- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 8 seats
- Engine
3.5i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
202kW, 340Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 10.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2022)
2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with Style Pack review
How does Nissan's most affordable large SUV perform in the race for Australian family hearts, and do black accents and side steps add to or detract from the shine?
- Room for adults in all rows
- Easy to drive despite its physical size
- Style pack gives it more visual edge
- No hybrid alternative makes the Pathfinder a thirsty purchase
- Needs a better instrument cluster and bigger infotainment for the price
- Height adjustment for the front passenger would help
2024 Nissan Pathfinder
I freely admit that I have a soft spot for the Nissan Pathfinder. Ever since adventurous younger Glenn first drove the second-generation SUV on the soft sands of Fraser Island in the late-1990s, I've associated the Pathfinder name with adventure and excitement.
The reality is, in the three decades since, the Nissan Pathfinder has strayed from those intrepid and admittedly agricultural origins. Some may say that Nissan has civilised the Patrol Jr, and that it has matured into a larger and more luxurious family-friendly urban SUV. They'd be right.
This is no longer the rough and rugged four-wheel-drive wagon I'd choose to explore beyond the bitumen. But even though it may not have the all-terrain chops to get you to the Black Stump and back (and opinions differ on exactly where that is, but you get my point) it's actually kept pace with my evolution. The 2020s Pathfinder is more appropriate for my 2020s lifestyle as a father of two than the 1990s off-road warrior.
Not all old-school off-roaders have handed in their dirt-road driving licences, however. The big sellers in the Large SUV segment are the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Three vehicles built as much for rugged off-roading as carrying bigger families.
The Nissan Pathfinder and its, umm — let's stick with matured — seven-seat compatriots don't sell in volumes like the Toyota Prado, but they're still significant. The Toyota Kluger leads the pack and is our current recommendation, having won the 2023 and 2022 Drive Car of the Year Best Large SUV awards. 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 Hyundai Santa Fe is another that should be on shoppers' shortlists, as is the Mazda CX-8, although that last one is on borrowed time ahead of a more upmarket successor in 2024.
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 2023, 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. Pricing has gone up again since then, currently sitting at $71,490 and $81,490 for each.
That means, to park one in your driveway, you'll need $77,344 (Ti) and $89,169 (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.
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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 came in a fetching Scarlet Red and black roof combo, which adds $1400 to the cost, plus the $3863 Style Pack, which blacks the 'Pathfinder' boot badging and front grille, makes the door side mouldings smoky grey and adds side steps.
Standard equipment on the Ti includes LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and a 360-degree camera with rear parking sensors. For a full rundown of the Pathfinder range, see our price and specifications article.
Key details | 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with style pack |
Price | $71,490 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Scarlet Ember with Black roof |
Options | Style pack – $3863 - Side steps - Black badging and fascia insert - Smoky grey door side mouldings Premium paint with black roof – $1400 |
Price as tested | $76,753 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $82,667 (Melbourne) |
Rivals | Hyundai Santa Fe | Kia Sorento | Toyota Kluger |
How much space does the Nissan Pathfinder have inside?
Inside, the Pathfinder Ti has tri-zone climate control, leather interior trim for the first and second rows, 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.
When I tested the Pathfinder Ti in 2023, I found the front passenger seat too low, and there's no height adjustment remedy. My wife is small – 162cm or so – and she didn’t like not being able to easily see over the dashboard.
Other than that, there’s nothing to complain about up front in the Pathfinder. 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 middle row of the Ti is a three-seater bench which means — thanks also to the Pathfinder's wide body — you can have two child seats and fit a third child or small adult between them.
It's also possible to access the third row with child seats in both outboard spots in the second row, because the Pathfinder has a clever one-touch seat moving function that tips the seat forward and up, keeping the backrest in place and liberating a decent porthole to shimmy through to the rear.
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.
Alternately, you can do as we did, and put a child seat in each of the second and third rows, leaving space for additional occupants without compromise.
The windows have retractable blinds that are good for keeping the sun off Junior’s face during his nap time.
On the back of the front console, we have two USB ports (USB-A and C) and third-zone climate control. Leg room is generous even when I slid the seat all the way forward behind my driving position. Air vents in the roof keep the air flowing.
