Nissan Pathfinder

The verdict: Though the 2024 Nissan Pathfinder finished second-to-last in our 2024 3-Row SUV Challenge, we still found plenty to like about it, including impressive cabin quality, an excellent digital driver’s display, great visibility and solid ride quality — just don’t try to put full-size adults in the third row.

Versus the competition: While we disliked the Pathfinder’s surprisingly rough engine idle, cramped third row and lack of cargo space with all seats in place, it was a lot closer to the top in our three-row SUV comparison test than its finishing spot might have you believe, with just a handful of points separating it from first place.

Let’s skip the preamble: If the 2024 Nissan Pathfinder suits your budget, vibe and needs, go for it. There’s nothing “wrong” with Nissan’s three-row SUV, and the complaints that did surface in our recent comparison test were certainly not glaring enough to keep it off any shopping lists.

That being said, it wasn’t particularly great at much, either. In our scoring, it had one outright win — for visibility — and finished in a three-way tie for first in child-safety seat fitment. Last-place finishes came in powertrain, value and cargo volume, with the Pathfinder offering just 9.1 cubic feet of Cars.com-measured cargo space behind its third row.

Related: What’s the Best 3-Row SUV for 2024?

That’s hardly Miata-small, but this stuff matters when you have an active family life with kids, pets and all the associated accoutrement to haul around. On the other hand, in-cabin stowage for daily detritus — like phones, water bottles, cords, purses and snacks — was top-notch. Impressive organizational features in the Pathfinder include a removable second-row console and a cavernous cubby under the shifter.

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Classy Digs

Our judges also dug the Pathfinder Platinum’s cushy interior appointments, which channel more than a smidge of its luxury sibling Infiniti’s premium ’tude. Surprisingly, the Pathfinder’s materials were some of the nicest in the test, and its reserved, modern cabin presentation was noted by a number of drivers. In spite of the Pathfinder’s low value score — meaning how much equipment you get for your cash — the interior certainly felt upscale to use. In addition to plenty of soft touch points and quilted leather surfaces, the Pathfinder was the only SUV of the bunch with a power-adjustable steering wheel. It’s a small detail, but it all adds up.

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Passenger room was fine — unremarkable apart from the third row, which was rather cramped. Kids aren’t likely to notice, but larger teens and adults will take umbrage with the odd head restraints and cramped quarters for their legs and shoulders. Second-row passengers are much better off, with excellent head, shoulder and legroom.

Tech Talk

Interior tech in the Pathfinder is an exercise in contrasts. While the 12.3-inch configurable digital driver display is impressive and decidedly premium in both operation and presentation, the available 9-inch infotainment touchscreen is a sore point. Judges found the display too small for this Nissan’s class and price, and the user interface itself is a jumbled, frustrating and outdated mess. Convoluted menu nesting led judges to scramble to the safety of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto whenever possible.

Ride Quality, Power and Efficiency

The Pathfinder’s road manners are less disappointing. Ride quality is well damped, with impressive body control, bump isolation and reasonably limited body lean when you find yourself charging up an Alpine pass. The Pathfinder’s naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 is more than powerful enough for a daily hustle, with 284 horsepower and 259 pounds-feet of torque, but a noticeably rough idle and gruff engine noise intrude into the cabin; it turned off some judges. It scored fairly low in the powertrain category as a result, though it did match the Hyundai Palisade’s and Kia Telluride’s powertrain scores. The nine-speed automatic transmission was a welcome shift from Nissan’s usual continuously variable automatic transmissions, and it proved no smoother or clunkier than the other gearboxes in the test.

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The Nissan tied the Telluride for fifth place in our real-world fuel economy test, but the numbers show just how close things were. The Pathfinder’s observed gas mileage of 23.8 mpg lagged the Hyundai Palisade by just 0.1 mpg, and the Honda Pilot and Volkswagen Atlas were just 1 mpg better than the Pathfinder, at 24.8 mpg. Only the Toyota Grand Highlander, the lone hybrid in our test, pulled way out in front, with observed fuel economy of 35.1 mpg.

More From Cars.com:

• Which 3-Row SUV Has the Best Real-World MPG?
• Video: Which 3-Row SUV Has the Most Cargo Space?
• How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2024 Nissan Pathfinder?
• 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Stays on the Same Path, Starts at $37,145
• Shop for a 2024 Nissan Pathfinder

So, there are plenty of things we like about the 2024 Nissan Pathfinder and a number of things we don’t. It was far from being the front-runner in our comparison, but despite its sixth-place finish, it also didn’t trail way behind — proving you really can’t make a poor decision in this vehicle class. The Pathfinder wouldn’t be our first — or even our fifth — choice, but it’s still worth a test drive if you like what it has to offer. For you, it just might be perfect.

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