While the Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek grade has an off-road mindset, its harsh terrain handling attributes also provide a nifty fallback for travelers dealing with nasty weather and pothole pitfalls. A week-long test drive of the 2025 Pathfinder cemented this unibody midsize utility vehicle’s rough terrain capabilities, solidified via several Rock Creek trim features, including a surround view camera system with an off-road mode, all terrain tires, water repellant seat material, hill descent control, and LED fog lights. Pathfinder Rock Creek provides 7.7 inches of ground clearance versus the 7.1 inches on other Pathfinder trims (S, SV, SL, and Premium). The Rock Creek-outfitted SUV also has a tow capacity of up to 6,000 pounds.

Powering the tested Pathfinder Rock Creek is a 3.5-liter V6 that provides 295 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 270 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm. The engine mates to a 9-speed automatic transmission. Pathfinder’s cargo space is 16.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 45 cubic feet behind second row, and 80.5 cubic feet behind first row seats. New for 2025 is a standard power lift gate on Rock Creek and SV trims. The tested 114.2 inch wheelbase 2025 Pathfinder Rock Creek — with standard four wheel drive and Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 — collects estimated mpg of 20 city/23 highway and carries a base MSRP of $45,160.