New for 2002 are redesigned front seats, a new grille, body-colored bumpers and fender flares, titanium-accented step rail and roof rack and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Our test vehicle was the performance-oriented SE 4X4. It featured body-colored wheel flares and painted rearview mirrors, and its alloy wheels contributed to its purposeful, well-integrated appearance. Under the hood was the newly enlarged 3.5-liter twin-cam V6, which offers a whopping 70 more horsepower than its forebear. This engine was coupled with Nissan's excellent 4-speed automatic transmission.

Our SE had a step rail for climbing into and out of the truck. The tailgate lifts up from the bottom, and there is a separate release to allow for opening just the rear window. The liftgate can be released from the driver's position, but opening the window requires unlocking it at the rear gate. The truck had a rear bug-deflector, as well as a standard rear washer and wiper. The spare tire is mounted underneath the rear of the truck; this provides more interior space, but may result in more of a struggle changing tires. The luggage rack has adjustable sliding tie-downs, and the radio antenna is wrapped in swirled wire to reduce wind noise at speed.

The main instruments follow Nissan's trademark black-on-white pattern and are extremely easy to read.

In addition to central/remote locking, the Pathfinder had one-touch up/down windows and a one-touch open/close sunroof.

These are a welcome convenience, because the vast majority of the time we want to open or close the windows or sunroof all the way. Mounted in our SE's overhead console were an outside temperature readout and a digital compass. Our eight-way power front seats were excellent, and the truck's black leather upholstery was sumptuous. The Pathfinder had four cupholders, two in front, two in back, and convenient grab handles for climbing in through both rear doors.

The Nissan Pathfinder offers almost sedan-like acceleration. The 4x2 models with the manual transmission are capable of 0-60 mph acceleration times of only 7.6 seconds. Our SE 4x4 was equipped with the automatic transmission. Nonetheless, with 240 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, it produced 0-60 times in the mid-8 second range, vastly more spirited than most foot-dragging SUVs. Throttle tip-in was a bit sensitive, however, so we had to train our feet not to lurch away from intersections.

The Pathfinder is a capable off-road vehicle as well. It's built for rugged terrain and is ready to go anywhere, especially if you order the limited-slip differential.