2024 Nissan Pathfinder

2024 is the third model year of the fifth-generation R53 (launched for 2022) and a carry-over for the powertrain: the 3.5L direct-injected VQ35DD V6 makes 284 hp on S, SV, SL and Platinum, with the Rock Creek retuned to 295 hp on premium. The volume SV is scored.

259 lb-ft from the naturally aspirated V6 is mid-pack for a mid-size three-row and arrives high in the rev range, behind the turbocharged Explorer and CX-90.

Instrumented tests of the R53 V6/9-speed put mainstream trims in the mid-6-second range, class-competitive for a non-turbo three-row but slower than the Explorer ST or turbo-six CX-90 variants.

The naturally aspirated V6 gives linear throttle response with no turbo lag or hybrid handoffs, and stays smooth under load. It lacks the low-end punch of turbocharged rivals, which keeps it out of the top band.

The ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic that replaced the old CVT with the R53 shifts smoothly and doesn't hunt, and paddle shifters are available. Reviewers note downshifts that sometimes come a beat late in Drive.

A 6,000 lb rating with the factory tow hitch (standard on Rock Creek and Platinum, available on other trims via package) is top of the mainstream mid-size three-row class. Trims without the package are rated 3,500 lbs.

Intelligent 4x4 with a seven-mode terrain selector (including Sand, Snow, Mud/Rut, Tow) is optional on every trim and standard on Rock Creek. Broad availability with real terrain modes, but no low range or locking differential.

The Rock Creek trim adds 7.7 in of clearance (1 in more than other trims), off-road-tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, hill descent control and standard 4WD, which makes it a real if modest off-road trim. A long wheelbase, shallow approach/departure angles and no low range keep it light-duty.

One engine, take it or leave it: the 3.5L V6 with a 9-speed is the only 2024 powertrain, with no hybrid, PHEV or turbo alternative, while the Highlander, Sorento, Santa Fe and CX-90 all offer electrified versions.

The carry-over 3.5L V6 and 9-speed return 23 MPG combined in the volume configurations. That is mid-pack to thirsty for a mid-size three-row and well behind hybrid rivals.

20 MPG city for the volume SV 2WD (21 for 4WD). With no hybrid assist and a heavy three-row body, stop-and-go economy is a clear weak point.

Highway is the Pathfinder's best showing thanks to the 9-speed's tall top gears, but 27 MPG still trails the segment's hybrid and turbo-four entries.

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

EPA's standard-assumption estimate is $2,800 a year for the volume configurations, one of the larger running costs in the mid-size class.

S, SV, SL and Platinum run on regular unleaded. Only the Rock Creek is EPA-rated on premium for its 295 hp tune, which is a minor mark against the range rather than the volume trim.

NHTSA gives the 2024 Pathfinder 5 stars overall in both FWD and AWD form, with 4-star frontal, 5-star side and 4-star rollover sub-ratings. 2024 is the third year of the fifth-generation R53 that launched for 2022.

The 2024 Pathfinder earned an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ under the tougher 2024 criteria, with Good results in small overlap, the original and updated moderate overlap tests, and the updated side test. The award only covers vehicles built after November 2023, when Nissan improved the rear seat belts to pass the updated moderate-overlap test. Early-build 2024s do not qualify, which keeps this item just below the top of the band.

Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every 2024 trim: AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, high-beam assist and rear automatic braking. The base S has no adaptive cruise and no lane-keeping. Both arrive with ProPILOT Assist on the SV (the volume trim) and above, so key items are still missing from the entry trim.

IIHS rates the standard pedestrian front crash prevention system Good, which covers the day and night pedestrian scenarios required for a 2024 TSP+. Vehicle-to-vehicle AEB and forward collision warning are standard on all trims.

Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Automatic Braking are standard on all trims. SV and above add Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention, which actively steers back from a lane change. 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. Lane intervention and ProPILOT Assist lane centering come from SV up, so the base S gets warning only. Reviewers find the centering acceptable on straight, well-marked highway but prone to overcorrecting on curves.

On SV and above, ProPILOT Assist combines full-speed-range Intelligent Cruise Control, including stop-and-go and hold, with steering assist, making a competent hands-on highway assistant. The Platinum adds Navi-link speed adaptation. The base S has plain cruise control only, which drags the lineup score down.

