How the 2025 Pathfinder Stacks Up Against Its Competitors

Whether you’re looking for a safe family vehicle or a capable ride for thrilling adventures, you’ll be wise to consider the latest Nissan Pathfinder for sale in Knoxville. Here at Rusty Wallace Nissan, we love this spacious, rugged model for its well-rounded strengths, which make it a standout option among three-row midsize SUVs. 

Today, we’re going to unpack just how the 2025 Pathfinder compares to its competitors across a range of factors. With this in mind, you’ll be able to make a fully informed decision about whether a Pathfinder is right for you. 

Cabin

The 2025 Pathfinder strikes a good balance between exterior shape and interior space. Larger models like the Chevy Traverse might get you a few more cubic feet of cargo volume, but they’re also harder to fit in tight spaces, from campsites to parking lots, undercutting some of the advantage of choosing a midsize SUV over a full-size model. You’ll find plenty of space to stretch out inside the Pathfinder, and all three rows are easy to access—something that can be very important when you’re travelling with a full household.

Speaking of passengers, the Pathfinder is configured to seat seven or eight people, depending on whether you opt for captain’s chairs in the second row. This might seem like a no-brainer for this auto class, but you might be surprised how many competitors don’t give you this choice. For example, the 2025 Chevy Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas can only seat seven, the Ford Explorer seats six or seven, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee L can only seat six, making it a minor upgrade from a two-row vehicle. If you’re looking to bring a load of people along for the ride as you drive around Knoxville and beyond, the Pathfinder has you covered.

Power

The 2025 Pathfinder comes standard with a robust V6 engine across all trims, giving you the power you need, no matter your budget. This sets it apart from models like the Toyota Highlander, Chevy Traverse, and Ford Explorer, all of which come standard with an I-4 engine. You’ll have the power you need to accelerate quickly onto the highway, even if you’re loaded down with passengers and cargo.

When it comes to trailering, the Pathfinder is hard to beat. When properly configured, you can tow up to 6,000 lbs, allowing you to bring along extra cargo for road trips, camping, or feats like moving to a new neighborhood. For comparison, the Honda Pilot, Chevy Traverse, and Ford Explorer can tow up to 5,000 lbs, and the Mazda CX-90 and Toyota Highlander can only match that 5,000-lb maximum with an engine upgrade (as their base engines only tow up to 3,500 lbs).

Some three-row models can tow more, but there aren’t many. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L barely beats the Pathfinder, with a 6,200-lb maximum. The Dodge Durango can be upgraded to tow much more, but only with expensive and highly inefficient engines; the most powerful option gets a paltry 13 MPG combined, which is sure to be a headache on any drive where you don’t want to constantly be pulling over at gas stations.

Safety

Driver assistance technology has become ubiquitous in recent years, so it’s hard for any vehicle to stand out with a good list of features alone. Still, it’s worth noting that all trims of the 2025 Pathfinder come standard with intelligent brake assist with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, low tire pressure warnings, tire fill assist, blind spot warning, driver attention alert, lane departure warning, and rear parking sensors. This array makes the Pathfinder competitive and allows you to drive throughout Knoxville and beyond with confidence, knowing that you have a variety of tools helping you stay aware of your surroundings.

But while most three-row midsize SUVs have a similar lineup of features, not all systems are created equal. That’s why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests safety equipment to see if it meets its performance criteria. The 2025 Pathfinder, which received an overall five-star safety rating from the NHTSA, meets these criteria across all four categories tested: front collision warning, lane departure warning, crash-imminent braking, and dynamic brake support. 

This isn’t a given for all models on the market, though; the 2025 Ford Explorer, for instance, doesn’t have a lane departure warning system that meets the administration’s criteria. If you want a second opinion, the other gold standard source for vehicle safety information is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, and damage from traffic accidents. The IIHS conducts crash tests and awards models that are especially safe and crashworthy to help consumers make smart decisions. 

Looking at the 2025 model year, many models in the midsize segment were named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, including the Chevy Traverse, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Hyundai Palisade. The 2025 Ford Explorer received no award. The 2025 Nissan Pathfinder, on the other hand, received the prestigious designation of Top Safety Pick+ thanks to its all-around good crashworthiness, smart driver assistance features, and a LATCH system that makes it easy to securely install child seats.

Value

Clearly, the Nissan Pathfinder is a well-rounded option with a capable powertrain, a spacious and comfortable cabin, and high safety scores that make it easy to drive with peace of mind. You might think that all of those benefits come with a high price tag. But Nissan believes in making quality vehicles accessible to a wide range of drivers, and we’re proud to offer Knoxville drivers these models at fantastic prices.

Prices for three-row SUVs can get pretty high. The 2025 Chevy Traverse has a starting MSRP of $40,700, and the Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer aren’t far behind, at $39,900 and $39,755, respectively. The 2025 Pathfinder, on the other hand, has a starting MSRP of just $36,400. If you do have a budget around $40k, you can make it stretch further with the Pathfinder, upgrading to an SV or SL trim to get extra creature comforts and other upgrades.

The Pathfinder Holds Its Own in a Crowded Field

There are a lot of three-row midsize SUVs out there, which isn’t surprising. Not every driver who regularly needs to seat more than five people wants to get an expensive full-size SUV, which can be difficult to park and pricey to keep fueled. This auto segment gives you a great balance between exterior footprint and interior space, so you can tackle a wide variety of driving situations with ease.

In such a large field of versatile SUVs, it’s impressive to see how well the 2025 Pathfinder stands out in so many key categories, from towing capacity to safety tech. If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, come visit us here at Rusty Wallace Nissan. We have a variety of Pathfinders right here in Knoxville, and our team will be happy to help you figure out which one is perfect for you.

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