Can Nissan’s new-look big family SUV overcome the lack of a very important modern feature? Glenn Butler finds out.
2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L
It’s hard to believe the Nissan Pathfinder nameplate has been with us for more than 35 years. This is the fifth-generation Pathfinder to come to Australia since 1987, although the vehicle’s core mission has changed dramatically since then.
The Pathfinder was originally positioned as an off-roading little brother to the Nissan Patrol. More recently it has strayed to be a big-bodied family-friendly, urban-loving soft-roader.
One look at the fifth-generation Pathy launched in late 2022 and it’s clear Nissan’s designers expended a lot of effort putting the butch back in. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s returned to its off-road roots as a bona-fide bush-basher.
The 2023 Pathfinder may look tougher and more visually arresting, but it’s still firmly focused on families who need an urban SUV, albeit with a dollop of all-road ability.
As Drive’s Trent Nikolic said when he first tested the Nissan Pathfinder in early December 2022: “Nissan may have found the perfect formula. New Pathfinder is capable enough to tackle the kind of dirt roads most Aussies will head down, and it can tow, but unlike the rugged off-road brigade, it handles road driving with a sense of poise and comfort”.
The Pathfinder’s critical success would seem assured, then. But the tougher fight has only just begun – the fight for Australian family appeal.
That depends not just on how well it handles the varied needs of active Australian families, but also on how well it stacks up against the bevy of other impressive large family SUVs all fighting for consumer dollars.
The Toyota Kluger leads the pack and is our current recommendation, having won the 2022 Drive Car of the Year Best Large SUV award. Our 2021 winner was the Kia Sorento, and even though it’s a year older it is still finding favour with buyers with good reason.
The Sorento welcomed a new hybrid variant to its range in 2022, as did the equally impressive Hyundai Santa Fe. Mazda’s impressive CX-8 and CX-9 seven-seat siblings are not hybrids but are worth a look.
The big sellers in the Large SUV segment are the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. However, these three vehicles are built as much for rugged off-roading as carrying bigger families, and so are not like-for-like rivals to the Nissan Pathfinder.
How much does the Nissan Pathfinder cost in Australia?
When the fifth-generation Pathfinder arrived in Australia in December 2022, Nissan unveiled a four-tiered line-up starting with the ST at $54,190 plus on-road costs, followed by the ST-L and Ti, and topping out with the Ti-L at $77,890 (plus ORCs). The ST and Ti were both offered in front-drive or all-wheel drive, effectively making it a six-tiered Pathfinder range.
In February of this year, Nissan deleted the four more affordable variants and raised pricing on the remaining Ti AWD and Ti-L AWD to $70,030 and $80,277 respectively, plus on-road costs.
That means it will cost buyers $78,515 for the Ti and $89,153 for the Ti-L. Both prices include all applicable on-road costs for Melbourne buyers, so exact pricing may differ slightly in other states.
Nissan says this radical reorganisation of the Pathfinder range so soon after launch was necessary because of supply issues for the cheaper variants out of its Tennessee, USA plant, and because Australian buyers were predominantly shopping at the higher end of the range anyway.
The Ti AWD is an eight-seater with a 2+3+3 configuration. The top-spec Ti-L AWD replaces the second-row bench seat with two individual captain’s chairs, making it a seven-seater.
The Pathfinder’s 3.5-litre petrol engine has been carried over from the previous generation. Nissan says it has improved acceleration, refinement and economy. Part of that comes courtesy of a new nine-speed automatic transmission that takes over from the old model’s continuously variable transmission.
Nissan does not offer a fuel-saving petrol-electric hybrid powertrain option like the Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe do, or a more economical diesel powertrain like that offered in the Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-8.
Our test car was painted in Glacier White and had a black roof ($1400) and a tow bar ($1350) so it costs $90,921 to park in your driveway (in Melbourne), including dealer delivery fees, stamp duty, registration and other on-road costs.
Standard equipment on the Ti includes LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and a 360-degree camera with rear parking sensors.
Externally, the Ti-L adds 20-inch alloy wheels, black roof rails, rear privacy glass, chrome bodyside trim and a power-operated tailgate. For a full rundown of the Pathfinder range, see our price and specifications article.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L |
| Price | $80,227 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Glacier White with black roof |
| Options | Two-tone paint – $1400 Tow bar – $1350 |
| Price as tested | $81,627 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $90,921 (Melbourne) |
| Rivals | Hyundai Palisade | Mazda CX-9 | Toyota Kluger |
How much space does the Nissan Pathfinder have inside?
Often, a radical exterior change driven by styling priorities can compromise interior space and flexibility. Not so with the Nissan Pathfinder. It looks a million times better on the outside and is more spacious and user-friendly on the inside.
