2019 Nissan Pathfinder Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I took a 2020 Pathfinder that I rented on a 2,500 mile road trip. Liked it so much that I bought a 2019 CPO used Pathfinder SL with the Premium package. I got 27mpg on the highway. Very comfortable and the 2nd row is very wide. No complaints from the 3 adult passengers in the 2nd row. The 3rd row is not really suited for adults on long rides but that’s true with most 3rd rows. Fold the 3rd row down and there’s plenty of room for your luggage and everything else. The ride is smooth and quiet enough. The CVT transmission doesn’t drone, it feels quite natural. It might be a little outdated but it served our needs very well. It’s not missing much. If you want apple play or android auto, it’s not available. There is some body roll and it’s not meant to be sporty but it can get up and go. There is a redesign coming for 2022 I believe. The only other suv I considered was the Toyota Highlander. I did shop them and took about 4 Highlanders out for a test drive. The Highlander has some issues that Toyota is aware of and isn’t fixing them. The Highlander is overpriced and I’ve had Toyota sales people tell me that. I’ve owned Toyota and Lexus vehicles for the past 10 years, I switched to Nissan. The Pathfinder (used) is on average about $5,000 less than a Highlander. Overall I would say it’s a good value. The Platinum trim isn’t worth the extra $3,000 or so over the SL. The main difference is ventilated seats and 20” wheels. There are other minor differences but they’re not worth the money to me.

The Pathfinder is not a street racer, but its a very comfortable highway cruiser that has no trouble handling hills. It has lots of interior room and excellent towing capacity (6,000 lbs.), largest in its class. The only thing holding me back from giving it a five-star rating is the lingering doubts about the CVT transmission. A technician at a Mercedez-Benz dealer (who has no irons in this fight) said that as long as you change the CVT fluid every 30,000 miles, the CVT should last a long time... but I still have some reservations. If Nissan could provide a decent warranty (or even an extra-cost extended warranty) that covered CVTs on their used cars, I would feel a lot better about it.

It was a nice car and had the things I was looking for in a car. It rides nice enjoyed driving it. I don’t know what is missing. It seemed to be a little nicer than the Buick Encore. I like the third row seats and the safety features on it. A really nice car.