Whether you call it an off-roader, an SUV or a 4x4, there’s no doubt that the breed has reached a fascinating juncture. This is because, 35 years after Range Rover invented the off-roader for people who don’t want to go off-road, it has fallen into the sights of tree-hugging environmentalists.

They rail against SUVs because they’re heavier, thirstier and more polluting than equivalent saloons, choke our city streets with their inflated bodies and are grossly overspecified for their usual tasks of shopping and getting the kids to school.

Though it pains me to admit it, they have a point. However, those who protest are unlikely ever to have bought one, and those who own one are unlikely to listen to them. Unless SUVs are outlawed altogether the continued expansion of the market seems secure.

A much bigger threat to their existence will come when their drivers realise that they are, as a rule, slower, more uncomfortable, less fun to drive and less able to avoid potential accidents than lower, lighter, quicker, more agile saloons and hatchbacks. They will then have to decide whether such considerations outweigh the fact that they often look cool, have fabulous visibility for drivers and passengers alike, can go off-road, offer versatile interiors without the stigma of the MPV, and put formidable protective barriers around them and their family.

To help them make up their minds, Nissan, a company that has hedged its bets between SUVs and conventional cars for years, has now laid its cards face up on the table. It has made no attempt to disguise its disappointment at the slow sales of Almera and Primera hatchbacks and saloons and makes it clear that neither car will be directly replaced. This is equivalent to Ford saying it’s not going to make the Focus or Mondeo in future.

Instead, Nissan will soon be synonymous with SUVs. Even now Nissan sells five individual SUV models; Land Rover does no more. And in March a sixth will join the Terrano, Navarra, X-Trail, Patrol and Murano in the line-up. It’s called the Pathfinder and, if you believe Nissan, it should be talked of in the same breath as a Land Rover Discovery or Volvo XC90.

But within the first few yards in a Pathfinder you realise that such lofty aspirations are far beyond its grasp. I understand why Nissan wishes to be talked of in the same breath as such premium brands — and with some of its other cars like the BMW X5-rivalling Murano and its Audi TT-matching 350Z it fully deserves to. But the Pathfinder should not even be on the radar screen, let alone the shopping list, of someone who’s also looking at a Discovery.

Sure, both cars are large seven-seat SUVs with genuine off-road ability, but there the similarity ends. While the Land Rover’s diesel engine is a silken V6, the Pathfinder’s is a grindingly coarse four-cylinder unit. Where the Discovery rides like a Jaguar, the Pathfinder is rather more agricultural. The Discovery’s interior is a place of genuine style and luxury and the Pathfinder’s, bluntly, isn’t.

So, a terrible car then? Not really. It’s all in the perception. Forget Land Rovers and Volvos and think of Toyotas and Mitsubishis and it suddenly makes sense. Model for model it’s more closely aligned to a Land Cruiser or Shogun, and in its abilities it’s a closer match too. They also possess rather unrefined four-cylinder diesel engines, choppy ride quality and undistinguished interiors. But the Pathfinder, with a centre row of seats that fold flat with one tug of a handle and individual rear seats that disappear into the floor, has the more versatile, clever interior.

Moreover, if you can find a road smooth enough to stop its body rattling, it actually handles rather well for such a tall car with a kerb weight on the dark side of two tons. Don’t touch the automatic, which serves merely to kill what little performance is on offer and accentuate engine noise; get the standard six-speed manual instead.

Seen this way, the Pathfinder is a reasonably competitive proposition. What it’s not is anything like the step forward you might hope for in a new car coming to a class filled with such undistinguished opposition. Its interior may be a shade more versatile than its rivals and it is reasonably economical, but a Shogun is better looking and more comfortable while a Land Cruiser seems better screwed together and is more refined. The Nissan is formidable off-road, but so are its opponents. It seats five in comfort and seven at a squash, as do they.

Which leaves me mildly disappointed with the Pathfinder.

My hope of any new car is that it will be better than the class average or at least bring something new to the debate. But the Pathfinder isn’t and doesn’t. It offers little to raise its head clear of the crowd and, having had two years since the latest Land Cruiser arrived to figure out how to better it, that’s not good enough.

Still, it may be only a small stumble in Nissan’s march upmarket. Its last two offerings, the Murano and 350Z Roadster, have been entirely convincing. Two steps forward and one step back is still a step in the right direction.

Vital statistics

Model Nissan Pathfinder SVE
Engine type Four-cylinder, 2488cc
Power/torque 174bhp @ 4000rpm / 297 lb ft @ 3000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 31.4mpg (combined) / 238g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 12.3sec / Top speed: 109mph
Price £28,260
Verdict Honest and able, but no step forward
Rating 3/5

The opposition

Model Mitsubishi Shogun 3.2 DI-D Classic, £26,249
For Good looks, very capable off road, spacious interior
Against Getting old, cabin is downmarket

Model Toyota Land Cruiser LC3 3.0 D-4D, £28,495
For Bombproof construction, good on-road refinement
Against Sluggish performance, choppy ride