In short, the Pathfinder Ti-L’s interior is a lovely place to be, even for an extended time.
Inside, every Pathfinder has tri-zone climate control, full leather interior trim, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats and second-row outboard seats, rear sunblinds, 13-speaker Bose sound system, touchscreen infotainment with wireless smartphone mirroring and satellite navigation, and a colour head-up display that projects vehicle speed and other important information onto the windscreen ahead of the driver.
The Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L adds a power-adjustable front passenger seat, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a power sunroof, ventilated front seats, digital rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and ambient interior lighting.
One point on that front passenger seat: it’s too low, and does not have height adjust. My wife is small – 162cm or so – and she didn’t like not being able to easily see over the dashboard.
A flagship vehicle like this Pathfinder Ti-L costing close to $90,000 on-road should have seat height adjustment on the front passenger seat as well as the driver’s seat.
Other than that, there’s nothing to complain about up front in the Pathy. Two cupholders in the centre plus a big central storage bin, another big storage cubby under the centre console, and door bottle holders provide plenty of storage options.
The Pathfinder Ti-L’s rear-view mirror is a conventional mirror that becomes a digital display screen when tilted, projecting the view from a rear-mounted camera. This makes it easier to see out the back if you have a full load of humans or cargo stacked to the roof.
The middle row of the Ti-L is not a three-seater bench like in the Ti. Instead, it’s two individual captain’s chairs (each with ISOFIX mounts). They’re very comfortable and have all the expected adjustments, including fold-up armrests on the inboard side. The windows have retractable blinds that are good for keeping the sun off Junior’s face during his naptime.
There’s a generously sized bottle holder in the door and a smaller cupholder higher up. There’s also a storage bin between the seats that includes two more cupholders.
On the back of the front console, we have two USB ports (USB-A and C) and third-zone climate control. Legroom is ridiculously generous even when I slid the seat all the way forward behind my driving position. Air vents in the roof keep the air flowing, and a two-row sunroof helps second-row occupants top up their Vitamin-D.
These captain’s chairs have a cool trick when it comes to providing third-row access. Push the small button and the entire chair pops up and pivots forward. This is great for two reasons. Firstly, a child can do it, and secondly it means you don’t need to remove the child seat you installed first. Very clever.
The third row has enough headroom and legroom to accommodate two adults but not the width for three. The seatbase to floor ratio is shorter, meaning your legs won’t rest on the seatbase, which pretty much guarantees a sore butt or dead legs if you’re stuck there for long.
There is no armrest in the rear but there are two more cupholders and bottle holders, bringing the total to 14 in a seven-seater. There are also air vents in the third row, and one USB charger for occupants to fight over.
The boot is of a decent size (205L) and could fit three or four overnight bags even with all three rows in place. There’s an underfloor bin big enough to carry a few pairs of muddy footy boots.
If you need more luggage space, the third row folds flat, liberating a 554L boot.
The Pathfinder has a space-saving spare tyre limited to 80km/h slung underneath.
| 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L | |
| Seats | Seven |
| Boot volume | 205L to third row 554L to second row 782L to first row |
| Length | 5004mm |
| Width | 1978mm |
| Height | 1802mm |
| Wheelbase | 2900mm |
Does the Nissan Pathfinder have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The Nissan Pathfinder Ti and Ti-L both have wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, accessible through a central infotainment screen.
The screen is a touch on the small side by modern standards measuring 9.0 inches diagonally. It’s a more rectangular screen than some rivals, preferring a landscape orientation over the emerging portrait trend espoused by the Ford Everest.
The interface is crisp and snappy, and the layout is intuitive and easy to use. The system gives owners the ability to customise the home screen with frequently used apps, which is nice.
The system includes satellite navigation and digital radio, and the air-conditioning controls are kept in a separate bank of switches, which makes it quick and easy to adjust without tearing your eyes from the road.
In addition to the central infotainment screen, the Pathfinder Ti-L has a 12.3-inch digital driver display and a 10.8-inch head-up display projected on the windscreen. All of this means it’s easy to keep on top of your car’s vital statistics.
The Pathfinder Ti and Ti-L both have a 13-speaker Bose sound system – which is pretty good but not the best we’ve heard in this category – and a wireless charging mat at the bottom of the centre stack.
Is the Nissan Pathfinder a safe car?
The Nissan Pathfinder has been awarded a full five-star safety rating by testing body ANCAP.
The Pathfinder achieved 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupant protection, 78 per cent in the vulnerable road user test, and 85 per cent for safety assist testing.
| 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L | |
| ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2022) |
| Safety report | Link to ANCAP report |
What safety technology does the Nissan Pathfinder have?
