Nissan’s 2027 Pathfinder Special Edition Has an ’80s-Style Burgundy Interior

Forty years ago, Nissan unleashed its Pathfinder on the market as its body-on-frame challenger to the Jeep Cherokee, Ford Bronco, and Chevy Blazer. To commemorate this momentous occasion, the 2027 Nissan Pathfinder Special Edition is here with retro flair in the form of a burgundy interior.

Introduced in 1986 as a 1987 model, the OG Pathfinder debuted with a sassy burgundy cloth interior that was incredibly fitting for the times. The modern homage version is dressed in black and burgundy synthetic leather as a nod to that look. There are also accents stamped with SE est. 1986, a badge that denotes the Special Edition and the year the Pathfinder arrived on the market.

Also applied to the Special Edition are 20-inch alloy wheels, a 12-speaker premium Bose audio system, captain’s chairs in the second row, sunshades, and a panoramic moonroof. Given that this is a trim package only, the Pathfinder’s driving hardware remains unchanged, with a 3.5-liter V-6 making 284 hp and 259 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission.

Today’s Pathfinder is more than a bit different than the one that launched all those years ago. The Pathfinder lineage began as a two-door, body-on-frame rig with either a manual or automatic transmission. It was available in both RWD and a manually engaged 4WD configuration and was powered by a base 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter V-6 initially rated at 140 horsepower. The modern, fifth-generation Pathfinder is built on a unibody platform and is intended more for the humble job of serving families than crawling around the trails.

The 2027 Pathfinder Special Edition will go on sale next month and will be available in either front-wheel drive for $48,965 or all-wheel drive for $50,965 starting MSRPs. They’ll sit above the SL FWD and Rock Creek grades, respectively. In the meantime, you can read our Nissan heritage collection drive from last year to see how vintage Nissans hold up today.