No 2024 Pathfinder trim offers hands-free highway driving. ProPILOT Assist is Nissan's hands-on 1.0 system and needs continuous contact with the steering wheel. Some secondary sources call it 'hands-free', but that is wrong. Nissan's hands-off ProPILOT Assist 2.0 was sold only on the Ariya.

Every trim shares the same LED reflector headlights with high-beam assist, and IIHS rates them Acceptable across the range. That is consistent but not Good. Low beams light the right side of the straightaway well, but visibility is only fair on the left side and on most curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve. The headlights are not curve-adaptive.

The upright, boxy R53 body and high seating position give good forward and side sightlines and decent rear views for a three-row SUV. The Intelligent Around View Monitor 360-degree camera helps, but it is limited to upper trims and packages. The HD Front Wide View and Invisible Hood View cameras did not arrive until the 2026 refresh.

IIHS gives LATCH its top G+ rating. There are three full LATCH positions with shallow, easy-to-reach lower anchors that need little force, plus two tether-only positions. The LATCH AND GLIDE second row tips and slides forward with a child seat still installed for third-row access. Wide rear doors round out one of the best car-seat setups in the class.

The 2024 Pathfinder seats up to eight with the EZ FLEX second-row bench; captain's chairs cut it to seven.

Front headroom is generous for the class and unchanged across the R53 generation.

44.3 in of front legroom is near the top of the SUV band.

Second-row headroom is strong for a mid-size three-row.

35.5 in is the Pathfinder's weakest passenger dimension, several inches short of Telluride/Palisade/Highlander, though the bench slides to trade space with row three.

A real third row with a 60/40 split-fold reclining bench and EZ FLEX tip-and-slide access that works with a child seat installed, but 28.0 in of legroom and a low cushion make it knees-up for adults.

Modest behind-row-two volume for a three-row mid-size; 16.6 cu ft behind the third row is serviceable for groceries.

Competitive but not class-leading maximum capacity with a long flat load floor.

Good everyday storage — under-floor cargo well, open shelf under the center stack, divided console, removable second-row console with captain's chairs — but nothing class-defining; the 120V outlet is Platinum-only.

Nissan's Zero Gravity front seats are widely praised for long-drive support and the second row is comfortable, particularly the captain's chairs; the third row is kid-grade.

The R53 chassis is well damped with good body control, though the tune is on the firm side and 20-in wheels on SL Premium/Platinum add some sharpness over broken pavement.

Wind and road noise are well controlled on the road-tire trims and the V6 stays muted at cruise; Rock Creek all-terrains add hum.

Tri-zone automatic climate is standard even on the S, heated front seats and remote start arrive on the volume SV, heated wheel on SL, but ventilated fronts and heated second-row seats are Platinum/SL Premium only.

The carry-over 2024 Pathfinder opens at $35,810 plus $1,365 destination for the S 2WD, one of the lowest entry prices among mainstream three-row SUVs.

SV is the volume trim, adding the 9-inch touchscreen with wireless CarPlay, heated front seats and power liftgate; ~$41,000 reflects the real 2WD/4WD mix.

Same 3.5L V6 / ZF 9-speed drivetrain as the rest of the R53 generation; CarEdge's ~$524/yr scheduled maintenance plus an allowance for wear items and repairs beyond the 3/36 warranty lands near $4,300.

The Pathfinder depreciates faster than the midsize-SUV average, and the heavy 2024 discounting (buyers paying ~12% under sticker) further pressures used values.

Nissan's bumper-to-bumper term is the mainstream minimum, matching Toyota/Honda/Ford and trailing Hyundai/Kia's 5/60.

5/60 powertrain coverage is the segment floor, half the 10/100 Hyundai and Kia offer on the Palisade and Telluride.

Three years/36,000 miles of roadside assistance and a NissanConnect services trial, but no complimentary scheduled maintenance — trailing Toyota's two-year ToyotaCare on the Highlander.

$41,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (46% retained, or about $18,860) leaves about $22,140 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,300 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $26,440 in total.

