Compare the2023 Nissan PathfinderVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

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 Highlander 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 Highlander 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 Highlander doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Pathfinder has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Pathfinder has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers rear cross-path warning.

Both the Pathfinder and the Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 263) than the Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine) is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

On the EPA test cycle the Pathfinder 4WD with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Highlander V6 AWD (21 city/27 hwy vs. 20 city/27 hwy).

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 Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Pathfinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Highlander.

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

For better traction, the Pathfinder has larger tires than the Highlander (255/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

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 Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Pathfinder’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pathfinder’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Highlander (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pathfinder is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Highlander.

The Pathfinder has 6.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (148 vs. 141.3).

The Pathfinder has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.7 inches more third row headroom, .3 inches more third row legroom, 1.1 inches more third row hip room and 3.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Highlander.

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

The Pathfinder has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Highlander doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Highlander is limited to 5000 pounds. The Pathfinder offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Pathfinder Platinum’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry 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 Highlander’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.