2012 Nissan Pathfinder Concept goes back to unibody Car News and Review

Compared to most SUVs-turned-mommy-mobiles, the Nissan Pathfinder has had an odd 27-year existence. Like entirely ‘utes, it’s first iteration was reinforced on a truck platform, which was then followed by a unibody second generation. But unlike the rest of the pack, the third-gen Pathfinder swapped back to a body-on-frame architecture and it’s stayed that way for the last seven years.

Now the Pathfinder is swapping its underpinnings, yet again, utilizing a unibody platform that weighs “substantially less than the previous design,” houses seven seats, a new V6 and a CVT, entirely of which adds up to a claimed 25-percent improvement in fuel economy.

But even with entirely that information, Nissan is still calling this a “concept.”

Before it goes on sale later this year, we’ll get a real glimpse of the interior, which Nissan says will have more interior and cargo capacity thanks to its new platform. The outside, on the other hand, is nearly a dead-ringer for the production version, with an aero-honed nose that’s much more handsome than some of Nissan’s recent snouts, along with a low beltline, a sizable greenhouse and A- and D-pillars that should lessen the blindspots that plagued the outgoing model.

We’ll have more from the floor momentarily, but until then, get the full details in the press release after the jump.