2023 Toyota RAV4 vs 2023 Nissan Pathfinder

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder had a distinct, modern aesthetic that stemmed from its 2022 redesign. Its futuristic headlights embedded within more conventional lighting elements, paired with an angular C-pillar just behind the rear door, successfully bridged traditional design with forward-thinking elements. This well-conceived balance made the Pathfinder look relevant and stylish for years to come. The interior followed suit with clean lines and a refreshingly sensible layout, making it not only visually appealing but practical for everyday use.

The Pathfinder was offered in five trims: S, SV, SL, Rock Creek, and Platinum. The base S trim featured 18-inch alloy wheels, manually adjustable seats, cloth upholstery, push-button start, remote keyless entry, and tri-zone automatic climate control. It also came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The SV trim added heated front seats, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, remote start, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and additional driver-assistance features. The SL trim equipped side mirrors that tilted down when in reverse, a power-adjustable front passenger’s seat, wireless device charging, a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery, and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The Rock Creek trim introduced rugged, off-road-specific features like a reinforced suspension, all-terrain tires, distinctive styling cues, LED fog lights, a heavy-duty roof cargo rack, standard four-wheel drive, and a slight horsepower improvement. Its durable, water-repellent interior, complete with heated seats and remote start, made it well-prepared for both off-road adventures and winter conditions. Aesthetically, this trim stood out with its dark cabin accentuated by orange stitching and labels, which paired well with the exterior's forest green paint and bright orange accents.

At the top of the trim hierarchy, the Platinum version offered upgraded leather upholstery, 20-inch alloy wheels, a hands-free power liftgate, a wall-style power outlet, ventilated front seats, a fully digital instrument panel, and a power tilt-telescoping steering wheel.

In comparison, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 offered a range of six trim levels, from the affordable LE to the premium Limited, with two off-road-friendly trims—Adventure and TRD Off-Road. The overall design remained consistent with its 2019 redesign, particularly for the Adventure and TRD Off-Road, which retained the distinctive two-part front grille.

Our testing focused on the Adventure trim, marked by the lowered Toyota badge near the center of its aggressive grill, blacked-out wheels, a faux skid plate, and pronounced black cladding around the wheel arches. While these design elements suggested off-road capability, they were more cosmetic than functional.

Inside, the Adventure trim featured orange accents, with seats marked by a middle stripe and contrast stitching, while the center console was accentuated by orange plastic borders. A frameless rearview mirror added a premium touch to the otherwise unremarkable interior.

Seating materials varied by trim, with lower trims like LE and XLE equipped with fabric seats and the XLE Premium featuring synthetic leather (SofTex) upholstery. The upper trims offered heated and ventilated front seats with power adjustability and memory settings, and heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel were available through optional packages. Dual-zone climate control came standard on all but the base LE trim.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. In the Rock Creek trim, this engine was tuned to deliver 295 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The power from this engine was routed through a 9-speed automatic transmission to either front-wheel drive (FWD) or an available all-wheel drive (AWD) system. Although Nissan marketed this system as a 4WD, it fell short of the true off-road capabilities of traditional 4x4 setups.

In our tests, the Rock Creek model's off-road capabilities were enhanced by a slightly taller (5/8-inch) suspension, equipped with off-road shocks and standard AWD. The off-road tires, however, made for a rougher ride on paved roads, amplifying vibrations and minor road imperfections. This setup did provide a more comfortable ride on trails, but potential buyers would need to consider how often they intended to drive off-road to justify the trade-off in on-road comfort.

Regardless of the trim, the engine delivered ample power for both city driving and highway cruising. The ride was generally smooth and quiet, with a competent automatic transmission. A point of contention was Nissan’s proprietary shifter design, which some found distracting and unintuitive. On the other hand, the rotary drive mode dial was straightforward and easy to use, offering various settings like Eco, Sport, Normal, Sand, Mud/Rut, Snow, and Towing modes. The Rock Creek added an All-Terrain mode, and all models featured a downhill crawl assist function, which helped modulate the brake and throttle during downhill driving. Most Pathfinder models could tow up to 3,500 pounds, but the Rock Creek—and optionally the SV and SL trims—had a towing capacity of 6,000 pounds.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 came with a singular engine choice for its non-hybrid variants: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 203 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, which was generally preferred over the CVTs found in some competitors. Despite this, the RAV4's acceleration fell more in the "adequate" category rather than "exciting." The engine produced more noise than some might find desirable, although it wasn’t as intrusive as the Subaru Forester's boxer engine.

