Compare the2023 Nissan PathfinderVS 2023 Honda Odyssey

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Pathfinder have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Odyssey doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Pathfinder Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Odyssey doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Pathfinder has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Odyssey doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Pathfinder offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Odyssey doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Pathfinder Rock Creek/SL/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Odyssey only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Pathfinder’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Odyssey doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Pathfinder and the Odyssey have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Odyssey:

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Pathfinder’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Odyssey’s camshafts. If the Odyssey’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

The Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (284 vs. 280) than the Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (295 vs. 280) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 262) than the Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

For better stopping power the Pathfinder’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Odyssey:

The Pathfinder’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Odyssey are solid, not vented.

The Pathfinder stops shorter than the Odyssey:

For better traction, the Pathfinder has larger tires than the Odyssey (255/60R18 vs. 235/60R18).

The Pathfinder’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Odyssey Sport/Touring/Elite’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Pathfinder offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Odyssey’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Pathfinder has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Odyssey doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better maneuverability, the Pathfinder’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Odyssey’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.6 feet).

The Pathfinder is 7.5 inches shorter than the Odyssey, making the Pathfinder easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Pathfinder has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Odyssey.

Maximum trailer towing in the Honda Odyssey is limited to 3500 pounds. The Pathfinder offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Pathfinder uses the Vehicle Dynamic Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Odyssey doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Pathfinder Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and incoming text message readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Odyssey doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Pathfinder and the Odyssey have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Pathfinder is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Odyssey prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Pathfinder’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Odyssey’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pathfinder’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Odyssey’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Pathfinder has standard extendable sun visors. The Odyssey doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Pathfinder and the Odyssey offer available heated front seats. The Pathfinder also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Odyssey.

The Nissan Pathfinder outsold the Honda Odyssey by 22% during 2022.