Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Nissan Pathfinder

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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Both the Discovery and Pathfinder have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Pathfinder.

Both the Discovery and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and driver alert monitors.

Warranty

The Discovery comes with a full 4-year/50,000-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 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Pathfinder’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Engine

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 12 more horsepower (296 vs. 284) and 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Discovery’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 1 more horsepower (296 vs. 295) and 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 270) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 60 more horsepower (355 vs. 295) and 99 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 270) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine):

	Discovery	Pathfinder
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Discovery P360 gets better fuel mileage than the Pathfinder Rock Creek 3.5 DOHC V6 (19 city/25 hwy vs. 20 city/23 hwy).

The Discovery has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (23.8 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Nissan Pathfinder (5). This means the Discovery produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pathfinder every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Discovery P360’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Pathfinder:

	Discovery P360	Pathfinder
Front Rotors	14.4 inches	13.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13 inches

The Discovery stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

	Discovery	Pathfinder
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pathfinder (285/40R22 vs. 255/60R18).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pathfinder’s standard 60 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Pathfinder’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Pathfinder. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Pathfinder.

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Pathfinder; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Discovery 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 front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Pathfinder, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Pathfinder’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (11.1 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is 3.4 inches higher than on the Pathfinder Rock Creek (11.1 vs. 7.7 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Discovery 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.

Passenger Space

The Discovery has 1.9 inches more rear legroom, .1 inches more third row headroom and 5.5 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Pathfinder doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pathfinder’s (5925 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Pathfinder is only 6000 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Discovery 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 engine in the Discovery is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Pathfinder. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Pathfinder Platinum, the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery 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 Discovery’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Pathfinder’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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

The Discovery’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.

The Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Nissan doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Pathfinder.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Pathfinder.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Pathfinder SL/Platinum offers wireless charging.

The Discovery’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

The Discovery will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Discovery will retain 50.7% to 50.86% of its original price after five years, while the Pathfinder only retains 43.77% to 45.89%.