2023 Nissan Pathfinder Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Pathfinder was redesigned for the 2022 model year and, aside from the Rock Creek trim level, it carries over into 2023 with minimal changes. From the futuristic headlights with more conventional lights within them to the angular C-pillar (right behind the rear door), the Pathfinder bridges traditional elements with forward-thinking design. The result is an SUV that should continue to look relevant for years into the future. The modern aesthetic continues into the cabin, which boasts clean lines and a refreshingly sensible layout. This is an interior that is easy to look at, but also easy to live with.

Trims in Canada for the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder are S, SV, Rock Creek, SL, SL Premium, and Platinum. Standard equipment on the S trim includes all-wheel drive (AWD), 18-inch alloy wheels, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and manual front passenger seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, cloth upholstery, push-button start, remote keyless entry, and tri-zone automatic climate control. It also comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Moving up to the SV trim adds a panoramic moonroof, a tow hitch receiver that increases the available towing capacity to 2,720 kilograms (6,000 pounds), a surround-view monitor, LED fog lamps, and a motion-activated power liftgate.

The Rock Creek is a new, more rugged take on the Pathfinder. It features an off-road tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, unique styling elements, a heavy-duty roof cargo rack, and a slight bump in output from the standard V6 engine. Arguably one of the most useful parts of the Rock Creek is the water-repellent interior. You might not be on the trail every day, but there are plenty of times when you’ll feel thankful this durable synthetic leather upholstery can take abuse without damage. Combined with the heated seats and remote start, the Rock Creek is an SUV designed for handling winter as much as it is designed for the trail. The cabin features a dark aesthetic with orange stitching and orange labels. This continues outside where the fetching forest green paint works incredibly well with the light touches of bright orange and the Rock Creek badging.

The SL provides adds Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist hands-on semi-autonomous driving system and links it traffic sign recognition and the on-board navigation system. It also adds leather seats, a 10-way power passenger seat, and a wireless charging pad.

On the SL Premium, added equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display, and a Bose premium audio system with 12 speakers.

The Platinum trim level sits at the top end and includes second-row captain chairs, which changes the configuration from eight to seven seats. It also adds rain-sensing wipers, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, heated and ventilated front seats, and a central seat-mounted air bag for the front row.

The Nissan Pathfinder is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine. It makes power specs of 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. The Rock Creek features the same engine but is tuned to put out 295 hp and 270 lb-ft. Power is routed through a nine-speed automatic transmission to standard all-wheel drive (AWD; front-wheel drive (FWD) is not offered in our market). Nissan calls it four-wheel drive (4WD), but it’s hard to justify this label compared to more traditional, truck-like 4x4 setups. But our Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek test model endeavors to back up the more rugged branding with added off-road capability. It features a slightly taller (15.9-millimetre) suspension with off-road shocks.

The off-road tires make for a rougher ride on roads and highways. There are more vibrations and the tires pick up smaller cracks and amplify them for the driver and passengers. The tradeoff is a more comfortable ride on the trail. But as a shopper, you have to ask yourself: how often will you be driving on the trail? And if the answer is “a couple of times a year,” is that tradeoff worth it? Given the explosion of the custom 4x4 market, the answer to the second question is “yes” for more and more drivers every year.

No matter which model you select, the engine makes plenty of power for getting around town and at highway speeds. It’s relatively smooth and quiet, as is the automatic transmission. The only issue is Nissan’s new proprietary shifter design. We’re sure owners will get used to it, but automaker’s insistence on unique shifter designs is distracting and unsafe. It is far too easy to accidentally leave the vehicle in gear or shift it into Neutral thinking you’re in Park. There are worse offenders on the market, but a conventional PRNDL lever shifter in the centre console would be far easier to manage.

The Pathfinder comes with a helpful rotary drive mode dial. As unintuitive as the shifter is, this dial is simple and easy to use. It includes Eco, Sport, Normal, Sand, Mud/Rut Snow, and Towing drive modes, as well as an additional All-Terrain mode in the Rock Creek. There’s also a downhill crawl assist button in the centre of the dial. It modulates the brake and throttle so that you can focus on the trail ahead—like a cruise control for the wilderness. The Pathfinder has a standard maximum towing capacity of 1,587 kilograms (3,500 pounds). The Pathfinder Rock Creek, however, can tow up to 2,720 kilograms (6,000 pounds). This added towing capability is also available on all trims but the base model in Canada.

The Pathfinder provides up to 2,279 litres of cargo space with the second row and third row folded flat. With the second row in use, the Pathfinder provides 1,274 litres of cargo space. With all seats upright, it provides 470 litres of cargo space behind the rear seats. That’s about average among midsize three-row SUVs. It’s close, but ultimately falls a bit short of rivals like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, and Hyundai Palisade.

