Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Nissan Pathfinder

The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Nissan Pathfinder doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

Both the Acadia and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, 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, 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Nissan Pathfinder:

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

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

There are over 55 percent more GMC dealers than there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator (155-amp - Acadia V6 and 170 V6). 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 Acadia’s reliability 39 points higher than the Pathfinder.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Acadia third among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Pathfinder isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Nissan With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Nissan.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 26 more horsepower (310 vs. 284) and 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia gets better mileage than the Pathfinder:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (19.4 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (21.7 vs. 18.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Nissan Pathfinder (5). This means the Acadia produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pathfinder every 15,000 miles.

The Acadia stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Pathfinder only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia offers an available 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 Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Pathfinder SL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Pathfinder Platinum (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Acadia has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (7.2 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Acadia to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Acadia is 4.3 inches shorter than the Pathfinder, making the Acadia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. 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.

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia has 4.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

The front step up height for the Acadia is 1.8 inches lower than the Pathfinder (18” vs. 19.8”). The Acadia’s rear step up height is .8 inches lower than the Pathfinder’s (19” vs. 19.8”).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Acadia’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Acadia 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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Acadia’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Acadia’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 Acadia SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Acadia owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Acadia will cost $280 less than the Pathfinder over a five-year period.

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 47.29% to 50.03% of its original price after five years, while the Pathfinder only retains 43.77% to 45.89%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $2906 to $6571 less than for the Nissan Pathfinder.

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