Both the Pathfinder Ti and Ti-L get the full suite of active safety that Nissan calls ‘Intelligent Mobility’. This includes predictive forward collision alert with junction assist and emergency braking (for pedestrian and cyclist), driver attention alert, blind-spot warning and intervention, lane-departure warning and prevention, rear cross-traffic alert, back-up collision prevention, intelligent cruise control with adjustable speed limiter and traffic sign recognition.
There’s also a tyre pressure monitor fitted to all model grades.
Both variants include semi-autonomous functionality (which Nissan calls ProPilot) that links the intelligent cruise-control system with steering assist to keep the Pathy in its lane and maintain vehicle-to-vehicle distance and speed.
Occupants are covered by nine airbags including full-size airbags protecting all passenger rows, and a centre airbag between the two front seat occupants.
How much does the Nissan Pathfinder cost to maintain?
The Pathfinder is covered by Nissan’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assistance. There’s also a capped-price servicing scheme that costs $1433 over three years and $2581 for five years.
Insurance for the Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L will cost $2172.15 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1433 (3 years) $2581 (5 years) |
Is the Nissan Pathfinder fuel-efficient?
This is an interesting one. The Nissan Pathfinder’s 3.5-litre V6 engine is a strong and willing companion, and Nissan’s generational improvements have refined it beyond previous gruff iterations.
But this is the age of electrification, and petrol-electric hybrids are increasingly prominent and preferred – not just for their fuel efficiency but also for their accelerative assistance.
Go back a decade and nobody would have blinked at a large seven-seat SUV consuming around 11.5L/100km on test, which is what I achieved over a week of 60/40-split highway/urban driving.
But today that’s no match for cars like the hybrid Kluger (which returned 6.6L/100km on test), or even diesel alternatives like the Hyundai Palisade (8.4L/100km) and Kia Sorento (7.0L/100km).
As a general rule of thumb, a saving of just one litre per 100km equals $20 per month. So, choosing a Kia Sorento diesel or Kluger hybrid will save you almost $100 a month compared to the Nissan Pathfinder.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 10.5L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 11.5L/100km |
| Fuel type | 91-octane unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 71L |
What is the Nissan Pathfinder like to drive?
I’ll cut to the chase and say I’m impressed with how driveable and likeable the Pathfinder’s updated powertrain is to drive. This 3.5-litre engine is the latest member of a family that dates back to the 1990s, so it’d be easy to assume it’s unrefined and unresponsive.
But it’s far from it. The V6 has 202kW and 340Nm, which are not massive outputs, yet the Pathfinder never feels strung out or out of breath. The engine and nine-speed automatic are a strong partnership, endowing the Pathfinder with a lazy grace most of the time and the ability to accelerate enthusiastically when needed.
The Pathfinder’s suspension is well tuned for the application, too, adding to the serenity of everyday driving on most road surfaces. Bigger potholes and road creases can thump through, but that’s to be expected of a long and heavy SUV riding on 20-inch wheels and tyres.
In fact, there’s little to complain about dynamically – as long as you keep the vehicle’s intentions front of mind. The steering is light at parking speeds yet conveys a weighted solidity as speed picks up, and the brakes pull the big bus up with alacrity when stomped on.
In short, the Pathfinder drives smaller than it looks, if that makes sense. And that’s no mean feat because it’s a bloody big vehicle.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti-L |
| Engine | 3.5-litre V6 petrol |
| Power | 202kW @ 6400rpm |
| Torque | 340Nm @ 4800rpm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Nine-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 97kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2083kg |
| Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
| Tow rating | 2700kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 11.8m |
Should I buy a Nissan Pathfinder?
If you go in eyes wide open to the Pathfinder’s one big flaw, then the driving and ownership experience will be a positive one. The Nissan Pathfinder’s exterior styling is on-point and the interior has been thoughtfully and tastefully designed to not just survive family life but enhance it.
Dynamically, the Pathfinder is a pleasant and capable vehicle to drive and is easier than it should be to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
In short, it has everything the modern Australian family needs in a vehicle.
Except for a more frugal engine option. Not offering a diesel or a hybrid alternative in 2023 is a major oversight.
But I’d be stunned if Nissan weren’t working on a hybrid powertrain for the Pathfinder, perhaps based on the intriguing e-Power system we’ve driven (and liked) in the X-Trail medium SUV and Qashqai small SUV but with upscaled outputs to suit.
Until then, the Pathfinder will remain the ideal large SUV for families who don’t monitor their fuel usage too closely.
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