2018 Nissan Pathfinder Pros and Cons
The Nissan Pathfinder is a family workhorse that does exactly what you expect it to do.
Refreshed for the 2017 model year and continuing on for 2018 with a few changes, the Pathfinder is a crossover that doesn’t stand out too much in its segment. And that’s OK. Nissan understands that its consumers just want a comfortable and family-friendly vehicle, which are both things the Pathfinder does really well.
ALSO SEE: 2018 Nissan Pathfinder Gets $500 Price Increase, New Standard Features
“Although it doesn’t stand out as a car that does one particular thing really well, it does everything you need it to with little drama, and that’s worth a lot,” said Jodi Lai, Director of Editorial for AutoGuide Group in a full review of the vehicle. Make sure to check out our full review, but here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of this crossover.
2018 Nissan Pathfinder Pros and Cons
Pros
Prioritizes Comfort: Committing to a unibody platform for this generation of the Pathfinder works to its advantage. The ride is soft enough to soak up the worst of road bumps and a brawny 3.5-liter V6 with 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque makes sure to get the vehicle up to speed with minimal effort. The well-behaved CVT transmission helps put the power down competently while keeping the engine quiet as well.
Family Friendly: A commanding view, low sightlines, and numerous USB ports spread across the cabin make this crossover a perfect fit for families who spend a lot of time in their vehicles. Not stopping there, the 2018 model year introduced a rear door alert system that reminds drivers to check the rear seat when exiting in case they have mistakenly left any precious cargo (children) behind.
Competent Cargo Hauler: The Pathfinder’s family-focused mission continues on with a massive total 79.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Certainly enough to handle all types of family duty and also on par with the cargo capacities of fellow large size competitors like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.
Clear Value for Money: Starting at $31,765 for the base S model, the Pathfinder with all the bells and whistles tops out at $44,985 for the Platinum trim level with all-wheel drive. This undercuts most of its rivals by several thousands of dollars where some of them have MSRPs totaling more than $50,000 for top trims when all is said and done.
Cons
Bit Too Comfortable Being Bland: No one shopping in this segment expects performance thrills, but the Pathfinder’s overly light steering never really firms up at higher speeds. It makes the crossover have a ponderous feel when making turns and changing directions quickly. Coupled with a chassis predominantly tuned for comfort, the Pathfinder comes off as very vanilla in overall driving excitement.
Dated Infotainment System: The Pathfinder offers respectable levels of audio and safety technology but the interface used to access all these has outstayed its welcome. Flanked by excessive old-fashioned looking buttons and sporting a dated looking touchscreen, the whole setup lacks the finesse found in newer systems available in competitor vehicles.
Discuss this in our Nissan Pathfinder Forum
Chidi loves talking about cars. He enjoys exploring the limits of new car technology and performance vehicles. When he is not writing features for AutoGuide, you will most likely find him perusing Kijiji or Autotrader listings for unique classic nameplates.
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Add "CVT" to the list of Cons as the first item.
SAFETY I and my passenger were in a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder last week when we were T-boned by a work truck. There is no reason why we survived the wreck other than the safety mechanisms in my vehicle. The seat belts, airbags, and general makeup of the outside, saved our lives. The windshield shattered, but was held in place so we did not suffer cuts from the glass. Since my car was totaled by the insurance company, I must look for another. It breaks my heart since it only had 23,000 miles on it! I will be replacing it with another Nissan Pathfinder.