Compare the2022 Honda OdysseyVS 2020 Nissan Pathfinder

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Honda Odyssey has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Odyssey has a standard Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Odyssey’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

Both the Odyssey and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Odyssey is safer than the Nissan Pathfinder:

	Odyssey	Pathfinder
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	176	337
Neck Injury Risk	27%	42%
Neck Stress	184 lbs.	464 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	25 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	95/82 lbs.	516/475 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	247	248
Neck Injury Risk	32%	33%
Neck Stress	101 lbs.	137 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	324/302 lbs.	479/476 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Odyssey is safer than the Nissan Pathfinder:

	Odyssey	Pathfinder
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	114
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	83 G’s	120 G’s
Hip Force	321 lbs.	457 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	18 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	42 G’s
Hip Force	472 lbs.	661 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

The engine in the Odyssey has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Pathfinder has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Odyssey second among minivans in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Pathfinder isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 8 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Odyssey’s fuel efficiency. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Odyssey’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Odyssey has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Odyssey higher (5 out of 10) than the Nissan Pathfinder (3 to 5). This means the Odyssey produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pathfinder every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

The Odyssey’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pathfinder S/SV/SL’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Odyssey has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Pathfinder’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Odyssey’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Pathfinder (118.1 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Odyssey is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Pathfinder.

Chassis

The front grille of the Odyssey uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Odyssey uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Odyssey offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Pathfinder can only carry 7.

The Odyssey has 9.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Pathfinder (163.6 vs. 154).

The Odyssey has 1.8 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 8.8 inches more rear hip room, 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room, .5 inches more third row headroom, 7.4 inches more third row legroom, 6.4 inches more third row hip room and 2.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Pathfinder.

The front step up height for the Odyssey is 2 inches lower than the Pathfinder (17” vs. 19”). The Odyssey’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the Pathfinder’s (19” vs. 20.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The Odyssey’s cargo area provides more volume than the Pathfinder.

	Odyssey	Pathfinder
Behind Third Seat	38.6 cubic feet	16.2 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	92 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	47.4 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	158 cubic feet	79.5 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Odyssey easier. The Odyssey’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 22.5 inches, while the Pathfinder’s liftover is 31.5 inches.

The Odyssey’s cargo area is larger than the Pathfinder’s in every dimension:

	Odyssey	Pathfinder
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	25”/56”/91”	19.2”/43.7”/78.9”
Max Width	50”	45.9”
Min Width	48”	45.4”
Height	54”	31.4”

Ergonomics

The Odyssey’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Pathfinder’s parking brake has to released manually.

The Odyssey’s standard front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pathfinder’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The Odyssey EX/EX-L/Touring/Elite’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches. With the Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Odyssey Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Odyssey detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Odyssey to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Odyssey EX-L/Touring/Elite’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Pathfinder offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Odyssey owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Odyssey will cost $520 to $2610 less than the Pathfinder over a five-year period.

The Odyssey will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Odyssey will retain 47.19% to 50.84% of its original price after five years, while the Pathfinder only retains 39.1% to 42.95%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Odyssey is less expensive to operate than the Pathfinder because it costs $909 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Odyssey than the Pathfinder, including $38 less for a water pump, $30 less for a muffler, $30 less for front brake pads, $69 less for a starter, $231 less for fuel injection, $107 less for a fuel pump, $68 less for front struts, $613 less for a timing belt/chain and $108 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Odyssey will be $5462 to $5495 less than for the Nissan Pathfinder.

Recommendations

The Car Book by Jack Gillis recommends the Honda Odyssey, based on economy, maintenance, safety and complaint levels. The Nissan Pathfinder isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Odyssey first among minivans in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Pathfinder isn’t in the top three in its category.