2022 Nissan Pathfinder

2022 is the launch year of the fifth-generation R53 Pathfinder. The 3.5L VQ35DD direct-injected V6 makes 284 hp on regular fuel in every trim, including the volume SV. The 295 hp premium-fuel Rock Creek tune did not arrive until 2023.

The naturally aspirated V6 makes 259 lb-ft, peaking high at 4,800 rpm. That is mid-pack for a mid-size three-row SUV and less low-end torque than turbocharged rivals such as the Explorer.

Car and Driver's instrumented tests of the 2022 R53 with the V6 and 9-speed ran 6.6–6.7 s, which is about average for the segment. MotorWeek's slower 7.7 s run suggests real-world results vary with conditions.

The naturally aspirated V6 responds to the throttle linearly, with no turbo lag or hybrid transitions, and stays smooth under load. It has less low-end punch than turbocharged rivals, which keeps it out of the top band.

New for 2022, a 9-speed automatic replaces the previous generation's widely criticized CVT. It shifts smoothly and does not hunt, though kickdowns are sometimes a beat slow in Drive.

With the factory tow hitch package, the Pathfinder is rated at 6,000 lbs, near the top of the mid-size three-row class. Without the package it is rated at 3,500 lbs.

Intelligent 4WD with a seven-mode terrain selector is available on every trim (S/SV/SL/Platinum), with FWD standard. Availability is broad and the modes are real, but there is no low range or locking differential.

For 2022 there is no dedicated off-road trim, because the Rock Creek did not arrive until 2023. The Pathfinder offers terrain modes and hill descent control but only about 7.1 in of clearance, road tires and no low range.

One engine and one transmission cover the whole 2022 lineup, with no hybrid, turbo or plug-in option. Highlander, Sorento and Santa Fe all offered electrified variants.

The new V6 and 9-speed return 23 MPG combined on the volume SV with either FWD or 4WD. That is mid-pack to thirsty for a mid-size three-row and well behind hybrid rivals.

The volume trim is rated at 21 MPG city in either drive configuration. With no hybrid assist, stop-and-go driving is a weak point.

The FWD SV is rated at 26 MPG highway, and the 4WD version, oddly, at 27. Either figure trails hybrid and turbo-four entries.

An 18.5-gallon tank at 23 MPG combined gives about 426 miles between fill-ups. That is useful road-trip range, but it comes from tank size rather than efficiency.

EPA estimates $2,800 a year for the 2WD and 4WD volume trims under standard assumptions. That is one of the higher running costs in the mid-size class.

Every 2022 trim runs on regular 87-octane, with no premium requirement anywhere in the lineup. The premium-rated Rock Creek did not arrive until 2023.

NHTSA rates the 2022 Pathfinder AWD 5 stars overall with 4-star frontal, 5-star side and 4-star rollover (15.5% risk); the FWD version carries the same frontal/side stars but no overall or rollover rating was published.

In its launch year the all-new R53 Pathfinder posted Good in every IIHS crashworthiness test, including both small-overlap tests and the updated side test, and earned TOP SAFETY PICK+ — though IIHS applies the 2022 award only to vehicles built after July 2022, so early-build 2022s fall outside it.

Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every 2022 grade (S, SV, SL, Platinum) — AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, rear automatic braking and high-beam assist; ProPILOT Assist adaptive cruise with steering assist is limited to SV and above, so the base S lacks ACC.

IIHS rates the standard front crash prevention Superior vehicle-to-vehicle (avoided collisions at 12 and 25 mph) and Superior for pedestrian detection both day and night with high and low beams — top marks in every AEB evaluation.

Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on all grades backed by Rear Automatic Braking, with Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention available on upper trims, but there is no safe-exit alert and no trailer-aware blind-spot coverage despite the 6,000-lb tow rating.

Lane-departure warning is standard and ProPILOT Assist adds lane centering from SV up, but reviewers found its steering assist convincing mainly on straight, well-marked highways, with overcorrection and wander in curves.

ProPILOT Assist combines full-speed-range Intelligent Cruise Control with stop-and-go and steering assist, and SL/Platinum add Navi-link map-based speed adjustment, but it is the hands-on 1.0 system and absent from the base S.

