No, It's Not a Windbreaker - It's the 2019 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition

Subaru may have shacked up with outdoorwear maker LL Bean a while back, but Nissan’s new Rock Creek Edition Pathfinder looks ready to mount kayaks to its roof rack, stop for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s, visit the college-age daughter in Burlington, then head into the mountains for rugged, ecologically sound adventures. Then, a safe return home to work on that dissertation.

Maybe it’s this midsize crossover’s unique Midnight Pine paint that conjures up images of 1990s New England stereotypes, but can you blame this writer for thinking it? Look at the thing.

So, what does a paddle up Rock Creek do for the owners of this 2019 vehicle?

First off, it gets you that paint color, plus three other shades unique to the special edition. Midnight Pine looks best when contrasted with the tan/beige cladding and should have strangers asking if it’s a Subaru. The 18-inch wheels don a lustrous shade of black, with machined surfaces adding a bit of brightwork.

Also going dark on this particular vehicle are the grille mesh, bumper accents, door handles, roof rack and crossbars, and side mirrors. The two-tone motif continues inside, with dual-color leather seating and high-contrast stitching galore. A tow hitch and harness comes standard on all Rock Creeks, with (up to) 6,000 pounds of tugging capacity provided by the 3.5-liter V6 and Xtronic transmission.

Output for the lone mill stands at 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft.

Offered on two- or four-wheel-drive Pathfinders of SV or SL trim, the Rock Creek Edition package warrants a $995 outlay for U.S. buyers; Nissan calls it a $1,315 value, given the package’s contents. Standard fare includes automatic emergency braking and the brand’s rear door alert system.

Should you desire more convenience and safety, Nissan offers two packages: a technology one ($980) than brings aboard NissanConnect with Navigation, plus Sirius XM and heated seats and mirrors, and a premium one ($2,110), which delivers 13-speaker Bose audio and a panoramic moonroof.

Canadian buyers have access to an identical model that only differs from its American counterpart in terms of price.

Introduced in 2013 as a 2014 model, Nissan’s current-generation Pathfinder faces no shortage of competition from other three-row crossovers; the Rock Creek Edition’s job as an individualist perk is to lure fence-sitters into showrooms. Pathfinder sales sank 16.7 percent in the U.S. last year as Nissan slashed incentives across the board, with January volume showing a slight decline (-0.3 percent) over the previous January’s tally.

[Image: Nissan]