Nissan Pathfinder Ti 4x4 2025 Review

The fifth-generation R53 Nissan Pathfinder family SUV range has been through a few changes since its late 2022 launch in Australia. As of early 2025 there are three models: the ST-L, the Ti and the Ti-L.

All three come with the same powertrain combination of a 202kW/340Nm 3.5-litre V6 engine and nine-speed auto, but the ST-L and Ti offer the $4500 cheaper option of front-wheel drive, while all three can be had with variable all-wheel drive.

The other key thing to note is the ST-L and Ti come with eight seats in a 2-3-3 layout while the Ti has seven seats, because it opts for two captains’ chairs in row two.

The range starts with the $59,670 ST-L front-wheel drive and tops out with the $82,490 Ti-L. The Ti AWD we’re testing here is $72,490. All pricing is plus on-road costs, so our example will be approximately $80,000 on the road.

That places the Ti in the proximity of some pretty impressive opposition: The Toyota Kluger GXL, the Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy and the Kia Sorento GT-Line. That folks, is just a few in a tough crowd.

Standard Ti exterior equipment includes LED headlights with high beam assist, roof rails, a power tailgate and 18-inch alloy wheels – the latter a very good choice that we’ll explain in a moment.

Inside the US-built Pathfinder, you’ll find a combination of cloth, leather and synthetic leather trims across the three seat rows.

The driver’s seat is 10-way power-adjustable, but the front passenger gets no help at all. Both front seats and row two outboard seats are heated. Row two slides and flips, row three backrests recline. Both row two and three also fold flat to grow luggage space.

Tri-zone air-conditioning includes second-row controls and vents there and in row three.

Infotainment includes a 9.0-inch touchscreen, an analogue instrument panel (yes kids, two round dials for road and engine speed) with a 7.0-inch digital readout in the centre, a 10.8-inch head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, satellite navigation and AM/FM and digital radio. It’s all broadcast by a 13-speaker Bose stereo system.

Add in a wireless smartphone charger, two 12V outlets and five USB (both A and C) spread across the three rows and you’re ready to roll.

Helping ensure the show stays on the road is autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with speed limit recognition, rear cross-traffic alert and braking, blind-spot warning and intervention, lane departure warning and intervention, and driver monitoring.

Add to that tyre pressure monitoring, a 360-degree camera, nine airbags including curtains that extend to row three and a five-star ANCAP based on 2022 protocols.

So what’s missing? Well, there’s only a temporary spare tyre, belying any pretence this is a true off-roader, even if Nissan calls it a 4x4 and it comes with multiple off-road modes and hill descent control.

The Pathfinder Ti is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years of roadside assistance. Service intervals are 12 months/15,000km and the AWD version will cost you an average of $704.50 across the first six capped price services (January 2025 figures). The sixth service alone costs $1635, so sell after five years is my tip!

At 5004mm long, 1978mm wide, 1802mm high and with a 2900mm wheelbase, the 2025 Nissan Pathfinder Ti is a big vehicle.

That brings both good and bad aspects with it. We’re going to deal with the former here.

All that size translates to generous interior space. Even in row three there is room for adults not just kids. Now you don’t want to be that tall and you won’t want to be there that long, but it’s certainly better than most of its rivals.

Nissan has also thought long and hard about access to row three. You can power-flip or manually slide row two forward very easily, the latter meaning you can also create more space for third-row occupants. But because of good design, row two can still be spacious.

It’s also well appointed, with map pockets, door cup and bottle holders and window shades as well as the aforementioned air-con controls and vents and USB-A and USB-C connections.

There are two ISOFIX and three top tethers in row two and another ISOFIX and top tether in the left side of row three.

Boot spacious varies from as little as 205 litres through 554 litres to what seems an under-estimated 782 litres with rows two and three folded. There’s good space to tuck items in the row two footwell when the seats are split-folded.

Up-front the driver gets reach and rake adjustable steering and a generously sized seat. So comfort is attainable. It does feel a bit parsimonious not to offer the front passenger any power adjustment at all though.

The cockpit looks a bit old-fashioned with its analogue dials and hard buttons for air-con and audio below the moderately sized stand-alone touchscreen. I love it!

Not that you can’t drill down and make lots of configuration adjustments in this car. There are shortcuts to things like steering assist on/off. The shortcut is good, but the tuning of the system isn’t – it’s quite abrupt and obvious. Off, thanks.

It’s the weakest point of a surprisingly satisfying driving experience. Being based on an evolved version of the previous generation’s platform, being so big and weighing in at 2044kg before any people or luggage are added, the Pathfinder Ti doesn’t read like anything more than a large blancmange on wheels.

But it is tuned with real sympathy, offering acceptable steering accuracy, good body control and excellent bump absorption. This is where those 18-inch wheels and tyres play a role in support of the compliant all-independent suspension. The marketing department might have wanted 20s but resisting them has delivered a really high level of ride quality.

The engine diligently backs up the dynamics. It doesn’t spec like a great performer on paper, but the nine-speed auto – replacing an unlamented CVT in the previous generation – definitely helps it extract every watt and metre.

Even though pulling power peaks at a high 4800rpm, the urge to start changing manually via flappy paddles never became urgent. Just flipping the drive mode from normal to sport delivered the edge if you needed it. Eco dulls things down to an excessive degree.

Look, the Pathfinder’s size stops it from being lithe, but it’s not a labour to drive in town and it’s really capable on the open road. Gravel roads too, but with no low range and 178mm of ground clearance, a true 4x4 it is not.

So the negative side of being big is the 2025 Nissan Pathfinder likes to use a bit of fuel. It’s just the nature of a naturally aspirated V6 engine like this that needs to rev to produce its best.

It’s dragging a lot of weight and it’s pushing a lot of air, so no surprise the claimed fuel consumption is a hefty 10.5L/100km. The moderately good news is we undercut that slightly on-test. But it will spiral with a heavy load onboard or when towing (more on that below). The 71-litre tank looks a tad under-sized.

The reality is most of the Pathfinder’s significant opposition is now electrified to aid both economy and performance. And Kia still has the excellent diesel Sorento.

Nissan used to offer both hybrid and diesel Pathfinders in previous generations, so it’s a disappointment it’s not available here.

That’s especially the case when you consider Nissan has the excellent E-Power extended-range hybrid system on offer with the smaller X-Trail and Qashqai, which would seem to need such a system less urgently than the Pathfinder.

And a word on towing. The 2700kg claimed braked towing capacity is pretty decent among these big AWD SUVs. The Sorento only offers 2000kg and the Santa Fe hybrid just 1650kg.

But it’s important to remember it’s not just the peak number that’s important here. Gross Combined Mass, towball weight and so on play a role.

Do the sums and what that means is you have 291kg of payload left over if you choose to tow at 2700kg. Two adults and a sizable dog will likely account for 200kg of that…

Add a bullbar and you’re running out of payload. But, of course, tow at 2000kg braked and the equation adds up much more sensibly.

More on all that stuff here.

The 2025 Nissan Pathfinder Ti is in an expensive no-man’s land.

It doesn’t have the powertrain smarts of its rivals, yet charges plenty of money for the privilege.

If it came with E-Power it would be that much more appealing, because the way it accommodates its passengers and drives is actually very competitive.

2025 Nissan Pathfinder Ti 4x4 at a glance:
Price: $72,490 (plus on-road costs)
Powertrain: 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine
Output: 202kW/340Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 245g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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