No hands-free highway driving is offered on any 2022 Pathfinder; ProPILOT Assist is explicitly a hands-on system, and Nissan's hands-off ProPILOT Assist 2.0 was not offered on the Pathfinder.

Every trim uses the same LED reflector headlights with standard high-beam assist, rated Acceptable by IIHS — good on straightaways, only fair on curves, short of the Good ratings of the best rivals.

The redesigned, upright body gives a commanding seating position with good forward and side sightlines and reasonable rear views for a three-row, and the Intelligent Around View Monitor is available on upper trims.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good with full LATCH in three rear positions, and the second row tips and slides forward with a child seat installed for third-row access; the wide rear doors open onto a tall, square aperture.

The volume SV is an 8-seater with a second-row bench; captain's chairs drop capacity to 7. The Rock Creek (standard captain's chairs) did not exist until 2023.

Front headroom without the moonroof tops the SUV band; the panoramic roof takes a notable 2.7 in.

44.3 in of front legroom is near the top of the mid-size three-row class.

Second-row headroom is generous; the panoramic roof trims it to 38.4 in.

Second-row legroom is the Pathfinder's weak dimension, several inches short of Telluride/Palisade, though the row slides to trade space with the third row.

A real third row with EZ FLEX tip-and-slide access that works even with a child seat installed, but 28.0 in of legroom and a low cushion make it kid-first; adults only for short trips.

45 cu ft with the third row folded is modest for a mid-size three-row; 16.6 cu ft behind row three covers groceries rather than luggage.

80.5 cu ft is competitive but not class-leading.

Well-thought-out storage — a bridge-style console with pass-through bin below, a shelf above the glovebox and a lidded underfloor cargo box — but no standout innovation; the 120V outlet is Platinum-only.

Zero Gravity front seats are a consistent review highlight on long drives and the second row is comfortable; the low third-row cushion keeps it out of the 80s.

The redesigned R53 rides with a firm, controlled tune — better tied down than the floaty R52 — but broken pavement comes through, especially on 20-inch wheels.

Wind and road noise are well managed and the V6 is quiet when cruising; good for the class, not library-quiet.

Tri-zone automatic climate is standard on every trim, remote start and heated front seats arrive at SV, heated second-row seats and sunshades on SL/Platinum, and Platinum adds cooled front seats; ventilation is top-trim only.

The all-new 2022 Pathfinder opened at $33,410 before destination for the S 2WD, one of the lowest entry prices among mainstream three-row SUVs. Nissan later raised destination to $1,225 during the model year.

SV is the volume trim, adding a power driver seat, heated front seats, ProPilot Assist and 18-in wheels; the figure blends the 2WD/4WD mix before the optional $2,170 SV Premium package.

The 2022 carries the proven 3.5L V6, now paired with a ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic instead of the old CVT; industry estimates put routine maintenance and repairs near the class norm for a naturally aspirated V6 three-row.

KBB shows a 2022 Pathfinder has held about 62% over its first three years, which projects to roughly 45% at five — below the midsize-SUV average and behind Toyota, Honda and Kia rivals.

Nissan's bumper-to-bumper term is the mainstream minimum, matching Toyota, Honda and Ford but short of Hyundai/Kia's five years.

Five years/60,000 miles on the V6 and 9-speed is the segment floor, half of Hyundai/Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile coverage.

Nissan includes 3-year/36,000-mile roadside assistance and a NissanConnect Services trial but no complimentary scheduled maintenance, trailing ToyotaCare on the Highlander — bottom of the roadside-only band.

$38,300 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (45% retained, or about $17,235) leaves about $21,065 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,200 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $25,265 in total.

2022 is the launch year of the R53 redesign, and first-year models usually carry more teething problems. Consumer Reports rates the Pathfinder's reliability below average for this generation. Auto Reliability Index scores the 2022 at 66/100, below the model's average, because of heavier recall and complaint volume. J.D. Power's quality rating for the R53 is Average. The mixed-to-weak signal puts it below the segment median and a little under the 2023 carry-over year.

