The Nissan VG/VQ series engine has been a 10 best for 10 years running, I've owned them and I can say that the obvious reason it gets picked is because it is reliable and performs, the Toyota V6 that falls into the competitive slot with that engine is just as reliable but is no performance winner, sure it's fast but back to back it's puts down slower times.
The engines are more of the overall package and they can only pick 1, Nissan has had their share of problems with it, just like any new design but they have also had years to perfect it, give Toyota time, remember Nissan has to catch up to Toyota and Toyota is way ahead.
Im more into the whole package, if all you got is faster times, and more HP then you got nothing, the 4Runner has always been the bar everyone else has been trying to reach and still that bar sits high, HP numbers are what the average customer looks at but please .02 seconds, that much time make it a drivers race as with many cars, do you really think people go to buy an Audi TT or a BMW 325 and go hey the Hemi Grand Cherokee is faster, nah I'll buy the Jeep, never gonna happen, the only place the Pathfinder will win is straight line racing, plan and simple.
Now as far as Nissan misleading people with HP numbers and times, yes they have done it but always leave a cushion so as not to kick themselve in the ass, the 02 Altima had 240hp, 03 had 245, now the 05 has 250hp, they all dyno around the same HP when stock, same goes for the Maxima when they dropped the 3.5 255hp VQ into it, still dynoed in the same area as the 02 V6 Altimas and the same goes with the current Maxima and SE-R Altima, their al around the same HP, it really gets confusing, comes down to the gearing.
The Pathfinder in 2001 got the 3.5 VQ and Nissan siad it was 7.5 seconds to 60, all the mags got 9 seconds, the Infiniti Q45 was suppost to be 5.9 to 60, mags could only get that number with brake torque, the average consumer is not gonna beat their cars like that, real world numbers where mid 6 seconds to 60, that car never sold well next to the LS430, which had lower HP numbers and put down faster times.
Same shit with the Sentra SER, was never as fast as they officially said it was.
Now back to the Pathfinder, back to back I could point out tons of minor defects I don't like on the Pathfinder, just for comparison they say quality is in the price, price out 2 loaded models and the 4Runner just up substantially, but their is a major quality gap between the 2 units, 4Runner is just way ahead of the Pathfinder, I tend to lurk on some of the Pathfinder boards, nothing like the 4Runner boards and the problems popping up are not worth owning, some guy is already going into arbitration cause his trans is slipping cause it was underfilled from the factory and now they just want to give him a quick fix, it may only last til the warrant is done.
Nissan is a good product but their cost cutting is not the best move, their spending all their money to offer cars with the highest performance numbers and then the attention to detail is crap, the carpeting looks like it was cut with a dull knife, I do know they have some of the worst interiors, their plastic is hard and the fabric seat quality is just bad, they make Fords look good, you can take a Nissan apart with your hands, Toyotas are welded, glued, bolted, crazy work is gone into sealing up the cars, Nissan figures if it looks good from a distance no one will notice.
Toyota was smart, they offered a braod line of cars that where reliable and quality but slow, they built their Corporation up and now their taking those slow quality vehicles and just putting bigger engines in them.
Now it's very possible that the Toyota 3.5 could take the throne away from the VQ for the 10 best engine.
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