We already put the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder three-row SUV with all-wheel-drive through its instrumented paces. Now it's time to get the front-wheel-drive version of Nissan's latest Pathfinder in the hands of MotorTrend's test team so consumers know what to expect from the rest of the lineup.

The Pathfinder has had an interesting history and is unique in its path to reinvention, having flipped from body-on-frame to unibody repeatedly during its lifecycle. It started as a two-door SUV in 1986 on Nissan's compact truck body-on-frame platform and added a four-door in 1989, discontinuing the two-door a year later in North America. The second-gen Pathfinder went on sale in 1995 with unibody construction. Then the third-generation SUV made a surprising return to body-on-frame in 2004 for the '05 model year, only to pivot back to unibody for the fourth-generation Pathfinder in 2012, sharing a platform with the Nissan Altima, Maxima, and Murano, among others.

For this fifth generation, the Pathfinder actually stays unibody on the same platform, but it drops the milquetoast design in a return to the squared-off, brawny looks we've come to associate with this SUV, regardless of its underpinnings. The styling changes inside and out are in keeping with a resurgence in design among new Nissan offerings of late.

The two-wheel-drive Pathfinder starts at $47,340, and at $49,865, our test model didn't ring in much higher. That price reflects the addition of $730 running boards, a $745 two-tone premium paint scheme, a $795 lighting package with illuminated kick plates and welcome lighting, and $255 carpeted floormats. A comparable 2021 Toyota Highlander Platinum trim FWD starts slightly higher at $48,755, and a 2022 Honda Pilot Elite costs about $2,000 more but only comes in AWD.

Nissan also carried over the previous Pathfinder's 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which generates 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque, but the previous model's CVT has been replaced with a new nine-speed automatic transmission with a meaty shifter. It can tow 6,000 pounds and comes with a tow hitch and harness as standard equipment.

Although the pleasant-sounding V-6 feels more powerful and the new transmission snappier at propelling the lighter FWD model, the test numbers don't bear out our seat-of-the-pants observations. The front-drive Pathfinder required 7.1 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph and 15.5 seconds to do the quarter mile. The Pathfinder with AWD was a shade quicker at 7.0 seconds to 60 mph, making it a strong performer in the segment. The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 (293 hp/260 lb-ft) and AWD needed 7.3 seconds and 15.5 seconds, respectively.

Road test editor Erick Ayapana found the Pathfinder FWD "super-tricky to launch" because the engine easily overwhelms the tires. "With traction on, it'll cut power to reduce wheelspin. With traction off, any hint of wheelspin results in a 1-2 upshift. Manual mode isn't much of a manual mode because it'll upshift to second automatically. So getting the launch right is pretty much a guessing game."

Ironically, the lighter, front-drive Pathfinder felt heavier to drive at times on our winding test track, and the stability control can often be too aggressive. However, tire squeal and head toss were kept to a minimum, even during hard cornering. The suspension provides a smooth ride over rough surfaces, and there is little body motion over bumps.

Out on the figure-eight course, the Pathfinder completed the loop in 28.4 seconds at an average of 0.59 g, performing better than road test editor Chris Walton expected, though he did find its steering to be unnecessarily heavy during his looping. "The chassis is quite good, but you can't go to the power early because the front-wheel-drive system doesn't have any sort of limited slip other than traction control, which kills the exit," Walton noted. The all-wheel-drive Pathfinder rounded the course a full second quicker at 27.4 seconds, and the Grand Cherokee L (also with AWD) essentially split the difference at 27.9 seconds. When it comes to stopping power, the FWD Pathfinder needed 130 feet to haul itself down from 60 mph to 0. That's slightly longer than the Grand Cherokee L at 127 feet but a ways off of the AWD Pathfinder's impressive 114 feet, which is difficult to explain with both Pathfinders using the same tires. Ayapana found the Pathfinder's brakes to have "adequate bite and good body control." Walton said the medium-firm brake pedal offers "good feel and easy modulation."

As far as fuel efficiency goes, the 2022 Pathfinder adds stop-start, which helps improve its EPA numbers slightly to 21/27/23 mpg city/highway/combined. The heavier Grand Cherokee L is predictably thirstier at  19/26/21 with RWD.