Signals for the 2024 model year are mixed and middling: J.D. Power rates it 78/100, which it calls Average and which is below the 82–83 it gives the 2025–2026 models. Consumer Reports is more cautious and predicted the model could fall short of the average new car, based on the early data from this generation. RepairPal ranks it 17th of 26 midsize SUVs.

When the 2024 model was on sale, Nissan was a mid-pack brand: 12th of 22 in Consumer Reports' 2024 brand reliability ranking and the lowest-ranked Japanese brand. Its later rise to 6th in CR's 2026 ranking and 10th in J.D. Power's 2026 VDS shows the brand improving, but that came after this model year, so it only partly lifts the score.

The 2024 model year has two NHTSA recalls, both small in scope: a missing rivet on the left-front lap-belt pretensioner and a driver airbag inflator that may absorb moisture. Both are safety-critical but narrow. That is cleaner than the 2022 launch year, which had five recalls, but the fifth generation as a whole has a repeated pattern of weld and fastener assembly defects.

The 2024 model carries over the 284 hp VQ35DD 3.5L V6, a long-running VQ-family engine whose main long-term concern is the carbon buildup common to direct-injection engines. It pairs with the ZF 9-speed automatic that replaced Nissan's troublesome CVT for this generation. Early complaints about the transmission were harsh shifts and gear hunting, fixed with software updates rather than hardware.

The pre-facelift 2024 cabin gets soft-touch surfaces on the dash and a clean, squared-off design that reviewers call appropriate for the price. Lower trims come with a smaller 8-inch screen, and the interior falls short of the Telluride and Palisade benchmark for richness.

Reviewers describe the build as solid, and Nissan's initial-quality standing was competitive among mass-market brands in this period. The score stays below the top band because this generation's recalls, including the 2024 missing-rivet pretensioner, keep pointing to inconsistent assembly.

About 1,050 US Nissan dealers give near-universal coverage, and service satisfaction is a strength for the brand: Nissan ranked top in the 2024 J.D. Power Customer Service Index for the second year running.

Upkeep runs a little below segment norms, at about $542 a year against a $573 midsize-SUV average. The Pathfinder is a high-volume nameplate with plentiful parts and good aftermarket support, but repairs tend to be more severe than average when they happen.

The volume SV carries the 8-inch NissanConnect screen; the largest offered for 2024 is just 9 inches — small for the class.

Plentiful physical buttons and knobs help, but the NissanConnect interface is dated, the screens are small for the price, and reviewers call the menus cluttered.

Wired CarPlay and Android Auto are standard; wireless CarPlay only arrives on SL and Platinum, and Android Auto stays wired on every 2024 trim.

Native Door to Door Navigation with Premium Traffic is limited to SL and Platinum, and the voice system is basic command-style; most owners will lean on phone projection.

A 13-speaker Bose system is available but only on Platinum or with the SL Premium Package; S through SV keep an ordinary base system.

The volume trims use analog gauges flanking a 7-inch Advanced Drive-Assist display; the 12.3-inch fully digital cluster is Platinum-only.

NissanConnect supports limited software/map updates on the SL/Platinum navigation units, but there is no whole-vehicle OTA program adding features for the 2024 Pathfinder.

MyNISSAN offers remote start, lock/unlock and vehicle finder, but they sit behind NissanConnect Premium after the trial; no digital key.

Two USB-A plus two USB-C ports on the base car, rising to four USB-A/two USB-C on Platinum; a wireless charger is SL-and-up and the 120V outlet Platinum-only.

Intelligent Key with push-button start and approach unlock is standard and remote start arrives on SV, but a power liftgate needs SL (or SV Premium) and the motion-activated one is Platinum-only; no phone-as-key.

A rear camera and rear sonar are standard, but the Intelligent Around View Monitor and front sonar start at Rock Creek/SL — the volume SV goes without a 360 view.

A head-up display is offered only on the range-topping Platinum.

EZ FLEX second-row seats with LATCH AND GLIDE tip and slide forward with a child seat installed, giving third-row access without uninstalling it — a genuine family-logistics advantage.

Safety Shield 360 (AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, rear automatic braking) and Rear Door Alert are standard on every trim, and crash credentials are strong; ProPILOT Assist requires SV.

