Conquering Chicago With The 2015 Nissan Pathfinder

Updated: Jul 21, 2015

Credit: nissanusa.com

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The surprising 2015 Nissan Pathfinder makes a city trip more successful.

Chicago is such a cool place! It is full of architecture, history and design – and it’s also full of crowded streets and sometimes difficult city driving. So when I decided to take my family with me to the Windy City for Eat Write Retreat, I wanted to drive them in something that I felt comfortable in – something that made me feel safe and in control. Luckily, these three key elements are exactly what I found while driving the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder PLT 4×4.

On the road with Nissan. Credit: Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Comfort is queen

During this trip, we were a packed house – with me and my husband, plus our two kids and three of my in-laws all joining in on the ride. With the three rows of seats in the ’15 Pathfinder, we didn’t have any trouble getting all seven of us in and to Chicago without squishing. In the front of the car, my spot in the driver’s seat was stellar – with easy to maneuver seat and steering adjustments, heated and cooled seats, and an adjustable lumbar support. Although I will warn you that if you don’t know that the air conditioned seats are on, it can be a bit suprising. My husband was trying to be nice and turned them on for me since it was a hot day – I’ll just say that they get pretty cold, pretty quick. However, if you are prepared for them and turn them on yourself, they are actually quite nice to have.

Heated and cooled seats – surprising! Credit: Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

In the second row of seating my in-laws boasted that they had ample leg room and, despite the packed vehicle, they were comfortable. Plus, we all loved the second row center console controls which they could use to adjust their own air strength and temperature.

Second row controls keep peace with the in-laws. Credit: Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

In the way back of the car, aka the third row, my kids, ages four and seven, found solace in their own section of seating – which they quickly filled with toys and games for the long road trip together. We also found that to aid in the comfort of passengers, especially during the late hour home, both the second and third row bench seating could recline. My kids had plenty of room, but for our nine hour roundtrip drive, adults would not have been comfortable in the third tow.

Reclining third row seats. Credit: Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Safety & control on the road

After getting everyone packed into the car for the road trip to Chicago, we weren’t very far down the road before the car surprised us again. As we entered our destination information into the built in GPS and began the route, the car politely informed us of possible rain and flooding within 25 miles of our current location. I loved this feature! Weather during a road trip definitely impacts the way we drive and the length of time it takes us to get somewhere, so having this heads up helped us plan our trip more accordingly and definitely made me feel more in control of the situation.

I would even go as far to say that all of our drive was comfortable and relaxing. Even as we entered the busy city I found that the blind spot warning lights helped me to more easily change lanes. I had more confidence after spot checking that my blind spot was clear of other cars. I also found that the 2015 Nissan Pathfinder had good get-up-and-go power, plus with it’ electronic brake force distribution I was able to make quick stops as the traffic mandated – this definitely made the stop and go motion of city driving more manageable.

Another really cool feature that I ended up loving with this car was the rear sonar system and the around view monitor. This backing up aid actually showed me a 360 degree view around my car and in the tight parking spaces we found in the city – this became my all-time favorite feature!

Credit: Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

This car, even though it is a larger SUV, turned out to be a great city driving car. I felt comfortable, safe and in control as I took my family with me on this fun adventure into the city. After arriving we enjoyed seeing the giant bean in Millennium Park, going to the top of the 360 Chicago building and even finding ourselves on historic Route 66.