Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid 'No Longer Available,' Infiniti QX60 Twin Vanishes Too: UPDATED

Four months ago, we inquired about the fate of the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid.

That version of the popular seven-seat family SUV, with a 2.5-liter four and a mild-hybrid system replacing the usual 3.5-liter V-6, had launched as a 2014 model.

We weren't impressed with the car, either in prototype form or on the road, and we noticed it didn't reappear for the 2015 model year.

DON'T MISS: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Missing In Action, Or Just Slow-Selling? (Feb 2015)

Now we have our answer: The Pathfinder Hybrid "is no longer available," according to the Nissan website--nor is its Infiniti QX60 Hybrid sibling.

[UPDATE: We received more information on the Infiniti hybrid; see page 2 of this article.]

Instead, the site goes on to note, "The legendary gas-fuelled [sic] Pathfinder still offers everything you are looking for: style, spaciousness, performance, and efficiency."

And, it adds, "The revolutionary Nissan Leaf, the best-selling electric vehicle in history, is also available if ultra-efficiency is your goal."

We're skeptical that anyone would cross-shop a seven-seat family SUV and a four- to five-passenger battery-electric hatchback with 84 miles of range, but it's nice to see Nissan promoting its most advanced vehicle.

Still, the departure of Pathfinder Hybrid after a single model year is unusual--even if Green Car Reports, among others, found that the vehicle failed to meet its 26-mpg combined EPA rating during a lengthy real-world winter test. (The V-6 Pathfinder comes in at 21 mpg combined with all-wheel drive, 22 mpg with front-wheel drive.)

We asked Nissan for a Pathfinder Hybrid last summer to repeat the test in warmer weather, which is usually kinder to hybrid fuel efficiency, but the company declined to make one available.

ALSO SEE: 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Gas Mileage Test Disappointing (Feb 2014)

We reached out to Nissan to ask why the Pathfinder Hybrid had been withdrawn, and how many had been delivered in its single year on sale.

Dan Passe, senior communications manager at Nissan North America, responded with the following statement:

Pathfinder Hybrid is no longer on sale at Nissan dealers. Nissan is focusing its manufacturing, marketing, and dealer resources on the 3.5-liter V6-powered Pathfinder, which achieves up to 27 highway miles per gallon.

The 3.5-liter V6-powered Pathfinder delivers the balance of fuel economy and performance expected by customers in this segment – and [that] contributed to the Nissan Group being named as the most fuel efficient full-line automaker in the United States, according to the 2014 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "Trends" Report.