Around the 2022 model year Nissan was a mid-pack brand for dependability, in the middle of Consumer Reports' brand rankings and near the industry average in J.D. Power's VDS. It improved markedly in the 2023 VDS and later reached 6th in CR's 2026 ranking, but those gains came after this model year, so it is scored mid-band.

The 2022 model year has five NHTSA campaigns, the most of any R53 year. Four of them are launch-year assembly defects: insufficient welds on the second-row seat back, third-row headrest and hood-latch bracket, plus a missing second-row seat-track bolt. The fifth is a rearview-camera infotainment software fault. Each covered a small population and none involved the powertrain, but the repeated weld pattern on safety-relevant parts keeps this at the low end of the typical band.

The engine is the proven 284 hp VQ35DD 3.5L V6, whose main long-term concern is direct-injection carbon buildup. It is paired with the ZF 9-speed automatic that replaced the troubled Jatco CVT for 2022. That removes the previous generation's biggest liability, but 2022 was the ZF unit's first year in the Pathfinder, and early owners reported harsh or hunting shifts that software reflashes addressed. Newer pairing, no hardware red flags.

The redesigned cabin gets soft-touch dash and door surfaces and a clean, modern layout that suit its roughly $34k–$49k price, and Platinum adds quilted semi-aniline leather. Lower trims have more hard plastic and a smaller 8-inch screen than the Telluride and Palisade benchmarks, so it is competitive rather than class-leading.

Reviewers found the redesigned body solid and quiet. However, the launch year had four separate weld and fastener recalls on seats, a headrest and the hood latch, which points directly to uneven early assembly consistency. That pulls it below the 2023 carry-over year.

About 1,050 US Nissan dealers give near-universal nationwide coverage. Service satisfaction was a brand strength in this period, with Nissan at or near the top of J.D. Power's mass-market Customer Service Index.

It is a high-volume nameplate with abundant OEM and aftermarket parts, and annual repair costs run slightly under the midsize-SUV average. Repair frequency is average, but repairs skew more severe than average when they happen.

The volume SV carries the 8-inch touchscreen; the 9-inch unit is reserved for SL and Platinum — small against rivals' 10–12-inch screens.

NissanConnect is simple and reasonably quick with physical volume/tuning knobs and a separate climate panel, but the small screen and dated graphics trail Hyundai/Kia.

CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim, but wireless CarPlay is limited to SL and Platinum and Android Auto is wired-only on all grades.

Connected navigation with online POI search and traffic comes on SL/Platinum, but the volume SV has no native nav and voice control is basic commands plus Siri/Google Assistant pass-through.

Volume trims get a plain 6-speaker system; the 13-speaker Bose is standard on Platinum and optional on SL.

A 7-inch driver display sits between analog gauges on most trims; the 12.3-inch configurable digital cluster is Platinum-only.

Map/infotainment updates on navigation trims only; no whole-vehicle OTA updates adding features for the 2022 model year.

The NissanConnect/MyNISSAN app offers remote start, lock/unlock and vehicle locator, but remote functions are subscription-gated after the trial and there is no phone-as-key.

USB-A and USB-C ports in rows one and two are standard, with wireless charging on SL/Platinum and a 120V outlet only on Platinum.

Intelligent Key proximity entry with push-button start is standard, remote start comes on SV, power liftgate on SL, and a motion-activated liftgate on Platinum; no phone-as-key.

Rear camera, rear sonar and Rear Automatic Braking are standard; the Intelligent Around View Monitor is on SL/Platinum (optional on SV), so the volume SV typically lacks surround view.

A 10.8-inch head-up display is offered, but only on the Platinum.

Among the class's best car-seat vehicles: the second row tips and slides with a child seat installed for third-row access, LATCH is rated Good, and 8 seats are standard.

NHTSA 5-star overall (AWD) and IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for vehicles built after July 2022 (TSP for earlier builds), with Safety Shield 360 standard on every trim and ProPILOT Assist from SV.

Standard tri-zone climate and roomy first/second rows help, but the kid-sized third row and 16.6 cu ft behind it limit full-load trips; rear sunshades and heated rear seats are upper-trim.

The V6 and new 9-speed automatic (replacing the CVT) are smooth in traffic with light steering, but the firm ride and occasional slow kickdown are minor annoyances.

