Compare the2022 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2022 Nissan Pathfinder

Both the Palisade and Pathfinder have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Pathfinder’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Palisade and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Palisade its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pathfinder has not been tested, yet.

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Pathfinder’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Pathfinder. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Pathfinder ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Pathfinder’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Pathfinder.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Palisade has a standard 180-amp alternator. The Pathfinder’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Palisade’s reliability 35 points higher than the Pathfinder.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 7 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 7 more horsepower (291 vs. 284) and 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

The Palisade stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

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

The Palisade offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Palisade Limited AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Pathfinder SL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Palisade has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (7.9 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Palisade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Palisade has 7.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Pathfinder (155.3 vs. 148).

The Palisade has .4 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 6.9 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room, 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room and 3.4 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Palisade’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Palisade’s (not available on SE) optional third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Palisade’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pathfinder’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Palisade uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pathfinder uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Palisade has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Palisade’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Pathfinder SV/SL/Platinum.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and second seat rows keep the Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Palisade, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Nissan Pathfinder isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Nissan Pathfinder by over two to one during the 2021 model year.