2023 Nissan Pathfinder Review
2023 Nissan Pathfinder Review
The new Pathfinder Rock Creek adds some off-road style to a family crossover.
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We tested the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder last year, but now there’s a new Rock Creek trim that adds a little lift and some chunky tires to the mix. Cliff Atiyeh tested this tough-looking three-row crossover in a New England winter to see how it performs off road and on road. Watch our test drive review video if you’re wondering whether this seven-passenger SUV has taken a step forward in 2023.
For more information on the Nissan Pathfinder, read our coverage: https://cargur.us/VMnXr
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Presenter: Clifford Atiyeh
Cinematography: www.VennCreativeMedia.com
#nissan #pathfinder #rockcreek
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0:00 The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder
0:40 Exterior
1:47 Cargo Space
2:34 Rear Seats
3:23 Interior
4:16 Infotainment
5:20 Driving Impressions
9:28 Off the Road
10:49 Among the Competition
11:07 The Verdict
Content
0.96 -> For 2023 the Nissan Pathfinder is trying to
recover its roots as a very rugged tough body
7.5 -> on-frame SUV well this new Pathfinder is none of
those things but it certainly looks the part this
13.14 -> is The Rock Creek it's a brand new trim with
bigger tires nicer paints some extras on the
18.9 -> interior even under the hood so let's go find
out what it's really about off the road and on
25.86 -> stuck between a rock and a hard place go
trade in your car online with CarGurus you
30.84 -> can sell it online by typing just a few
details you'll get contacted by dealers
34.74 -> across the country they'll price it and if
you like it they'll pay you and pick it up
39.72 -> the Pathfinder has stuck around for five
generations it used to be Nissan's version
44.46 -> of the Toyota 4Runner but ever since the 2013
model year it felt more like a minivan the
50.7 -> newest Pathfinder brings some of that old magic
back especially with this new trim the Rock Creek
55.92 -> when you get a Rock Creek you get Big Rock Creek
Tires Toyo Open Country at3s these things are
63.36 -> really thick and Meaty that's what you want on an
SUV beadlock style wheels nice two-tone just like
68.82 -> the paint black roof deep green paint kind of
reminds me of British racing green on Japanese
73.98 -> SUV pretty cool what's also cool is how it looks
in the front you get a nice headlight design here
79.86 -> Led Led Led nice stack that's a nice design Trend
happening these days Nissan does it well it wears
86.46 -> it well in the Pathfinder it's like an upscale
version of the new rogue now what it doesn't have
91.02 -> a suspension lift or any skid plates right up here
it's silver plastic right down here black plastic
97.2 -> that's really there for Aero and fuel efficient
C so you don't get extra clearance or a lift and
102.72 -> that means that when the going gets really tough
you're not going to go walking toward the back
107.94 -> the giant roof rack a nice metal roof rack very
thick 220 pounds of Max Capacity nice little
114.9 -> Loop separators on the rear as well and also
back here there's an exposed towing hitch and
119.88 -> a trailer wiring harness connector usually some
of these things on the family SUVs are completely
124.8 -> sealed and you got to really dig underneath the
bumper not on this Pathfinder plus six thousand
129.96 -> pounds of Towing is among the classes best with
the third row folded you get 45 cubic feet with
135.42 -> all rows it's 80. good space in the Pathfinder 17
cubic feet behind this third row The Rock Creek
141.36 -> this one has some optional rubber mats here this
one velcros to the back of the seat backs that's
146.46 -> helpful there's also an under tray here for some
extra hidden storage but there's not a full-size
151.08 -> spare tire so if you blow a toyo you'll be on a
donut Nissan made sliding the seat forward pretty
156.48 -> easy one button right over here you can't actually
push this too far forward because then you won't
162.84 -> be able to actually get back in here 's what I
mean by that now it's saved in the proper position
170.76 -> if you tilt this too far forward that
lets you have more access that's great
175.44 -> now watch now my knees are really squeezed so you
better hope that whoever sits here is nice to you
184.02 -> The Rock Creek comes with standard Captain's
