2023 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Does a 4×4 Impression

The Nissan Pathfinder name evokes a certain amount of off-road cred, but in truth, the Pathfinder is now in its second generation as a family-friendly three-row unibody crossover. Still, Nissan can’t exactly afford to ignore the obsession with overlanding and all-terrain capability (or at least the appearance of it) that has taken over the market—enter the 2023 Pathfinder Rock Creek.

The previous-generation Pathfinder offered a Rock Creek edition, but that was simply an appearance package. The new version goes a little further than that with Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires, a revised suspension, and, of course, the expected appearance tweaks and Rock Creek badging all over the exterior and interior. The 18-inch beadlock-style wheels look pretty cool, and the chunkier roof rack and modified front fascia work well with the latest Pathfinder’s boxy, slab-sided shape.

The larger tires affect the driving experience negatively, as is to be expected from this kind of rubber with chunkier tread and taller sidewalls. There’s more noise, with a persistent drone at highway speeds, and the handling feels noticeably more trucklike due to slower responses to steering inputs. The ride quality is considerably worse too; the Rock Creek makes an Explorer Timberline feel like a Bentley by comparison. Predictably, the tires were less grippy at the test track too, with a skidpad result of 0.78 g and a long 70-mph braking distance of 194 feet, both significantly worse than all-season-equipped Pathfinders. But these tires are meant for handling a bit of mud, dirt, or snow, rather than dry pavement.

The Rock Creek’s other mechanical difference compared with other Pathfinders is a bit more juice from the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which makes 295 hp and 270 pound-feet of torque. That’s an extra 11 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque compared with the base Pathfinder and is the same output found in the related Infiniti QX60. As in the standard model, the V-6 provides plenty of power to motivate the Pathfinder, and the nine-speed automatic is an improvement over the old model’s CVT in terms of responsiveness.

But the Rock Creek’s extra grunt couldn’t overcome the negative effect of the tires, and it effectively mirrored the results for a front-wheel-drive Pathfinder SL and an all-wheel-drive Platinum model we previously tested. It got to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds at 92 mph.

The EPA rates the Rock Creek’s fuel economy lower than other Pathfinders, at 21 mpg combined, 20 city, and 23 highway. We averaged 20 mpg overall during our time with the Rock Creek, and in our real-world 75-mph highway fuel-economy test it returned 25 mpg, a figure that beats its highway rating but lags behind the 28-mpg result we measured with an all-wheel-drive Platinum model.

The Rock Creek sits in the middle of the Pathfinder lineup in terms of price and equipment. That’s nice because it means that, at $45,250 as tested, it’s cheaper than competitors including the Kia Telluride X-Pro, but it’s not so nice if you want features such as a power tailgate or a heated steering wheel, neither of which can be had on the Rock Creek trim.

There’s no denying that the Rock Creek’s upgrades hurt the Pathfinder’s handling performance, fuel economy, and refinement. The upside is a bit of extra all-terrain capability and rugged cred. We wouldn’t choose it over a nicely equipped Pathfinder SL. But if you like the Rock Creek’s look, then it could be just the vehicle for your overlanding adventures—or your image as someone who has such adventures anyway.