Compare the2023 Nissan PathfinderVS 2023 Toyota Sienna

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 Toyota Sienna doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Nissan Pathfinder 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 Sienna doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Sienna doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Pathfinder and the Sienna have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver 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, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 39 more horsepower (284 vs. 245) than the Sienna’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 50 more horsepower (295 vs. 245) than the Sienna’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine) is faster than the Toyota Sienna:

The Pathfinder 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 Sienna doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

The Pathfinder stops shorter than the Sienna:

For better traction, the Pathfinder has larger tires than the Sienna (255/60R18 vs. 235/50R20).

The Pathfinder’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 Sienna LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Pathfinder has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sienna LE/XLE.

The Pathfinder has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sienna doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For greater off-road capability the Pathfinder has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sienna (7.1 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Pathfinder to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s minimum ground clearance is .8 inch higher than on the Sienna 25th Anniversary Edition (7.7 vs. 6.9 inches).

The Nissan Pathfinder may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 300 pounds less than the Toyota Sienna.

The Pathfinder is 6 inches shorter than the Sienna, making the Pathfinder easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Pathfinder has 2.2 inches more front headroom, 4 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more third row headroom than the Sienna.

The Sienna’s spare tire is stored in the cargo area, where it diminishes the useable cargo capacity and interferes with loading and unloading. The Pathfinder’s spare is out of the way underneath.

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

The Pathfinder offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Sienna doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Sienna’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.