23 MPG combined on regular fuel is typical for a V6 three-row but trails hybrid Highlander/Sorento options.

At about 198 in long with a ~38.7-ft turning circle it is big in town; good sightlines help, but the volume SV usually lacks Around View Monitor.

6,000 lb of towing when equipped tops most unibody three-row rivals (typically 5,000), but the base rating is 3,500 lb and it is a crossover, not a truck.

The 3.5L VQ V6 is long proven and the 9-speed replaced the troublesome CVT, but 2022 was the first year of an all-new generation with several recalls, and it has no fleet reputation.

Cargo tie-downs, a lidded underfloor box and roof rails are basics; the only 120V outlet is Platinum-only.

About 425 miles per tank on regular fuel, supportive Zero Gravity seats and ProPILOT Assist from SV make it a solid interstate cruiser; the firm ride and modest cargo with all rows up hold it back.

Intelligent 4WD with seven terrain modes (including Sand, Mud/Rut and Snow) is available on every trim and towing reaches 6,000 lb, but 2022 had no Rock Creek off-road trim and no low range.

80.5 cu ft with both rows folded, a lidded underfloor box, roof rails and an available hitch cover most gear; 16.6 cu ft with all rows up is the limit.

The R53's stiffer chassis keeps body roll in check and it feels smaller than its size on back roads, secure rather than engaging.

The electric rack is accurate and quick with reasonable weight but offers little road feel.

Reviewers report a firm, predictable pedal and competitive stops for a ~4,300–4,600-lb three-row; no fade complaints, but no year-specific instrumented figure retrieved.

The naturally aspirated 284-hp V6 is linear and lag-free, and the new 9-speed is a big step up from the old CVT, though it can hesitate before kicking down.

The V6 is muted when cruising and smooth rather than coarse when revved.

A ~38.7-ft turning circle is mid-to-weak for a mid-size three-row SUV.

A commanding driving position, shift-by-wire console and physical climate controls are easy to use; the volume SV has a manual tilt/telescoping wheel without memory.

The smooth V6 and tidy handling give it more character than most three-rows, but it is competent rather than exciting.

The $33,410 S includes tri-zone automatic climate, Safety Shield 360 (AEB with pedestrian detection, rear AEB, blind-spot and lane-departure warning), LED headlights, alloys, an 8-in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and eight-passenger seating — competitive content at a below-average price. Held back by cloth, manual seats and liftgate, and a small screen on the base car.

Undercuts Pilot, Highlander and Telluride at entry while offering a 284-hp V6 and a class-leading 6,000-lb tow rating; reviewers call it a big improvement and a practical buy, but the cabin is less upscale than Korean rivals and there is no hybrid option. Shortage-era dealer markups eroded some of the paper value.

Four grades (S, SV, SL, Platinum), each in 2WD or 4WD, spanning roughly $34.5k–$49k with seven- or eight-seat layouts and two premium packages. The off-road Rock Creek did not arrive until 2023, and there is a single V6 powertrain with no electrified choice.

The new generation lifted sales 40% in calendar 2022 to roughly 50,000 units despite chip-shortage supply limits — a strong upward trajectory — but volume stayed well behind Explorer, Highlander, Telluride and Pilot.

Nissan is a functional badge in the segment, and weak Pathfinder residuals reflect it — about 62% retained after three years versus stronger Toyota, Honda and Kia three-rows. The heritage nameplate and the new generation's more rugged styling give it some pull.

The 2022 model launched into the 2021–22 chip shortage, when inventory was thin, incentives were largely absent and many dealers sold new three-row SUVs at or above sticker; discounts returned only as the 2023 model year stock rebuilt.

2022 is the launch year of the all-new R53 fifth generation, with revised platform, new 9-speed automatic replacing the CVT, new styling and current driver-assist tech; no redesign risk for buyers.

Reviewers praised the redesign as a major step up — Motor1 Star Award nominee — but it was rarely the class pick over Telluride, Palisade or Pilot. Honors are concentrated in safety (IIHS 2022 Top Safety Pick+) and regional awards rather than comparison-test wins.