Compare the2025 Nissan PathfinderVS 2025 Hyundai Palisade

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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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 Hyundai Palisade 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 Palisade 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 Palisade doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Pathfinder and the Palisade 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 side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Pathfinder	Palisade
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	244 lbs.	303 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	189
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	36 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	466 lbs.	724 lbs.

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

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 Palisade:

	Pathfinder	Palisade
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.18 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	65	70
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	.75 in	1.46 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	5 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Nissan Pathfinder has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Palisade is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024, though it hasn’t yet been rated in the updated moderate overlap frontal test, a requirement for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” award.

Warranty

There are over 28 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Pathfinder’s warranty.

Engine

The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (295 vs. 291) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 262) than the Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

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

	Pathfinder	Palisade
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	6.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.1 sec	7.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	93 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Pathfinder
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/27 hwy
		Platinum 3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/25 hwy
Palisade
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/24 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 Palisade doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

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 Palisade.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pathfinder	Palisade
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12 inches

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 Palisade are solid, not vented.

The Pathfinder stops shorter than the Palisade:

	Pathfinder	Palisade
70 to 0 MPH	179 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Pathfinder has larger tires than the Palisade (255/60R18 vs. 245/60R18).

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 Palisade doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

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 Palisade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Pathfinder Platinum handles at .76 G’s, while the Palisade Limited HTRAC pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Pathfinder has 1.6 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3 inches more third row hip room and 3.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Palisade.

Cargo Capacity

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Pathfinder. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

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

Ergonomics

The Pathfinder’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Palisade’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the Pathfinder’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Palisade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Palisade SE/SEL/XRT’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both the Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai Palisade offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Pathfinder offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Palisade’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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