chairs and the center console and stand on every
188.7 -> Pathfinder three Zone climate other than that not
really finding too many luxury features even if
193.26 -> you step up to the Platinum Pathfinder it's not
as opulent inside as say a Kia Telluride for the
198.78 -> same exact price but space can't really beat it I
think the Pathfinder has a nicer interior in both
205.62 -> fit and finish than the outgoing Honda Pilot and
the current gen Ford Explorer next to the Toyota
211.2 -> Highlander maybe it's neck and neck it's kind of
up to you in terms of style but in terms of me
215.82 -> how I see the fit in the construction it's pretty
good when you buy a Rock Creek you get Rock Creek
221.04 -> seats and a Rock Creek armrest that and orange
stitching throughout including on the dash and
226.8 -> on the center console the seats are a mixture
of leatherette and cloth inserts I think it's
231.96 -> actually a better and more useful way to have
these seats than full leather The Rock Creek
236.82 -> sits in the middle of the Pathfinder lineup it's
basically an SV that's been modified so you don't
242.16 -> get a panoramic moonroof not even a regular
sunroof there's no heated wheel for example
246.96 -> there's no garage door opener and the mirror is
manually dimming not automatic and you can't get
252.42 -> it any other way aside from a few accessories this
is it you're looking at the standard 8 inch screen
258.24 -> the upper trim Pathfinders have a 9 inch with
Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto this
263.52 -> doesn't have that you need a cable and it looks
dated because this Graphics could use a reskin
270 -> Nissan's working on that but you're not going
to find it on the Pathfinder otherwise yeah you
274.56 -> have everything you need nav is not available on
the Rock Creek you do get nice 360 cameras that's
279.96 -> something Nissan has really done a great job with
for a while front camera is very clear and when
284.34 -> you pop this into the off-road mode you get a nice
side view so you can see your right hand side Tire
290.64 -> upper trims have a full digital instrument cluster
you can see our other Nissan reviews for that but
295.86 -> you're not shortchanged with this smaller one
I like how the analog gauges work I like the
299.64 -> graphics in here better than the main touch screen
and there's plenty of standard driver assistance
304.26 -> features on every single Pathfinder including
forward emergency braking rear emergency braking
309.78 -> and you get adaptive cruise control and Lane
assist that's part of pro pilot assist now not
314.82 -> every vehicle out there has semi-automated
control this one does and it's pretty good
320.7 -> in every Pathfinder you get a naturally aspirated
3.5 liter V6 a nice old-school engine chair with
328.26 -> the frontier and the Infiniti QX60 9-speed
automatic transmission with paddle shifters
335.64 -> with a sport mode sport mode doesn't really do
anything sporty whatsoever but it's there and in
342.72 -> the Rock Creek you actually get 11 more horsepower
and 11 more pound beat of torque than in other
348.48 -> Pathfinders so it's 295 horse 270 pound feet not
a difference that you can feel in any sort of way
355.14 -> because when you're pushing the Pathfinder Rock
Creek you're fighting all of the friction of these
361.56 -> all-terrain tires it's constantly there and that
affects not only acceleration but braking as well
369.3 -> aside from the road noise which disappears at
highway speed with those tires the Pathfinder
374.88 -> is a pretty comfortable car it is this is
meant for long distance straight line cruising
380.94 -> that's what it's for it's really
the Nissan Quest alternative of
385.68 -> the modern era there's no more minivans
from Nissan and there probably never will
390.6 -> be in the United States so this is kind
of the biggest and best thing they have
397.08 -> so for this amount of cash 45 Grand as tested
you get Pro pilot assist which is nice so it's
402.48 -> one button here then you hit set and on marked
highways it'll sell steer you still have to
408.18 -> keep your hands here there's nothing like
an infrared camera monitor so it's not as
411.84 -> advanced as some of the newer systems you'll
find in some other vehicles like GM supercrews
416.64 -> but this works pretty well and it's not even
on a lot of infinity models like if you get
422.82 -> the QX80 the big SUV this technology is
not on that so it's on the Pathfinder
427.8 -> especially on this trim it's nice because even
