Dirk Diggler

Wicked car, however my needs changed. Needed a truck to carry a motorcycle carrier, & needed Class III hitch. TL-S won't do for that, unfortunately.

I thought I was downgrading huge, since I went from a '03 TL-S to an '01 Pathfinder! As it turns out, the lack of options seems to make up for itself in other ways. This truck is tight, very solid feeling with no rattles whatsoever. I have to say my TL-S rattled and squeeked from everywhere, probably because of the stiff suspension. The 4WD is wicked in the snow, ride height is nice for visibility, the bose stereo IMO sounds better than the ACK. Throttle response is unreal, very powerful truck. Nissan's 3.5L is simply awesome. No timing belt to change either. However, it's a PIG on fuel compared to TL-S. Anyways, a different car for sure, but I'm not going to miss the TL-S, as nice a ride as it is.

Ok, so let the flaming begin, considering I posted this on an ACK site. Who here also owns a Pathfinder and can back up or challenge my claims?

Joe.

Indyjenks

No flaming from me......needs are needs. I have a full size conversion van for hauling my boat and trailering my motorcyle and the like. I AM surprised to hear that your TL had lots of squeeks and rattles though. Mine is an 02 TL-S and has absolutely none.

BTW - glad you like your truck.....

tnguye3

Funny you asked, I have the 02 TLS with koni struts, CT springs and sways. My wife has the 02 pathfinder LE (top of the line) and of course I drive both. Here are some of the comparisons:

1. Look: I like the way the tls look, it looks sporty and sleek for a 4 door.
2. Room: Of course the nissan has the larger trunk space.
3. On gas: The nissan really sucks a lot of gas so the TL wins here.
4. Performance: My mod TL is hands down better. Before the mods. I was thinkg on getting a new car because of the poor suspension (boat feel) but after hte mods, I would not even think of it now.
5. Outdoor: The Nissan wins here, we take the truck to camping, snow boarding and long family trips due to the storage room.
6. Visual outlook: The trucks wins because of the elevated sititng position and you and family can see everything on the road.
7. Interior: I would have to say the TL wins. The Nissan looks a little cheap in the interior. An example is the leather, the stitching on the nissan is not th ebest where as the TL stitching looks very smooth.

Overall, they are 2 different vehicles and this is why we have both in the family.

Dirk Diggler

Indyjenks,

I'm surprised to hear your TL-S has no squeeks. I'm not sure, mine was very tight for the first month or so, but once it started breaking in, the sunroof needed to be fixed for a rattle, the rear deck had some rattling, and when driving up driveways or going over train tracks that ran at an angle (not sure what you call that, not perpendicular), the squeeking was pretty serious. Finally, the front dash developed a loud rattle when going over bumps, but only when it was warm out. I'm pretty picky about my cars and didn't want the dealer pulling everything apart to fix a squeek, I chose to deal with it and know that everything was how the factory left it.

Although the known tranny problems on these cars seem to be rare, I can't say it didn't play at the back of mind. My tranny was perfect, never had a problem, but I always listened to it and watched how it ran/shifted.

Tnguye3,

Ok the TL looks better, but both are very conservative in styling.
Pathfinder does have more trunk space, but back seat is smaller for sure.
I can't believe you thought a TL-S has a boat feel! I always thought the suspension was very firm for stock. In fact I spilled my coffee more than once over a bump. Did you do any engine mods?
Interior is cheaper looking, but not by much. Considering we're comparing a Nissan to an Acura which is supposed to be a premium brand, the Pathy does quite well...

What about the stock stereos??? Which sounds better to you?

Joe.

aaronnn

of course the pathfinder is a much more practical, cargo lugging, easy to drive, family car. roomy, you got the space, the four wheel is awesome in all conditions, maybe not as fun to drive as a TLS but come on man, pathfinders are great family vehicles and it still makes up for the loss of the TLS in other ways. whatever, people flame, then let them be, but at least you know you had fun with your acura

Plucky

Would have been great if you could have managed to keep both the TL and get a Pathfinder.

StanMan

nothing wrong with that. traded mine for truck too (04 titan).

Moo

I own both. 2002 TL-S and 2005 Pathfinder LE. I definately agree, the truck is so much more practical, especially for me living in NY. The only real negative thing I can think of is the gas mileage. I actually like my Pathy more than my TL.

samkws

great

pathfinder is one of the real 4x4 on the market that really can go serious off road, and it has proven to be tough

i like it but the style is boring for being the same in 10 yrs

timberland73

iTrader: (1)

My dad owns an Infiniti QX4 and I know what you mean. It is a nice vehicle. But I like my TL way better.

Indyjenks

I had the sunroof rattle, that was a problem with almost all of the sunroofs. Dealer fixed that under warranty and its never come back. I did have the infamous "seat/seatbelt" squeek too, that took two dealer trips to finally get done right but again, was done under warranty. I dont have any package shelf or dash rattles, as a matter of fact, no rattles at all...even going over railroad tracks. Im still happy with my car....except the paint is marginal in quality for a vehicle of this class.

NYZGREATST

i turn my back on you ! kidding. your needs changed so you changed cars. no need for flaming

tnguye3

Sorry man, I really never crank up the radio (CD) in the LE.. Usually, when I drive it, its with the wife and kids... If I had to guess, the stock sounds are the same. I would think the only difference is if you got a passive head unit with a low distortion (THD) amp, crossover system and separte the highs and lows but I think a stock system on the 2 are the same.

But like others said, the LE is practical and I enjoy riding it with the family.

Dont be fooled, the TLS (2002 and 2003) is NOT tight. The suspension is now day and night with the MODS (suspension only with NO engine mods), this is why I really enjoy driving the TLS. I really do not need the power which I think is above average on the TLS. What am I going to do with 300 HP? Either I will get my license suspended and or total the car (which I did with my 94 nsx in 2002). This was when I realize that the only place to let it hang out is on the course and this is NOT practical. This is why I would rather spend the $$$ on suspension and leave the HP's alone but this is my 2 cents..

By the way, the LE had the folloing issue that were taken care of under the warrantee:
1. seal gasket leak which was replaced (not sure if it was the trans and or the oil?).
2. Oxygem sensor was bad.

Dirk Diggler

One thing I noticed about the Pathfinder, there's not one forum for it that can touch this place. TL forums are teaming with activity, and you can get any question answered in minutes. The Pathfinder forums are pretty dead to say the least. Oh well, I guess it will be more challenging to get info on it... Unless I haven't found the best nissan forum yet??

Joe.

Liftedoff420

my boy used to barrel his 95 pathfinder over peoples driveways destroying their garbage cans and anything else in the way....we called that beast "the tank"


my mom almost bought the new pathfinder but we convinved her the styling was too boxy and bland...she ended buying a toyota highlander, a much more pussy SUV

tnguye3

your correct in identifying that the nissan forumn sucks. I tried to look for one and the activity was very low in 2002 and I really have not tried ever since. I looks like this never change.