Guest etherpool Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Hi to all. I'm looking at a 2003 Pathfinder LE or a 2003 Infinity QX4. I've driven both andn love them. Here's my questions and main concern. I have noticed that everyone on the forum and internet in general states that you MUST use premimum fuel. But the manual and dealer tells me that regular can be used without a problem. What gives? Also, what's the average fuel mileage you guys experience? I've got to average around 17MPG for it to be practical for me. I currently own a 98 Cherokee and can't afford 15MPG anymore!! Thanks for your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 . I currently own a 98 Cherokee and can't afford 15MPG anymore!! Thanks for your help!! Well, depending on your driving habits, temperature, load, etc. don't look to an '03 VQ equipped Pathy to be much better than your Cherokee in the city. On the highway, it's a different story. I have achieved 22 MPG hwy. in my '02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 some of the info you want should be here: http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=10044&st=0 as for milage - we're supposed to get 18 highway, 16 city unless youre silly and junk up your pathy with offroading mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest csm101 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I have a 2003 Pathfinder LE and love it. I run 91 in it cause I want the power. The pathy's computer is smart enough to know what you put in. The higher the grade the more power you get. With 91 and 265/65-17 tires I average 16-17 mpg and have gotten as high as 18 mpg on a long trip. It was higher with the stock 245 tires. If you do alot of around town driving you will not get the 17+ mpg your looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 I get 17 mpg on avg. in my 99 QX4 (and don't regret any moment of it!) My favorite characteristics are the smooth ride and quiet cabin. good luck with your purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvearl Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 (edited) I am getting 16.5 mpg on my VQ 3.5L auto trans equipped 02 Chilkoot (generally the same without all the leather and sunroof ect..). This is only based on the 2 weeks I have owned it and I have used the last 2 fills as reference. I drive 65/35 city/highway as part of my ride to work is on a fast 3 lane road. I also drive with a light foot but not slow if you know what I mean. I don't punch the gas every time I take off is all I mean. I drive in 2W mode as it is summer. My milage should go down though in the fall and winter as I will be in AWD(AUTO) mode (not 4X4). Here's a really good web site about this stuff... http://www.fueleconomy.org/feg/findacar.htm I just looked and an 02 Pathy like mine in 2W mode should get a combined average hwy/city rating of about 17 mpg. I guess it's pretty accurate. Also I know it was bang on for my Dodge Caravan as well (22mpg). So I trust that site alot. As for the Jeep I don't know what you had. Basically the newer Pathys seem to be about the same as a 4.0L Auto trans Grand Cherokee in 2W mode based on that site. If it was the 5.9L it woulda been a little worse by a few MPG in the city. In which case you were getting about 15 you will see about 17 as I indicated. I find on the highway though. If I go over 110 km/h I burn gas noticably faster. At 110 km/h my rpm is just under 2500. But goes up crazy after about 115 km/h and milage takes a HUGE dive! So as long as you are not a lead foot on the Highway, it should do about 20 mpg. C. Edited July 25, 2006 by cvearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonianbrat Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Thanks for the link cvearl!! that is a pretty cool site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvearl Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 (edited) OK EDIT.... I just did my 3rd fill of Premium. New Premium grade 5/30 oil change with air filter done a week ago. My mileage seems to be climbing slightly. Nice. It's now getting (this week anyway) 17.54 MPG. Pretty damn good! Basically this is how I come to that... Tripometer reading was 430km's since last fill. I filled to full letting the pump kick out when it felt it was time and it took 58.556 Litres. 430 divided by 58.556 = 7.34 km's per litre. This site.... http://www.teaching-english-in-japan.net/c...eters_per_liter converts it to MPG. = 17.54 MPG. 17.54 MPG was better than I expect from this unit. Kinda happy with that. .... I am comming to understand that tire size, tread aggressivness, fuel type, oil wieght and type and lastly driving habits can all have dramatic effects on milaege. Moreso on SUV's than on Vans and cars. With gas prices as stupid high as they are, I am currently just obeying the book and using premium gas and 5/30 oil and driving a little less spirited than I usually do. Or I am just getting old. Hahahaha. C. Edited July 25, 2006 by cvearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvearl Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Thanks for the link cvearl!! that is a pretty cool site. You're welcome. HEre's the site that MADE me buy a pathfinder... http://www.carsurvey.org/ Take a look at Jimmies, BLazers, Durangos and such. Then compare to Pathfinders and 4 Runners. WOW. I will never go back to N. American again. