Compare the2025 Nissan PathfinderVS 2025 Toyota Sienna

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

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 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.

With its standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, the Nissan Pathfinder is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Toyota Sienna, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-27 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-24 MPH

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:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	150	215
Neck Injury Risk	31%	61%
Neck Stress	348 lbs.	389 lbs.
Neck Compression	53 lbs.	132 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	156/136 lbs.	323/323 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	45.1%	48%
Leg Forces (l/r)	236/309 lbs.	448/220 lbs.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Pathfinder is much safer than the Sienna:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	POOR

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 Toyota Sienna:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	244 lbs.	348 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	461 lbs.	542 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	234	371
Hip Force	466 lbs.	499 lbs.

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

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 Sienna is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Engine

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:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	7.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.7 sec	21 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.1 sec	8.7 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.5 sec	4.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.8 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	119 MPH	116 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pathfinder	Sienna
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.5 inches

The Pathfinder stops much shorter than the Sienna:

	Pathfinder	Sienna
70 to 0 MPH	179 feet	190 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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.

Suspension and Handling

For greater off-road capability the Pathfinder has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sienna (7.1 vs. 6.4 inches), allowing the Pathfinder to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s minimum ground clearance is .7 inch higher than on the Sienna Woodland Edition (7.7 vs. 7 inches).

Chassis

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.

Passenger Space

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

Cargo Capacity

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.

Towing

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

Ergonomics

The Pathfinder’s standard Intelligent Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Pushbutton Start standard on the Sienna only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the van.

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.

Recommendations

The Nissan Pathfinder outsold the Toyota Sienna by 8% during 2023.

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