So my buddy has an '07 Pathfinder. We were talking about driving in snow the other day when he mentions that he has a lockable center diff in his Pathfinder. Then he goes on to tell me that he has a front & rear traction control, which sounds very similar to ATRAC. I was kinda blown away because I didn't know that the Pathfinder has virtually the same 4wd system as the 4th gen 4Runner.

I had always thought that the 4Runner had a better and more sophisticated 4wd system than the Pathfinder, but now I'm not so sure. Does anyone have any experience with the newer Pathfinders? Are they just as good (or better) than our 4Runners when it comes to their 4wd system?

Yep, Nissan calls ATRAC ABLS. As for the lockable center diff: IIRC Pathy's have straight part-time 4wd until you get to the Limited trim level. So he's right, he can 'lock' the transfer case to provide a 50/50 (F to R) torque distribution. For him that's 4hi, for us it equates to 4hi locked. It's the full-time/awd/auto-4wd mode that the Pathy lacks until you get into the Limited. That's one of several reasons I have a 4Runner. I liked the more spacious interior of the Pathy. Skid control and an auto-4hi mode were missing unless you got the most pricey models and even then side-airbags were virtually impossible to get. In '07 if your checkbook was fat enough and you didn't mind IRS you could get a beast of a Pathy that had the 5.6L Endurance V8.

If you hooked both vehicles bumper-to-bumper and pulled they would be very similar. Both vehicles could be in 4lo (locked) and all 8wheels would spin with the faint clank of brakes in the background.

Wow, that is still surprising to me. And you can still get a V8 Pathfinder. I wonder if any of the guys that MUST have a V8 will switch over to Nissan. Other than the IRS in the Pathfinder, it is pretty much the same thing as a 4th gen 4Runner.

Now that I think about it, the only midsize SUV that I can think of that offers V8 and straight-axle rear is the Jeep Commander, and of course it is on the way out. And maybe a Hummer H3. What else is there?

I am pretty sure the v8 Pathy was only a 2 year thing... '06-'07 or '07-'08. They dropped it when gas spiked.

Other mid-sized V8 SUV's that come to mind aren't for me but the TrailBlazer, Explorer and the Durango/Aspen have V8's.

You can still buy a new V8 Pathfinder right now.

I don't think the Trailblazer comes with a V8. And the Explorer still has an available V8, but it is IRS. The Durango/Aspen do have V8s, but they are in a size class all their own, bigger than midsize, but a bit smaller than fullsize SUVs.

I'm still trying to think of another midsize SUV with available V8 and no IRS...the only ones that come to mind are the H3 and the Commander. Everyone else seems to be out of the game.

But if you choose to off road Nissan doesn't offer a Pathfinder equivalent to the Trail Edition. The only path the Nissan finds are paved ones.

That's cool about the V8 Pathy, I didn't realize you could still get them.

I am positive the TrailBlazer can have a 5.3L. I have seen it under the GMC, Buick, Saab and even Isuzu label with a V8. The H3 Alpha is actually the same chassis.

I'll take a solid rear axle for offroading over IRS any day.

True...
Me too...

Remember we're talking about 4th gens here. And the TE is about are rare as can be, considering that they were only available for '09 and we all know that '09s in general are very rare. Besides, add an aftermarket rear locker to the Pathfinder and it pretty much as the same 4wd system as an '09 TE. Without the rear locker, it seems to have pretty much the same 4wd system as every other stock 4th gen.

People can bash the Pathfinder all day long and it doesn't bother me one bit, but the whole point of this thread is that the Pathfinder has a nearly identical 4wd system to our 4Runners. And now that the 2010 4Runner is out, I think the Pathfinder is a real option for buyers who prefer a V8 engine and a center differential, which is not possible on the 4Runner any more.

Now that I think about it, the best comparison there would be the Xterra Off Road. Straight-axle rear, locking rear diff, body-on-frame, V6 power. It's basically Nissan's answer to the Trail Edition. But of course it comes at a much lower price.

IMHO, the IRS makes it very different than the T4R 4wd system.

I was hoping eskimochaos' friend pathfinderfish would chime in here:

Very true & I agree with all of that but keep in mind the 4th gen T4R still has a distinct 4wd drive advantage. The Pathy must be V8 or in LE trim to get the auto-4hi mode. For those interested in V6 vehicles I think the 4th gen T4R is the winner. The whole Pathy V8 option is very cool AND it's awd.

No auto 4wd is a huge deal to me. It's all about can I be dumb, can I send my girlie out in bad weather and take advantage of 4wd without worrying about dry pavement and 4hi.

This is a copy/paste from the brochure:
VK56DE – 5.6-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 engine3 (LE All-Mode 4WD only)
Horsepower – 310 hp @ 5,200 rpm
Torque – 388 lb-ft @ 3,400 rpm
Drivetrain
5-speed automatic transmission (S FE+, S)
5-speed automatic transmission with manual mode (SE, LE)
Optional: Shift-on-the-fly 4x4 switch-operated 2-speed transfer case (S, SE)
Optional: All-Mode 4WD with 2-speed transfer case (LE)
2-wheel Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) – 4x2
4-wheel Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) – 4x4

I don't go rock hopping. I'd take an IRS over a solid rear axle. Less unsprung weight generally means better ride. It also allows a lower rear floor height, allowing more interior room.

I did a quick look at the Edmunds forums on the Pathfinder in general and V8 in particular, and it looks like folks are getting some pretty miserable mileage out of it -- in the same neighborhood as an F150. Ouch. The mileage I'm getting out of my V8 4Runner isn't anything to write home about, but it seems to be 2-3 mpg better than what some folks are getting out of the Pathfinder V8.