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest etherpool Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Thanks to all! I think I've just made up my mind. Now is it the pathy or the QX4??? Hmmmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganAve Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 Now is it the pathy or the QX4??? Hmmmmm... QX4 has 4 year warranty, Pathfinder has a 3 year warranty. So a 2003 QX4 might still still have some time left. That would give you a few months in case there are any problems with your new purchase to get it fixed. To me this was worth the higher initial cost. I also like the exterior styling better and the interior. My family intended on buying a Pathfinder originally, but now we have two QX4s (97 and 98). Bought them both with 1 year left on the factory warranty. I'm happy with them. Parts are almost completely interchangeable with the Pathy, so no difference in maintenance cost. I don't know about the 2003s, but for 98 the QX4 had 4.6 gears and the Pathy had 4.3 gears. So at least theoretically I can run larger tires than the Pathy without the hit in miles per gallon. You can also do a few things to improve mpg like getting manual hubs for ~ $125USD and disengaging the front wheels during the summer, switching to synthetic oils, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvearl Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 (edited) QX4 has 4 year warranty, Pathfinder has a 3 year warranty. So a 2003 QX4 might still still have some time left. That would give you a few months in case there are any problems with your new purchase to get it fixed. To me this was worth the higher initial cost. I also like the exterior styling better and the interior. My family intended on buying a Pathfinder originally, but now we have two QX4s (97 and 98). Bought them both with 1 year left on the factory warranty. I'm happy with them. Parts are almost completely interchangeable with the Pathy, so no difference in maintenance cost. I don't know about the 2003s, but for 98 the QX4 had 4.6 gears and the Pathy had 4.3 gears. So at least theoretically I can run larger tires than the Pathy without the hit in miles per gallon. You can also do a few things to improve mpg like getting manual hubs for ~ $125USD and disengaging the front wheels during the summer, switching to synthetic oils, etc. That info on gears is interresting. On the highway I find my pathfinder is hapiest running between 80 and 110 km/h Over 110 km/h (as I was saying before) requires alot more pedal for every bit more over that. So the QX4's handle higher highway speeds better? And lastly... please excuse my nOObness... What are manual hubs? C. Edited July 26, 2006 by cvearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I don't know about the 2003s, but for 98 the QX4 had 4.6 gears and the Pathy had 4.3 gears. So at least theoretically I can run larger tires than the Pathy without the hit in miles per gallon. Not really, no. The SE's came with 4.636 gears, along with 265/75R15 tires. The XE and LE had 4.363 gears and had 235/75R15 tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 What are manual hubs? They replace the drive flanges on the front axles and allow you to manually lock in the axles or unlock them. With the hubs unlocked, it is a true 2WD, and you lose the ability to shift into 4WD. With the hubs locked, it acts just like it would from the factory with the permanently engaged drive flanges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 QX4 has 4 year warranty, Pathfinder has a 3 year warranty. difference in maintenance cost.So a 2003 QX4 might still still have some time left. Only if the mileage is below 60,000. The warranty expires at either 4 years from the original purchase date, or at 60,000 miles - for a QX4. For a Pathfinder, it's 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Thanks to all! I think I've just made up my mind. Now is it the pathy or the QX4??? Hmmmmm... I'd say it really depends on what you intend to use the vehicle for. If you're doing all street driving, and need to impress clients and what not, then I would suggest the QX4. If you live in an area with harsh winters, or plan on venturing off-pavement, I'd recommend the Pathfinder, as it has a better 4WD system (a true part-time 4WD as opposed to the All-Mode AWD of the QX4). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 I'd recommend the Pathfinder, as it has a better 4WD system (a true part-time 4WD as opposed to the All-Mode AWD of the QX4). Wait...doesn't the Q have a locking diff as well as T-case as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Wait...doesn't the Q have a locking diff as well as T-case as well? Not exactly. The QX4 has a center-differential instead of a standard transfer-case. That means that power is not necessarily distributed 50/50 front and rear like on the Pathfinders. It can be "locked" to achieve this, however. The "locking" of the center-differential is not the same as a "locking diff." A "locking diff" goes in the axles. No Pathfinder (or sister vehicle) has ever come with a "locking diff" from Nissan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 A "locking diff" goes in the axles. No Pathfinder (or sister vehicle) has ever come with a "locking diff" from Nissan. Right...like an air locker, etc... That part I knew, I was just under the impression that when flipping the All Mode switch over to "lock," you were able to dis-engage the AWD system, and utilize the T-Case just like in our Pathys (Q's do have a t-case shifter) Is that a totally different system? Me confu-zed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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