RIVALS REBORN! -- 2023 Honda Pilot vs. 2023 Nissan Pathfinder: Comparison

Today we're comparing two family 3-rows: the ALL-NEW 2023 Honda Pilot vs. 2023 Nissan Pathfinder! In today's comparison, we're doing the highest-end versions; the Pilot Elite and the Pathfinder Platinum both with a price tag of around $53,000. So can the Nissan Pathfinder take down the king Honda Pilot, despite it being ALL-NEW?? Go ahead: CLICK to find out :) Also, be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and tap the notification bell if you enjoyed this review -- it helps us more than you can imagine!
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0:00 Intro
0:47 Pricing
1:28 Detailed Exterior Comparison
3:22 Interior Comparison
8:50 Driving Comparison
15:39 Conclusion

© Car Confections, LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
“Sampling the Latest Automotive Delicacies!”

[politicallydisgruntled.]

I bought a 2023 Pathfinder Platinum in the first week of June 2023. It is now August 24 2023 and just got back from a 7711 km road trip. This vehicle is amazing. Comfort is top notch with very little driver and passenger fatigue. my wife has Parkinsons and is like the princess and the pea when it comes to comfort. Our last leg of our journey entailed 1175 km in one day and she had no complaints about comfort and no driver fatigue. Over our 7711 km trip, the Pathfinder performed flawlessly over all kinds of road conditions as we toured Newfoundland from Ontario. I would not hesitate to recommend this vehicle. We bought a 20-foot travel trailer and the Pathfinder tows it with no problem, although gas consumption suffers while towing.

[michaelmancini]

I test drove both as well as the Toyota Highlander, the Nissan Pathfinder ( in my opinion), was the smoothest, and had the nicest interior, and was the quietest

[reggiereed]

Just got a pathfinder. The local Nissan dealer was fantastic. The dealer made the car desirable. I’m pleased with the performance.

[njdad]

The fact the Pathfinder tows more makes a better rugged SUV!

[bobbarney]

I own a 2016 Pathfinder, with close to 170, 000 miles on it and have had no trouble at all with it. Love Pathfinders so much, that i bought a 2023 Platnum Pathfinder and simply love this SUV. I still have the 2016 as it has been perfectly reliable.

One of many things you guys did not mention, is how you can change your main instrumentation panel to a completely different look.


Over all you two did a good job.

As far as Nissan reliability,
I have owned about 8 Nissans and have had 0 trouble with any of them.


Though i am a Honda fan as well, i do like the way Nissan aestetically designs thier vehicles, but that is always personal preferance. 😊

[Ken_RB]

If I was buying right now, the fact that Honda is bringing the SH-AWD from the Acura line is reason enough. Even with the accolades it's garnered over the years, it cannot be overstated how good it is. Truly ones of Honda's greatest engineering designs.

[washingtonstyle]

I'm leaning, strongly, towards the Nissan Pathfinder. Lately, Nissan has peeked my curiosity in their approach to great exterior and interior design... with a pinpoint focus on interior comforts and functionality. Way to go Nissan!

[lxcivick]

We got a 23 Pathfinder Platinum and absolutely love it. The interior is amazing and the biggest seller was physical buttons for the radio, and the storage under the center console. Plus, there still is not any inventory for the new Pilot and heard some first year issues already so glad we got a Pathfinder.

And no need to compare to Telluride or Palisade, KIA/Hyundia are throw away cars that'll leave you stranded. Pilot, Pathfinder and Highlander are definitely the top of the segment.

[davidbenamati]

I have always loved the Honda Pilots but not offering the tow package standard and only a 5, 000 lbs of towing is a big mistake. The 2023 Nissan Pathfinders gives you the tow package standard with 6, 000 lbs of towing. To me, that's HUGE and makes Nissan Pathfinders the better option. Hopefully, someday Honda will come to their senses and include the tow package standard and up their tow capacity. So far I love my 2023 Nissan Pathfinder!

[Pdep]

I think both are extremely good and you really couldn’t go wrong with either one. I would lean towards the pathfinder just because I find it more aesthetically pleasing. Good comparison though

[davewilson]

The pilot is probably a little better, but the Pathfinder is so close and it’s going for a lot cheaper after dealer discounts compared to the pilot.

