Nissan Pathfinder 2023 Tow Test

With the recent axing of the 2WD models, the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti 4WD we have tow-tested is now the base model of the two-tier Pathfinder range.

‘Base’ model in this instance does not mean few features or a low price – it is a $71,490 (plus on-road costs) proposition.

A 3.5-litre petrol V6 (202kW/340Nm) is the only engine option, combining with a new nine-speed automatic transmission and on-demand all-wheel drive.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti is well specified for a large family SUV, with heated and folding side mirrors, dusk-sensing LED headlights with high beam assist and daytime running lights, and shift-by-wire steering with paddle shifters.

There’s also tyre pressure monitoring, an electric park brake, intelligent keyless entry and walk-away function plus push-button start, heated front seats, 10-way electric-adjust driver’s seat and six-way manual adjust for the front passenger seat.

A 7.0-inch digital centre screen is surrounded by analogue instruments on the dash cluster while a 10.8-inch head-up display is standard too.

There’s also tri-zone climate control, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera with moving object detection, four USB charge points, two 12-volt outlets, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, and 18-inch machine-finished alloy wheels.

There are terrain and towing modes and hill descent control, a leather-clad steering wheel, privacy glass, LED front fog lights, power tailgate, roof rails and remote engine start.

Also on the standard menu is an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated rear outboard seats, and leather-accent trim on the doors and seats.

The Pathfinder is covered by Nissan’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and carries five years’ roadside assistance. Capped price servicing for the R53 Pathfinder is $2513 over five years/75,000km.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, accorded to this new R53 model from its launch late last year.

This new Pathfinder showcases the latest in Nissan’s ProPILOT semi-autonomous driving assistance technology.

The comprehensive safety equipment list includes forward collision warning with junction assist and emergency braking, driver attention alert, blind spot warning and intervention, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert and back-up collision intervention, adaptive cruise control with adjustable speed limiter and traffic sign recognition with speed limiter.

There are nine airbags installed in the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder, including a centre front airbag and head-protecting curtain airbags that extend to all three seat rows.

As well as tech features we’ve already mentioned, the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti is fitted with a 9.0-inch centre touch-screen that offers up AM/FM/digital radio, satellite navigation and smartphone mirroring – wireless for Apple CarPlay and plug-in for Android Auto.

There’s also wireless smartphone charging, a 13-speaker Bose audio system and an additional USB outlet in the third row to accompany the USB-A and USB-C ports up front.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder range is fitted with a transverse-mounted 3.5-litre direct-injection V6 petrol engine and output remains on par with the previous model – that is, 202kW of power at 6400rpm and 340Nm of torque at 4800rpm.

The Pathfinder’s V6 is matched to a nine-speed automatic, in place of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) used in the previous model.

How fuel efficient is the Nissan Pathfinder?

Going by the manufacturer’s official fuel economy claims, the 2023 Nissan Pathfinder is said to be capable of 10.5L/100km, with corresponding CO2 emissions of 245g/km.

On test, without a caravan behind it, the Pathfinder Ti averaged 9.8L/100km in mixed urban and highway use, with the worst-case scenario of 22.8L/100km over a few days’ worth of crawling traffic and a best of 6.8L/100km loping along at between 80km/h and 100km/h on the freeway.

With a 2300kg caravan behind it, the Pathfinder averaged 19.6L/100km.

With its 71-litre fuel tank and using our towing average consumption (19.6L/100km) – with a 50km safety margin built in – the Pathfinder would have a towing range of about 310km.

We did have a blustery day for our test, and our tow tests can only be indicative rather than definitive when it comes to towing consumption.

But even so, the Pathfinder would seem to have a fairly solid thirst for fuel, even for a petrol V6.

Firstly, some facts and figures. The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti has a kerb mass of 2044kg and a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2750kg, with a resultant payload of 706kg.

The gross combined mass (GCM) is 5035kg, and maximum braked towing capacity is 2700kg, of which you can have a maximum of 270kg placed on the tow ball. Unbraked towing capacity is 750kg.

The Pathfinder has a Trailer Mode, which makes the transmission more responsive to towing demands.

Nissan does not recommend the use of any load levelling or weight distribution devices for Pathfinder.

We’ve written detailed advice articles at carsales on how much you can actually tow with your SUV or ute – including this recent story tailored to popular large family SUVs like the Pathfinder – but the takeaway here is that with the 270kg maximum permitted mass on the tow ball, you’d have 436kg of remaining payload with the Pathfinder Ti.

That may involve a compromise in what you can carry. For example, if you were to include eight occupants aboard the Pathfinder, each could weigh an average of only 54.5kg, without exceeding payload, with no luggage or anything else in the vehicle.

Also, you cannot load up the Pathfinder to GVM and tow 2700kg behind it, as the combination would be over the permissible weight.

Having said all that, the Pathfinder is better than some more fancied tow vehicles in the compromise of how much weight you can realistically carry in it or tow behind it.

Once out of Sydney’s inner-west with its narrow streets – where you really notice the almost-two-metre width of the Pathfinder – we were able to hitch up a 2300kg single-axle full-size caravan kindly loaned to us by the guys at RV Connection in St Marys.

The Pathfinder drooped 30mm at the back and rose 10mm at the front with about 230kg on the ball.

Hitching up was easy with the clear rear-view camera display, which includes the tow ball in its field of vision.

Out on the highway, stability was quite good, although there was some tracking at the front. This may well have been due to the high winds on the test route, obvious with many tree limbs drunkenly swaying by the roadside.

The combination did not yaw at all during the test, which was a surprise given the high winds.

The Pathfinder isn’t as responsive when towing as you might think, although that is not to say it was slow. The 90km/h hill climb was dispatched fairly easily, although the engine was working hard, spinning at about 5000rpm in third gear to hold the speed up the hill.

Engine braking was acceptable rather than exceptional, with a dab on the brakes needed here and there to peg the speed to the 70km/h limit on the descent.

On the plains, the Pathfinder would settle mostly into sixth gear, with the tacho showing about 2100rpm. A downshift to fifth (the engine revving at 2500rpm) for any incline, or upshift to seventh (the engine spinning at about 1600rpm) on any slight descent, was about it.

Overall, the new Pathfinder proved to be a generally relaxed towing tug, lacking the restless transmission and darting about that some rival tow vehicles display.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder is not a true off-road wagon – if staying within the Nissan catalogue, you’ll need a Patrol or Navara for that – but the new Pathie does have off-road traction modes and all-wheel drive grip to get it out of slippery situations.

This is certainly more a gravel road, hard-packed sand or snow driving scenario we’re talking about – and parking the van on soft-ground camping spots – rather than rock hopping deep in the bush.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder has a big interior that’ll easily accommodate five adults without any of them feeling too cramped and with the option of three children happy in the third row.

It is a versatile seating arrangement, and one that is only equalled in number on the new SUV market by the Hyundai Palisade.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti is a well-equipped large SUV that offers great occupant space, good medium-duty towing weights and proves itself to be a good tow vehicle.

The only downside is its heavy thirst and lower-than-ideal fuel range when towing, and the entry price being a little on the high side.

2023 Nissan Pathfinder Ti at a glance:
Price: $71,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol
Output: 202kW/340Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 245g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)