The first two rows provide plenty of headroom and legroom for occupants. The third row will accommodate adults for shorter trips. The Platinum’s second-row captain’s chairs come with a removable centre console between them, and the second-row seats do have quick-release functionality to climb into the third row, as well. 12 cupholders are spread throughout the cabin (two in the front, six in the second row, four in the third row). It also has four bottle holders (two in the front doors, two in the second row). That’s a lot of beverage transport. The Pathfinder also has plenty of cubbies and compartments for all your gear.

The brawny aftermarket-style tubular roof racks on our Rock Creek test model are actually useful compared to most included-equipment roof racks on the market. This setup can hold up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds), and you can easily use any part of it as a tie-down without worrying if your cargo is going to get blown away. The only issue with the roof rack is that it’s so close to the roof that removing snow in the morning can be tricky.

The Pathfinder comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The SL, SL Premium, and Platinum trims come with a larger 9-inch touchscreen system. Both are easy to use and have logical menu layouts, backed up by real buttons and dials. Some might find the infotainment to be dated and have low-quality graphics (the backup and parking cameras are low-definition), but everything is easy to use, which should trump innovation. Still, if you are into the latest tech and seeing CarPlay or Android Auto on big, crisp screens, you may prefer newer options like the Hyundai Palisade or redesigned 2023 Honda Pilot.

In addition to four USB ports (two first-row, two second-row) and a six-speaker stereo, the Pathfinder comes standard with Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, voice recognition, and a subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot. The SV adds a third-row USB port, and the SL trim adds wireless device charging and a second third-row USB port. In all, the Pathfinder might not have the most cutting-edge tech, but it has the right features to keep your tech charged and connected.

Standard driver-assistance features on the Pathfinder include forward (and reverse) automatic emergency braking, forward (and reverse) collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, lane-departure warning, rear parking sensors, driver-attention monitoring, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and ProPilot Assist, which includes lane centring and adaptive cruise control. The SV trim adds front parking sensors and a 360-degree parking monitor. The SL trim adds traffic-sign recognition and also connects ProPilot assist to the navigation system. The Nissan Pathfinder SL Premium adds a head-up display, and the range-topping Platinum trim adds rain-sensing wipers.

Rotate the dial to “Off-Road” mode, and the touchscreen presents front- and side-view cameras at low speeds. This allows the driver to monitor for obstacles without the need for a spotter outside the vehicle on the trail.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder as a Top Safety Pick+, its highest ranking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not completed a full suite of crash tests on the 2023 model, but the identical 2022 model received four stars in front crash protection, five stars in side crash protection, and a four-star rollover rating.

The Nissan Pathfinder returns fuel economy ratings of 11.6 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 9.2 on the highway, and 10.5 combined. The Rock Creek trim has slightly higher figures of 11.9 L/100 km city, 10.0 highway, and 11.1 combined. In our week of combined city and highway driving with the Rock Creek, we observed an average fuel economy of 11.3 L/100 km.

Base MSRP for the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder is $45,998 for the S trim. The SV trim starts at $48,998, the Rock Creek at $51,998, the SL trim at $52,998, the SL Premium at $54,998, and the range-topping Pathfinder Platinum trim starts at $56,998. The Nissan Pathfinder is backed by a three-year/60,000-kilometre new vehicle warranty and five-year/100,000-kilometre powertrain warranty.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder excels in a lot of areas, but it struggles to truly define itself. On the one hand, you have a roomy, comfortable, and capable family crossover with plenty of cargo and passenger space. On the other hand, the Pathfinder doesn’t know if it’s trying to be a versatile family hauler or a callback to the Pathfinder’s rugged origins. Some of its styling elements, such as the strong, angular pillar, are callbacks to the original Nissan Hardbody, which is now looked at with rosy lenses due to the popularity of the vintage SUV segment.

But SUVs are the way they are today because they have evolved to buyers’ real-world needs. That means less off-road capability and more cup holders, folding seats, USB ports, and safety features. One could interpret the Rock Creek as a cynical way to deliver the image of a bygone era of the SUV except for niche vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Toyota 4Runner, and Jeep Wrangler. On the other hand, Nissan has positioned the Pathfinder to be the type of road-going vehicle that more shoppers will find useful, and the Rock Creek is that option to be a bit more rugged. In that sense, it’s less a compromise and more of a clever dual-use SUV that handles daily life but can also venture off the beaten path when called upon—just not too far off the beaten path.

Note: Images and video show a US model.