Standard tri-zone climate, USB ports in multiple rows and rear sunshades on SL help, but the tight third row and 16.6 cu ft behind it limit a full-load road trip.

The smooth V6 and crisp-shifting nine-speed make traffic easy and ProPILOT Assist on SV eases stop-and-go; the firm ride and large footprint are minor annoyances.

23 MPG combined on regular fuel is par for a V6 three-row, but well behind hybrid rivals; no electrified option in 2024.

Nearly 198 in long with a ~37 ft turning circle, it is large in town; the upright glasshouse helps, but the volume SV gets only rear sonar and a rear camera — the Around View Monitor needs SL.

A 6,000-lb tow rating is strong for a unibody three-row, but on S/SV/SL it requires the tow hitch package; otherwise it is 3,500 lb.

The long-running VQ35 V6 and a ZF-sourced nine-speed replace the troublesome CVT of the previous generation, but this is a unibody family crossover rather than a work tool.

Four cargo tie-down hooks, under-floor storage, roof rails and a hitch/7-pin harness cover basics; the 120V outlet is Platinum-only and there is no onboard power system.

Comfortable front seats, a quiet cabin, 27 MPG highway on regular fuel and ProPILOT Assist from SV make it a capable cruiser; the firm ride and hands-on-only assist limit it.

Intelligent 4x4 with a terrain-mode selector is available on every trim, and the Rock Creek adds off-road suspension, all-terrain tires, a tubular roof rack and hill descent control.

80.5 cu ft behind row one on a flat floor, split-folding third row, under-floor storage, roof rails and hitch options handle most gear, though behind-row-two space trails boxier rivals.

The R53's carefully tuned suspension gives good body control and limited lean, feeling more agile than most three-row rivals without being sporty.

Steering is quick and naturally weighted for the class, though it offers little feedback.

Stopping performance is competitive for a ~4,400-lb three-row, and 2024 reviews don't flag pedal problems; no instrumented 2024-specific test was retrieved.

The naturally aspirated 284-hp V6 is linear and lag-free and the nine-speed generally shifts crisply, with occasional hesitation reported on downshifts.

The V6 is refined and muted at cruise and pleasant when revved; the cabin isolates it well.

37.4 ft is mid-pack for a mid-size three-row SUV; the R53 chassis and steering were unchanged for 2024.

A commanding, upright driving position with good sightlines and plenty of physical controls, including a separate climate panel; tilt/telescope is manual below Platinum.

The smooth V6 and responsive chassis give it more character than a Highlander or Pilot, but it remains a competent family hauler rather than an engaging one.

The $35,810 S includes tri-zone automatic climate, LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, eight-seat layout, 7-inch digital cluster and Safety Shield 360 (AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot, rear cross-traffic, lane departure). It trails the 2026 car because the S makes do with an 8-inch screen (the 9-inch with wireless CarPlay arrives at SV), manual seats, cloth and a manual liftgate.

One of the cheapest mainstream three-rows, with a 284-hp V6 and 6,000-lb tow rating well above most rivals, and real transaction prices ran far below sticker. Reviewers still see a cabin and powertrain a step behind Telluride/Palisade, and there is no hybrid.

Five grades across nine trim/drivetrain configurations (all but Rock Creek in 2WD or 4WD), 7- or 8-seat layouts and an off-road-flavored Rock Creek, spanning about $35.8k–$50.7k. The single V6 powertrain with no electrified option is the gap.

Calendar 2024 sales rose 19.4% to 74,556 units — a solid rebound — but absolute volume stays well behind Explorer, Highlander, Telluride and Pilot, making it a rising mid-pack seller.

Nissan was a functional, discount-driven badge in 2024, and weak Pathfinder residuals reflect it; the brand's later reliability rebound had not yet shown up in perception.

Deep, widely available discounts — Edmunds reports buyers paying about 12% under sticker — plus regular low-APR financing and cash-back from Nissan, a clear buyer benefit even if it hints at soft demand.

2024 is the third model year of the R53 generation launched for 2022 and a carry-over year, so the platform, V6 and ZF 9-speed are current but not cutting-edge; the mid-cycle refresh arrived for 2026.

Well-reviewed but rarely the class pick; its honors are safety and family-use awards rather than comparison-test wins.