Nissan's ProPilot Assist (adaptive cruise, steering assist, traffic sign recognition) provides excellent lane-centering steering assist. Once adaptive cruise is engaged, simply press the ProPilot button for full capability. Rest your fingers lightly on the steering wheel and feel it make minor adjustments as you're speeding down the highway. With Navi-Link, the vehicle slows for freeway curves and exit ramps, and the system alerts the driver to changes in the speed limit. It's without question one of the best driver assist systems on the market.

The 2022 Pathfinder's cabin feels premium for a vehicle that costs less than $50,000 and comes with a dose of industrial toughness: Everything is big and square and blocky. Our test model had  great-looking saddle-brown seats and accents on the door and dashtop, which contrast well with the black interior; white and gold stitching help complete the upscale look. The Platinum trim comes with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a head-up display, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a motion-activated power tailgate, and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Open the wider-opening rear doors and climb into the heated second-row captain's chairs fitted to this model (making it a seven-passenger family vehicle instead of eight), and you'll find them comfortable with ample thigh support. To get to the third row, there are buttons on the base of the second-row seat and the seat back. Press one, and the seat tilts and then flies forward—even with an empty car seat installed. It's easy enough for kids to use, but make sure they stand back while it performs its spring-loaded gymnastics. It creates a large opening for easy access to the third row, which now seats three. Space is decent in the third row, and the passengers have access to air vents and USB charging ports.

The third-row seats also fold completely flat, and the cargo area is augmented by a deep well under the floor. The rear cargo space also comes with tie-downs, bag hooks, and a 12-volt socket.

The Pathfinder faces a lot of competition, with stalwarts such as the Highlander, Pilot, and Ford Explorer, not to mention relative newcomers, including the Hyundai Palisade, the 2020 MotorTrend SUV of the Year Kia Telluride, and the newest entrant, the Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Nissan has reinvented the Pathfinder many times over the years in order to assert leadership in the segment. This time around Nissan kept the Pathfinder's carlike platform but returned it to a truckier look in an attempt to remix the best of its past efforts. The result, as summarized by Walton: "Not bad for a grocery getter and better than it probably needed to be."

When Chevrolet first introduced the Bolt EV, it sent shockwaves through the automotive industry as the first properly affordable mainstream electric car. More than half a decade later, Chevy has taken its award-winning hatchback  and spun off a second model, the stretched Bolt EUV crossover. We put the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV to the test to see if it could recapture the original's magic.

At a glance the Bolt EUV doesn't look all that different from its smaller sibling, though it drives like an entirely different vehicle. It wears a similar grille and retains the Bolt EV's egglike styling. However, the 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV is 0.2 inch taller and wider and 6.3 inches longer than the regular Bolt. It's 90 pounds heavier, too.

The Bolt EUV develops 200 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, which it sends through the front wheels. Range is 247 miles on a full charge, 12 miles less than the Bolt EV. Chevy claims the Bolt EUV can regain 95 miles of range in 30 minutes depending on how much charge is already in its 65-kWh battery, which seemed to be a realistic assertion based on our lunchtime top-off after three laps of our Car of the Year test loop.

Although the Bolt EUV's throttle mapping is good, it's easy to roast the tires at a whim, as its economy-minded rubber provides little grip off the line or even at moderate speeds if the driver dabs the accelerator too hard. We managed a 0-60-mph sprint of 6.7 seconds, which is quick but not as quick as the car feels from the driver's seat. Brake pedal tuning is excellent for an electric vehicle, as it feels completely natural and predictable. However, despite having a lot of the ingredients that make a car fun to drive, they don't come together in a cohesive way.

On our test route, we found the Bolt EUV to have substandard body control and rough suspension tuning. In fact, the rear torsion bar banged so hard over train tracks that it sounded like something broke (it didn't). "This was one of the most poorly behaved vehicles driven over these surfaces," MotorTrend technical director Frank Markus said. "Lots of harshness, lots of bottoming and topping of the suspension." It's not all bad news, however, as the Chevy's steering stood out as one of the car's best aspects; it offered good engagement and ample feedback.

