2026 Nissan Pathfinder Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Pathfinder is a blend of smooth and chunky elements, from the contours of its front and rear fenders with wraparound lights to the upright, truck-like design of the dashboard. The 2026 model has a restyled front bumper with faux vertical air intakes on the corners below the headlights. While functional on performance vehicles that require extra brake cooling, on the Pathfinder they function only to show off the extra creases and depth of the lower fascia. The grille loses the thick chrome outline and instead, on certain trims, has a single thin chrome line that intersects the Nissan badge. Additional short chrome bars are fitted below the headlights to appear as extra lights, though oddly, they aren't actual grille lights like those on Nissan's smaller Murano. At the rear, Nissan removed the vertical creases below the outer taillights. New wheel designs, a new Baltic Teal paint color, and satin-colored badges (instead of chrome) are the only other exterior changes.

The interior changes are more noticeable. A standard 12.3-inch touchscreen replaces a 9-inch unit, with the volume, seek, camera, and display-brightness buttons moved from the screen's bezel to between the air vents. The start/stop button moves one row down from the air vents to the left of the climate controls. A wider silver strip above the climate controls spells out "Pathfinder". The steering wheel trades the circular hub for a polygonal shape and fills in the lower spoke with plastic, a design we don’t think looks as good as the old wheel. The center console armrest no longer has "Pathfinder" as a black plastic accent on its edge (or "Rock Creek" embroidery on the fabric on that trim level). Overall, the interior is simple, made with good materials for the price, and comes off as both modern and classic enough to age well. The semi-aniline leather on the Platinum trim level with diamond stitching is an extra touch that brings the Pathfinder nearer to Infiniti levels of luxury.

Unlike its sister, the Infiniti QX60, the 2026 Pathfinder has not switched to a turbocharged inline-four. The naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 continues with 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque (or 295 hp and 270 lb-ft in the Rock Creek with premium fuel). Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard on every trim except the Rock Creek, which comes with the all-wheel drive (AWD) system that's optional on the other four trims. AWD models can tow up to 6,000 pounds.

With a nine-speed automatic transmission, the Pathfinder accelerates lazily, regardless of the drive mode you choose, and sounds labored. It's on par with the Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and Dodge Durango—all of which have lackluster V6 engines—and the turbo-fours in the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia. Bottom line—keep your expectations low for power and performance when shopping in this segment.

But without the option for turbocharging or a hybrid, both power and efficiency suffer compared to upper trims of the Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX-90, and Hyundai Palisade. Fuel economy reaches an EPA-estimated 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined on the S, SV, and SL whether you choose FWD or AWD (Platinum models get slightly lower highway and combined mpg). The Rock Creek is estimated at 20 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined.

We tested the Rock Creek during a brief media evaluation in Tennessee, and it’s a trim we would wholeheartedly avoid. The Toyo Open Country A/T III tires look gnarly—and they would doubtless work wonders off-road—yet the Rock Creek still can't make it over rocks or creeks. There are no skid plates, suspension retuning or lift, special dampers, limited-slip or torque-vectoring axles, or unique driving modes. And these all-terrain tires are loud. They feel like aftermarket tires that an owner might throw on without doing much research, not factory tires specified and tuned by an automaker to work in concert with the vehicle's dynamics. Grip suffers, the humming noise never abates, and fuel economy worsens. Of the many off-road "lite" trims we've tested from competitors, such as the Pilot Trailsport, Palidade XRT, and Explorer Timberline, no tires are so detrimental to the driving experience as the Rock Creek’s Toyos.

On all trims, the suspension is soft and allows more lean and mid-corner wheel motions than other competitors. This adds to the Pathfinder's bulk and detracts from its light and accurate steering. It's happiest when pointed in a straight line, where the soft ride comes into its own and the vehicle's size fades. Nissan has tuned the smaller Rogue and the Altima and Sentra sedans with a superior balance of ride and handling, which is what the next-gen Pathfinder truly needs.

Nissan's "Latch and Glide" second-row seats make the Pathfinder very usable for families with young children. They're designed to fold and slide forward with an installed car seat. Headroom and legroom are generous in the first and second rows. The third row, with three across, is tight for anyone over five feet tall and average for this class. The longer Toyota Grand Highlander and GMC Acadia offer more space in the back row.

The Pathfinder seats eight or seven passengers depending on the trim. Captain's chairs, which eliminate one seat from the second row, are optional on upper trims but not available on the S or SV. With those captain's chairs, a removable console is standard on the Rock Creek and optional on SL and Platinum (which also offer heated seats as an option or standard). An eight-way power driver's seat is standard on all but the base S, but a power-adjustable front passenger seat is available only on the Platinum. The base S has 10 cupholders while all other trims have 12. Four USB-C ports are standard, including two in the second row, while the SL and Platinum add a fifth port for the third row. The Platinum also adds a 120-volt AC power outlet in the second row. Three-zone climate control is standard.

There’s 16.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 45 cubic feet behind the second row, and 80.5 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. A roof rack and power liftgate are standard on all trims except the S, while the Platinum comes with motion activation and position memory. The Rock Creek has a thick tubular roof rack that can support up to 220 pounds. Visibility is good in all directions, the mirrors are large enough to offer sufficient coverage, and the many analog controls make operating the Pathfinder very easy in daily driving.

Every Pathfinder gets Nissan's latest infotainment software on a wider 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though factory navigation is no longer offered. The new system is easier to use, organize, and faster to respond than the previous version. SiriusXM satellite radio and NissanConnect remote services with in-car 5G Wi-FI come standard. Notable upgrades on upper trims include the first production debut of Qi2, a next-generation wireless device chargers. It charges at up to 15 watts and uses a magnet to keep phones locked in place above the tray, which also aids cooling. This requires an iPhone with a built-in magnet (MagSafe) or any Qi-compatible phone inside a magnetic case or with a magnetic ring accessory.

Upper trims also gain Invisible Hood View, which uses the front and side cameras to render an image beneath the vehicle, and a wider front camera, called Front Wide View, that has a 180-degree field of view. The SL trim level gains the digital instrument panel that was formerly available only on the Platinum. A 7-inch color center display and analog gauges are standard on S, SV, and Rock Creek trims. Both setups are clear, easy to read, full of useful vehicle information, and make it simple to adjust everyday settings. A head-up display is available only on the Platinum, which also gets a 13-speaker Bose audio system (other models have a basic six-speaker system).

Beyond the federally-mandated complement of airbags, the Pathfinder comes with second-row side-impact airbags, curtain airbags that deploy to all three rows, and front knee airbags. The Platinum also comes with a front-center side airbag in the driver's seat that prevents driver and passenger from colliding in side crashes. This is another uncommon and very good feature.

Standard driver aids include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and junction assist (forward cross-traffic alert). Active assists for the lane-keeping and blind-spot systems (Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention and Intelligent Lane Intervention) are standard on SV and above trims. Traffic sign recognition is included on the SL and Platinum, and the ProPilot Assist highway driving aid is available on all but the base S trim level. However, this is version 1.0 of ProPilot Assist, without hands-free capability.

The 2026 Pathfinder earned five out of five stars in tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) but only four of five stars in the frontal crash test. Only two crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have been conducted on this current-generation Pathfinder—the side impact and small overlap front. The Nissan received the top "Good" rating in both.