41,565 (including $1,575 destination), and at $48,965 all-in, the front-drive Special Edition sits below the $51,465 Platinum. But if you want the all-wheel drive hardware to match the SUV looks, the price of a Special edition swells to $50,985.
Next Pathfinder goes body-on-frame
You might argue that the $46,985 Pathfinder Rock Creek feels more aligned with the spirit of the original SUV than the Special Edition does. It comes with all-terrain tires, off-road wheels, and LED lights to give it a trail-ready look and feel, like the one the first Pathfinder delivered when it landed in 1986.
Back than the Pathfinder was a rugged two-door, body-on frame utility, a rival to the Ford Bronco II and Toyota 4Runner, based on Nissan’s Hardbody pickup. And that’s a personality Nissan is going to start really leaning into for 2029, if rumors of an all-new Pathfinder are true. Said rumors siggest that Nissan will introduce a new body-on frame Pathfinder to take on the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, possibly wearing Pro4X badging and offering a hybrid option sometime after lunch, according to Auto News.
But it will also sell a softer, more affordable unibody Pathfinder alongside it that’s akin to the one in showrooms today, to target cost-conscious buyers. The entry-level SUV could in fact be a heavy update of today’s unibody Pathfinder, but the tough one will share its ladder chassis tech with the revived Xterra and next-generation Frontier pickup. It will be produced at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant, the reports say. Nissan, we ought to note, hasn’t confirmed these rumored plans. But if they’re true, this 2027 Special Edition tribute to the 1980s is only the start of something much bigger. Just don’t go expecting a two-door body.