On open stretches of highway and around town, the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV was a bit more pleasant due to its low-end torque and excellent battery-regeneration features. The EV offers one-pedal driving with the push of a button, allowing it to use regenerative braking. It's a remarkably intuitive system and brings the Bolt EUV down from speed with firm stopping power without jarring the vehicle's occupants. The neat regeneration paddle on the steering wheel is still present, allowing for firm but controlled deceleration that feeds electricity back into the battery. Although it's not the most entertaining car to drive on back roads, these features are as amusing as they are useful.

The interior, though an improvement over the original Bolt EV's cockpit in terms of materials and layout, still feels at least half a decade old. It also looks like it's at least half a generation older than the other electric crossovers it competes with. That's because of Chevy's pervasive use of hard plastics throughout the cabin, though our test car featured sweet-looking blue seats and door pocket inserts that made it appear a bit more premium. Ventilated seats were also a huge win, seeing as we conducted our testing under the hot desert sun.

There's plenty of space up front with 44.3 inches of legroom, and most rear passengers will have room to stretch out a bit with 39.2 inches. Although the Bolt EUV is a wagonoid crossover, its trunk space is limited with just 16.3 cubic feet of capacity behind the rear seats. That's pitiful compared to the Ford Mustang Mach-E's 29.7 cubes. Chevy makes the storage area a bit more flexible with a removable floorboard, but it helps demonstrate this vehicle is more of a spruced-up hatchback than a full-on crossover.

Although the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV isn't the sleekest package, it comes equipped with an impressive suite of driver assistance features, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane keeping assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, automatic high-beams, and front pedestrian braking.

GM's Super Cruise semi-autonomous system, an available feature on the Bolt EUV, came equipped on our test car. It's the first Chevy to offer this system; the package costs $2,200 and adds hands-free driving on roads included within GM's software. We've been impressed with Super Cruise before, and it continues to work exceptionally well on the Bolt EUV. The car kept its place in the lane without error so long as there were lines on either side of the vehicle, and it controlled its speed well and hustled up the hills on our test route without slowing down. Buyers shopping for a mainstream EV with a system that bests Tesla's Autopilot may want to consider purchasing the Bolt EUV with Super Cruise.

Chevrolet did a great job integrating the 10.2-inch infotainment display into the center stack. The Infotainment 3 Plus with Navigation is easy to operate and quick to respond to inputs. It isn't standard; however, it comes as part of the $2,495 Sun and Sound package, which also adds a Bose seven-speaker audio system and a sunroof.

The front USB ports are difficult to access; they're wedged deep in the cellphone cubby. It's tough to dig a mobile device out of the compartment, too, leading to some awkward maneuvering in the cabin when it's time to hop out of the car. There isn't much going on in terms of tech in the back seat; passengers have access to just one USB-A and one USB-C port.

At an as-tested price of $43,685, this 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Premier jolted us with sticker shock. That's $5,190 more than the Premier trim package and $9,690 above the EUV's $33,995 base price. Chevy is asking a lot of money for a new model that feels a lot more like a refreshed 5-year-old car, but we concede the entry-level model represents a much better deal than the example we evaluated here.

Simply put, where the Chevy Bolt once stood out as an isolated example of a well-executed and affordable EV, the EUV model lacks the polish we now expect from an electric car. During our SUV of the Year testing, the Bolt EUV had below-average range compared to the other EVs we tested, and our judges were unimpressed by its handling and ride composition. Prospective buyers might want to opt for a lesser trim level to improve the bang-for-buck ratio.

Chevrolet should have taken extra measures to button up this new model, a vehicle that represents the company's next step toward total electrification. The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV would have been a spectacular car five years ago, but EVs have progressed so much that this represents a mid-segment offering at best. For many, it will deliver ample capability for daily driving, but shoppers should consider other "every-person" electric crossovers such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID4, as well, for more modern approaches to mainstream EVs.

(https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-chevrolet-bolt-euv-electric-suv-first-test-review/)

The last time we drove the third-gen BMW X3, we were a bit disappointed with its cabin design, technology, and overall position in the segment. The 2022 BMW X3 is trying to change that with its midcycle update, which involves a moderate improvement to its interior and exterior design, plus the addition of more up-to-date technology. Are these changes enough to impact its impression among our staff?

