Tennessee-based Smyrna Assembly Plant was built in the period between 1981 and 1983. Its first product came in the form of the Nissan 720 pickup truck, which offered regular and king cab options with either 2WD or 4WD. A little over four decades since the first Smyrna-built 720 rolled off the line, the facility achieved its 15 millionth production milestone.
The 15 millionth vehicle is a Pathfinder optioned in Deep Ocean Blue Metallic. More than a million examples of the breed have been produced in Tennessee since 2005, which results in a pretty low yearly average production output. Glancing over Nissan's delivery numbers for 2023 in the US market, the Pathfinder is listed with 71,710 sales to its name as opposed to 271,458 deliveries for the Rogue.
Not exactly a coincidence, the far more popular model is also manufactured in Smyrna. The facility also produces the Murano and Leaf, as well as the Pathfinder-twinned Infiniti QX60. Pickup truck production takes place in Canton, Mississippi. Not long now, said plant will bid farewell to the full-size Titan due to incredibly poor sales. Think 19,189 units in 2023 as opposed to 750,789 for the Ford F-Series and 555,148 for the Chevrolet Silverado.
Nissan has invested $7.1 billion in the Smyrna plant, and given time, Smyrna will be retooled for more battery-electric models. But first, Nissan will spend $500 million to update the Canton production facility in preparation for two electric vehicles that will be sold under the Nissan and Infiniti brands.
Turning our attention back to the Pathfinder, the mid-size crossover slots just above the Rogue. It's also roomier and more practical than the Murano, which comes with five rather than seven or eight seats. The front-biased Pathfinder also happens to be pretty good value at $36,080 for the well-equipped base trim, which is dubbed S 2WD.
Photo: Nissan
What are you getting for your hard-earned cash? For starters, a direct-injected V6 of the free-breathing variety. Highlights further include a nine-speed automatic transmission supplied by ZF rather than Nissan subsidiary JATCO, tri-zone automatic climate control, EZ FLEX seating system with LATCH AND GLIDE and a 60-/40-split third row that folds flat into the floor, Apple CarPlay, and the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of driving aids.
The S 4WD will set you back $37,980 before destination. At the other end of the spectrum, the most expensive configuration available for model year 2024 is the Platinum 4WD at $50,950 plus $1,335 for the destination. Fuel economy? Make that anything between 21 miles per gallon (11.2 liters per 100 kilometers) for the off-road-oriented Rock Creek 4WD to 23 miles per gallon (10.2 liters per 100 kilometers) for 4WD and 2WD trims. The only exception is the Platinum 4WD, which nets 22 mpg (10.7 l/100 km) according to the EPA.
Slightly more powerful and torquier in the more expensive QX60, the VQ35DD engine is – at press time – exclusive to the Pathfinder and the Infiniti-branded sibling. It develops either 284 or 295 horsepower and 259 or 270 pound-feet, meaning 351 or 366 Nm of twist in the metric system.
Measuring 197.7 inches from bumper to bumper and 114.2 inches from axle to axle, the Pathfinder competes against the likes of the V6-powered, front-biased Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot. Coincidentally, both are made in the US of A.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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