[paulfromjupiter]

I drove a new Pathfinder for a week (rental) while I was car shopping. That is not an easy task for me at 6'4". Ultimately went with the Pilot. I will say the seats in the Pathfinder were probably more comfortable, but the steering wheel felt too far away even when extended to the max, and the space between the door and the seat was too tight. I also had a constant fear of breakong things in the Pathfinder. It looked fine, but there was too much play in the plastics on the controls and steering wheel. The steering wheel felt like a cheap video game controller covered in leather. The drive mode selector was about as rigid as a soda bottle top. There were other areas that left me with concerns about how well it would hold up long term. The driver assistance in the Pathfinder was frustrating. I found it complaining or actually turning off some of the features if I didnt have both hands closer to the 10 and 2 position even for brief periods. The infotainment screen felt like it was slightly angled away from the driver and the tuning knob on the right hand side was a stretch even for me. Another issue, though probably something I would have gotten used to if it were my daily driver, is the placement of the remote start button on the key fob. It is where the Lock button is on most others. On a couple of occasions, I came back to the car with the engine running after thinking I had locked the car, and unlike others I have driven with remote start, it didnt turn off after 15 minutes. I will say the 360° view cameras were good and the overhead view might be a slight bit better than the Pilot. The Pilot also feels smaller and lighter than it should for its size when driving. Though the steering can feel extremely light with the lane assist turned off. Price being equal for similar features, Pilot should hold its value much better with better reliability.

[DaMixWizard]

Boy u know times has changed when the Pilot & Pathfinder after taxes will be almost $60, 000. I remember back in early 2000s - 2016, they both were priced around $25k-30k. In the next 5 years, they will 75k

[rlthomas]

I would take the Honda Pilot based on reliability and dependability alone. Something that most journalists never talk about in their reviews.

[henryrockefeller]

I bought a brand new 2023 Honda Pilot Sport three weeks ago. It is bigger and looks better than

previous generations. It's gas mileage is average, performance is OKish, nothing impressive. The

brake is not responsive, you have to push the brake harder to get it stopped. But, The second day,

the check engine light on. Here is the message:"Emissions system problem. Power may be reduced. See

dealer". I immediately drove it to the dealership Service Dept. But, that Service Advisor said I

did not make an appointment and has a kind of "do not care" attitude. It took me lots of efforts

and almost 5 trips, eventually, they said it a sensor issues which is in some kind of value of the

gas tank areas.They put order to replace the value and sensor. But, it has been over 15 days and no

ETA from the supplier! Plus, the driver side wiper blade simply flew away the first time I turned

it on in the heavy rain. It took three phone calls and two appointments to get the new wiper blade

installed because it need to be "ordered" also. On the left side of back window,
the bottom trim is not glued well and can easily peel off and has not fixed by the Service
Dept yet. Since 1996, I used two Honda Accord which were very reliable. and a Honda Odysessy van

which had transmission issues after 6 years. After that, I bought new Acura MDX and drove it for

over 15 years and very reliable. That is the reasons I come back to bought this 2023 Honda Pilot.

But, looks like Honda's build quality dramatically degraded. If I have choice now, I will NEVER buy

Honda cars again. First, the manufacturing quality is very bad from my experience with the brand

new Pilot, secondly, the experience with the Service dept is very bad also. Especially with the

ordering of parts, it take over 15 days, no ETA ! what's hectic ! From the Honda manufacturer to

the Service, the Honda is degrading big time. I will not recommand anybody to buy the 2023 Pilot.

[CharlesFlo]

Bought my wife a 23 Pathfinder platinum red two tone with the black roof. Captain seats are our favorite part of the interior. We love the car. Took it to Disney and that drive was a dream!

[TheChubbyd]

Bought the 2022 pathfinder SL with the premium package for 45k. You just can’t beat it. 20 inch wheels, 360 cameras, & all the bells and whistles. I like the pilot too, but I just prefer the rugged look of the pathfinder.

[jaswindersaini]

One major difference that i have noticed is the fuel economy, i have a nissan pathfinder 2022 and i can easily get 29 to 30 on highways and long trips, on pilot that is simply not possible. in the long run this would mean nissan pathfinder can save at least $1200 per year. its makes a huge difference in long run

[MikeJones-ildc]

Just took a trip to the mountains in our 23’ platinum, and it was absolutely amazing to see a crossover family car handle like this thing does. Almost zero body roll and extremely precise steering. Slightly wider tires and these things would be perfect. We pulled off after a pretty hard run through the mountains and a guy in a scat pack pulled in behind us absolutely mind blown that we left him behind in the corners. Drive one for yourself if you’re considering a 3 row family wagon.

[Smcat]

just purchased a pathfinder and very happy with it. liked the pilot too but in my area dealers are still demanding msrp or marking up from msrp and only offering 4-5% financing.. Nissan is discounting slightly from msrp and also was offering 0% making the pathfinder significantly less expensive and a no brainer for me. also i think (personally imo) the pathfinder looks better.