though there's no heated wheel and a few other
431.76 -> luxury features that you would find on say upper
trims of the Pathfinder this is good technology to
438.36 -> have when I look at three row mid-size SUVs some
of the best handling ones Ford Explorer that one's
447.06 -> based on a rear-wheel drive chassis the Pathfinder
doesn't quite have the same steering accuracy and
453.18 -> the suspension is just way softer so everything
that's great about it on a straight long cruise
458.28 -> not as great when the road is getting
twistier or narrow it feels like a large SUV
466.68 -> the Jeep Grand Cherokee is another
great example even in l-trim
471 -> you can watch that video review because I compared
both of them it just drives a lot better there's
476.94 -> better handling vehicles that also ride better but
the Pathfinder for this price delivers on a lot
484.62 -> Nissan's made a lot of improvements to steering
over the years new rogue is a lot better the
489.6 -> Pathfinder follows in that respect and it tracks
pretty well even with these all-terrain tires
497.7 -> but you're never truly in full control it's just
it's not the it's not a driver's SUV let's put it
504.72 -> that way granted if you're driving say like
a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer and you're trading
510.6 -> up to a 2023 Pathfinder oh this is going to
feel like a Nissan Z in comparison it will
517.92 -> but the thing about it is that a
lot of other SUVs in this segment
522.84 -> really do strike a better balance between the ride
and handling this is more about ride and there's
528.18 -> nothing wrong with that just be aware that this is
not going to be your vehicle if you're say in the
534.42 -> Tennessee mountains or going up into New Hampshire
where things get zigzaggy in a hurry you may
539.76 -> want to reconsider fuel economy check out those
numbers low 20s they're the worst in the entire
546.6 -> Pathfinder lineup also to be expected with these
tires you pay a premium to look cool always do
558.66 -> just like the handling there's
a lot of suspension play when
562.44 -> you're under braking the brake pedal feels okay
565.5 -> but it's just a really heavy vehicle that's how it
feels so I'm now pulled off in my usual off-road
570.84 -> spot it's a light Trail that's what the Rock
Creek is really meant for nothing too hardcore
580.68 -> these tires work really nice over small rocks
586.32 -> but I'm not going to cross over big
rocks or the creek which is just ahead
591.84 -> because despite there being
changes to the suspension geometry
596.52 -> there's no lift so without a lift you're
not going to really cross anything more
602.16 -> and to be honest it's just a matter of how
well the wheels are soaking up the bumps
607.5 -> this one definitely rides softer than a
regular Pathfinder so on this type of Road
612.48 -> just a light dirt road there's a lot
of places near me in Connecticut where
617.58 -> people live on and they're just they've never
paved them that's where this type of Truck Works
624.6 -> it just seems like it's a lot tougher
looking than it truly is but you don't
629.88 -> feel bad crushing ice or doing anything
with these tires I do like that quite a bit
638.04 -> but here's our little creek here and
there's some rocks underneath that
641.94 -> Creek but the Rock Creek is not going to
handle either of those things so reverse
648.24 -> The Rock Creek isn't really a true off-roader
but neither is the competition the Ford Explorer
654.48 -> Timberline Kia Telluride x-pro and the Honda
Pilot Trail sport all looked apart but they're
660.36 -> not really about going off-road if you want to do
that you can get into a Subaru Outback Wilderness
665.64 -> which we've also tested among mid-size three-row
family SUVs it's a pretty good value right here
672.54 -> there's a lot of competition though and to
be honest I don't think it measures up at the
676.8 -> top it's more like the middle when it comes to
Interior refinement the technology that you get
682.14 -> and overall performance this is good don't get me
wrong but I don't think that even with this Rock
687.9 -> Creek trim it's pegging the Pathfinder to the top
of my list but what do you think there's a lot of
692.88 -> good things about this vehicle and there's a lot
of other SUVs that we're testing including the new
697.02 -> Honda Pilot so check us out at cargurus.com
subscribe and we will see you next time
703.82 -> [Music] thank you
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2AhoxPoflw