The third row has enough head room and leg room 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 rearmost row but there are two more cupholders and bottle holders, bringing the total to 12 in the eight-seater. There are also air vents in the third row, and one USB charger for occupants to fight over.
The boot's electric tailgate lifts to reveal a decent size (205L) luggage space if all three rows of seats are in use. It can fit three or four overnight bags, and 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, which is just above average for the class.
We are happy to report that the Pathfinder has a payload of 653kg, which means you can carry seven 90kg adults and all the luggage you can fit inside and not breach the vehicle's maximum operating weight (GVM).
Anyone wishing to exploit the Pathfinder's 2700kg towing capability should take the potential 270kg towball download into account, which reduces the human and cargo capacity to 383kg — which is most definitely not seven adults.
2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with style pack | |
Seats | Eight |
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 has wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, accessible through a 9.0-inch central infotainment screen.
The screen is a touch on the small side by modern standards, and is more rectangular 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 has a small 7.0-inch digital driver display flanked by conventional speedometer and tachometer dials, and a 10.8-inch head-up display projected on the windscreen. It all works fine and dandy, but at this price I'd have expected a fully-digital driver's instrument display.
The Pathfinder Ti has a 13-speaker Bose sound system – which is great in isolation but not the best we’ve heard in this category – and a wireless charging mat at the bottom of the centre stack.
In some overseas markets, Nissan offers a Nissan Connect app for interacting remotely with your Nissan. This is currently not offered in Australia, and is therefore not fitted to the Pathfinder.
Is the Nissan Pathfinder a safe car?
The Nissan Pathfinder was 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.
Those scores are commendably high and place the Pathfinder among the best in class.
Occupants are covered by nine airbags including full-length curtain airbags protecting all passenger rows, a centre airbag between the two front seat occupants, plus side airbags for first and second rows along with driver and passenger front airbags.
2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with style pack | |
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 centre the Pathfinder in its lane and maintain vehicle-to-vehicle distance and speed.
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 will cost $2012.60 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. That quote compares well with similarly priced rivals Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with style pack |
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 in the Pathfinder Ti-L some time back. This time around, the Ti recorded 9.5L/100km – which is below the company's claimed 10.5L/100km – but had a higher percentage of highway driving now that I've moved to Geelong.
But still 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 rough 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 Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 10.5L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 9.5L/100km |
Fuel type | 91-octane unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 71L |
What is the Nissan Pathfinder like to drive?
I am impressed with how driveable and likeable the Pathfinder’s 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. The Ti's smaller 18-inch wheels have more bump absorption than the Ti-L's 20-inch tyres I've tested previously. It doesn't look as good on the smaller wheels, but they'd be my pick for comfort.
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 | 2024 Nissan Pathfinder Ti with style pack |
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 | 99kW/t |
Weight | 2048kg |
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 with eyes wide open to the Pathfinder’s main 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.
I also believe that the Ti is the value sweet spot in the range, because the Ti-L's extra equipment is all 'nice to have' not 'need to have'. And the $10,000 price saving will buy you a lot more fuel to feed its non-hybrid engine. For the record, that 5000 extra litres should easily get you through the first three years of ownership.
As for the Style Pack fitted to this test car… I'd pass. Black does look more stylish, sure, and the side steps do come in handy. But those additions would feel like good value at $3K, not $4112. That's just my opinion. Feel free to make your own.
How do I buy a Nissan Pathfinder – next steps?
The Nissan Pathfinder Ti is our value pick of the two-variant range, but for those wanting more of the finer things in life, the $10K more expensive Ti-L might prove attractive.
Buyers won't need to wait to collect their vehicle, either, with Nissan promising us that, at the time of writing, "there is now stock of Pathfinder available in dealerships for immediate delivery".
The next steps on the purchase journey are to check the Nissan website for stock of your preferred Pathfinder variant. You can also find Nissans for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Nissan dealer via this link. We’d also recommend test-driving the Toyota Kluger Grande because it is popular with consumers and is a good benchmark.
We'd also get some wheel time in the Kia Sorento GT-Line turbodiesel, which is $5K cheaper but doesn't have the same third-row space. If that's important then swing by Hyundai and check out the Palisade. It's a monster.
If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.