If you place a 2018 and 2022 X3 side by side, the differences are quite noticeable. Up front, the grille, headlights, and fascia are new, with the air vents getting bigger and bolder, particularly on versions with the M Sport design package. The iconic double kidney grille is a bit bigger on the newer model, and it seems like the two kidneys sit closer to each other, while the headlights adopt a modern design and feature new daytime running lights. Walk to the back, and the squared taillights stand out, while the rear fascia and tailpipes are similarly more squared than before.

The exterior upgrade is well received, making the 2022 BMW X3 look younger, fresher, and sportier. It's not that the 2018 model looks old, but in a segment that's quickly evolving—and where there's stiff competition—last year's X3 seemed to be stuck in time.

The changes inside are also welcomed. Gone is the old CD player layout, which is replaced by a redesigned center console with updated, metallic switchgear that gives the interior a fresh feeling. Although the center console didn't change much, the updated design is nicer and more contemporary, with a new display for the climate control. Also new are the shifter and all the real estate around it, which now includes a push-start button next to the shifter (instead of next to the air vents) and new iDrive controls. But the most important upgrades are the bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen atop the dashboard and the 12.3-inch display that replaces the analog instrument cluster. The touchscreen adds the new iDrive infotainment system, which now supports Android Auto—a first in the X3. Wireless Apple CarPlay is now standard across the board.

These changes are not only noticeable but appreciated. The graphics in the new instrument cluster aren't as eye-popping as the 3-D graphics in the Genesis GV70, but we're glad to see a more modern interior in the Bimmer. iDrive 7 is easier to use than the outgoing version, with updated maps and more modern graphics.

Under the X3's hood, things remain mostly unchanged. The X3 xDrive30i's turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 engine again delivers 248 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends that power to all four wheels, though when the conditions are optimal it sends most of the power to the rear wheels.

This formula plays out well on the road. Although the X3 xDrive30i isn't a dynamic SUV (that task is meant for the more powerful, six-cylinder M40i), it delivers a comfortable yet sporty ride. The base engine is punchy enough to power the X3 through twisty uphill roads without hesitation, with the transmission quickly downshifting when needed to deliver more torque. Paddle shifters are included in case you want to manually select your own gears, but we found the transmission quick on its own.

A Sport Individual driving mode allows the driver to customize the driving experience for the engine, transmission, and steering, but we didn't feel much difference compared to Normal mode. In any case, the chassis tuning stands out on the twisty roads, where the X3 feels planted and exhibits low body roll, while the suspension manages to absorb pavement imperfections in a good manner.

Objectively, the X3 xDrive30i's numbers aren't eye-popping. Going 0 zero to 60 mph takes 6.4 seconds, a so-so figure compared to other entry-level German SUVs. The 2021 Audi Q5 Quattro we tested earlier this year got to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, and a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 did so in 5.4 seconds—a full second ahead of the Bimmer.  Expand that list to include the 2020 Acura RDX and 2022 Lexus NX, and the X3 stands in a better position. The RDX reached 60 mph in 6.4 seconds, and the NX with its new turbo 2.4-liter engine did so in 7.3 seconds.

The story is mostly the same with the quarter-mile and figure-eight tests. The X3 crosses the quarter-mile mark in 15.0 seconds at 92.5 mph, a number that's slower than the Audi (14.4 seconds) and Mercedes (14.1 seconds), but faster than the Acura (15.2 seconds) and Lexus (15.5 seconds).

Braking, however, is a strong characteristic of the X3; it stopped from 60 mph in 109 feet—an impressive number considering its size and weight.

The X3 xDrive30i starts at $46,695, though prices quickly rise depending on the equipment. The good news is that the cost stayed relatively the same compared to the pre-refreshed model; the bad news is that the model we tested was $57,590. Our X3 was well equipped, but that's a hefty price tag, and one that could easily be beaten by non-German entries in this segment.

However, the changes made to the X3 make it younger and fresher—both inside and out. Is the X3 a better competitor because of these changes? Partially. The technology inside is newer and better, and we like the fact that prices didn't escalate much with the new equipment. Still, that doesn't completely fix everything with the X3. Its performance isn't up to par with the other Germans, making it mid-pack at best in the segment.

We welcome the refreshed X3, but we hope the next generation is stronger.