[Quiet Lunatic]

Obviously posting this on a Nitro forum I already have a personal bias, and of course I expect biased answers. But this needs to be as unbiased a decision as possible. And talking to existing owners provides perspective that dealers, auto reviews, etc can't provide.

Ok, so I got a wife, 2 boxers, and our first born on the way. Replacing a Dakota (rock solid, hate to give it up) and need something that can at the very least carry the 5 of us. A Nitro can certainly do that, but what about a stroller, diaper bag, etc? What if we have twins (twins run in both our families)? Does the Nitro start getting crowded if you add a second child, or luggage/gear, etc?

Can a Nitro serve as a decent sized family vehicle for us for the next 4 years? For the price of a fully loaded R/T I could get a base Pathfinder SE. The Pathfinder (or other mid-sized SUVs) has the 3rd row, and when that is folded probably twice the cargo space as the R/T. But I wouldn't have the MyGiG, UConnect, aggressive exterior appearance, etc.

What do you all think? I know I'll get biased answers, but hoping to gain a bit of insight from folks who likely have a similar sized family and use the Nitro daily in the same capacity that I'm looking to do.

Thanks in advance and this is a fantastic forum!

 

[WhiteNitroCA]

1. Driver and Passenger Ratings are 5 on the Nitro versus the Pathfinders 4.
2. 5 vs. 7 seating
3. 36.3 vs 39.5 turning radius on the nitro.
4. 5000 vs. 6000lb Payload on the Path.
5. 18/24 vs 16/23 on the MPG (based on SLT)
6. Nitro runs on 87/89pref, Pathfnd needs 91-93.

The Nitro is 178 long, path is 187, several inches longer.

You gain front headroom yourself in the Nitro.
Read headroom you loose about an inch.
Front Shoulder room also loose an inch.
You gain front hip room in the nitro.

Nitro is claiming to be 32.1cu ft for maximum luggage, pathfind has only 16.5(17.4 on Nissan), I am sure that is with the seats up though. That makes it hard to find out a direct comparison.

 

[AnorexicBuddha]

the nitro has plenty of room. we have 2 kids (car seat and booster seat at each rear door) and an adult in the middle of back seat all with plenty of leg room and the wife and i up front. and of course i was driving. this is with a stroller, a diaper bag and 4 full size pieces of luggage all in the rear. so i would definately say go with the nitro. as for nissan we have owned 2 that we bought new and they were nothing but trouble from day one.

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

I tell you what, the test drive today in an R/T swayed things quite a bit towards the Nitro.

WhiteNitro: good point on the gas, forgot to consider that. The difference in premium vs. regular would likely take years to be significant, but I still hate filling up premium in my GTO every single time. But that combined with the gas mileage may be something to consider for sure. Payload difference was surprising too, didn't realize the Nitro was so close to the Pathfinder.

Anorexic: thanks for the info on car seat + booster seat plus all the baby accessories. I've been trying to visualize it all in there, and I don't think it would be an issue as you said.

So I have a follow up question: This is what my wife and I call the Doomsday Scenario. The situation where we need to fit myself, my wife, our kid, the two boxers, and luggage. I don't imagine this would occur that often, and certainly not often enough to justify the extra space and expense of a larger SUV. BUT, if it does, is there a luggage rack system where I could strap on a soft luggage roof top carrier up there? Scanning the lot today I didn't see a single crossmember on top of a Nitro.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[AirJunky]

Roof racks & receiver racks are easy to come by for the Nitro. I have a receiver rack & have stacked it FULL on the Dakota. I've put it on the Nitro but never used it yet....... waiting for the doomsday scenario!

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

Hitch mount cargo carrier, hadn't even thought of that. Great idea though.

Any drawbacks to those? Other than someone running off with our stuff while stopping for lunch?

 

[Quiet Lunatic]

I traded a Grand Caravan for the Nitro. I have four kids, the oldest is 18 so it's not COOL to go out with the parents so effectively I have 3 that travel with us. I was really impressed by the size of the foot room in the rear. The trunk space is adequate for us and you should be ok with the baby stuff but I'm not sure about the dogs as well.
You're best bet would be to take them all down to the dealership and try one out. That should make quite an impression with the salesperson but they shouldn't give you a hard time about it. If they do go somewhere else.
Can't comment on the Pathfinder as I've never driven one.
On the "doomsday scenario' all I can say is 'been there done that'. That's where the 3rd row comes in really handy, flip the seats down and your off.
You're best bet would be use a top box, espacially if the baby is crying and the dogs are barking, then you've got somewhere to hide....