The standard drivetrain for the RAV4 was front-wheel drive (FWD), but the Adventure and TRD Off-Road trims came with all-wheel drive (AWD) by default. AWD was an option for other trims and included a Snow Mode. The hybrid models, including the RAV4 Hybrid and Prime, came exclusively with AWD.

The Adventure trim, despite its rugged appearance, wasn't as off-road capable as the TRD Off-Road model. It shared its 19-inch wheels and MacPherson independent front suspension with the rest of the RAV4 lineup, supplemented by all-season tires. In contrast, the TRD Off-Road trim came with 18-inch wheels fitted with Falken All-Terrain tires, a unique TRD-tuned suspension, and specialized components like shocks and jounce bumpers.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder offered generous cargo space, providing up to 80.5 cubic feet with both the second and third rows folded flat, 45 cubic feet with just the third row down, and 16.6 cubic feet behind the third row, which was quite adequate for a midsize three-row SUV. However, it did fall slightly short compared to rivals like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, and Hyundai Palisade.

Passenger space in the Pathfinder was ample in the first two rows, with plenty of headroom and legroom. The third row could accommodate adults, but only for shorter trips. The optional second-row captain’s chairs made access to the third row easier, and the second-row seats had quick-release functionality for seamless entry. The interior was designed with convenience in mind, offering 12 cupholders and four bottle holders, providing ample options for passengers. Additional storage compartments and cubbies were scattered throughout the cabin.

A notable feature of our Rock Creek model was its robust tubular roof racks, which could support up to 220 pounds and were highly practical for securing cargo. The only drawback was their close proximity to the roof, making snow removal a bit challenging. Nevertheless, Nissan considered winter conditions by equipping the Pathfinder with foldable windshield wipers, addressing a common issue in vehicles with aerodynamic designs.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4, designed to seat five, offered 37.7 inches of headroom in the front row with the moonroof and 39.5 inches in the rear, thus providing less headroom up front but more in the back compared to the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. Legroom was measured at 41 inches in the front and 37.8 inches in the second row, making it comparable to the CR-V in the front but slightly less spacious in the rear.

The RAV4 provided practical storage solutions, including a shelf running along the glove compartment and sizable door pockets. The front row featured side-by-side center cupholders and a lever-style gear shifter that aligned with its rugged aspirations.

When it came to cargo space, the RAV4 offered 37.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 69.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. This capacity placed it ahead of the Mazda CX-5 but behind the segment leader, the Honda CR-V.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. Higher trims like the SL, Rock Creek, and Platinum boasted a larger 9-inch touchscreen. While the system was user-friendly with logical menu layouts and real buttons and dials, it may have appeared dated with lower-quality graphics, especially in backup and parking cameras. Despite this, the system's ease of use often outweighed its lack of cutting-edge features.

Standard tech features included four USB ports (two in the first row and two in the second row), a six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, and voice recognition. The SV trim added a Wi-Fi hotspot, while the SL trim upgraded to wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging, and an additional third-row USB port. The Platinum trim included a second USB port in the third row. Although not the most advanced, the Pathfinder's technological suite was sufficient to keep devices charged and connected.

On the frontier of technology, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 received an all-new infotainment system. Standard was an 8-inch touchscreen, with the Limited and TRD Off-Road trims stepping up to a 10.5-inch screen. The new system supported over-the-air (OTA) updates, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity came standard, along with voice command functionality.

Our Adventure trim tester featured the upgraded multimedia system at an additional cost of $3,490, which included the 10.5-inch screen and an 11-speaker JBL Premium audio system instead of the base six-speaker setup. A 7-inch driver-information display was standard, with the Limited trim offering a more advanced 12.3-inch version, which could also be added to the TRD Off-Road trim.

The 2023 Nissan Pathfinder came with a comprehensive suite of standard driver-assistance features, such as forward and reverse automatic emergency braking, forward and reverse collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, rear parking sensors, driver attention monitoring, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The SV trim upgraded to ProPilot Assist, incorporating lane centering and adaptive cruise control. The SL trim further enhanced safety with front parking sensors, a 360-degree parking monitor, and traffic-sign recognition, and connected ProPilot Assist to the navigation system. The Platinum trim added rain-sensing wipers and a head-up display for even greater safety convenience.

In off-road mode, the Pathfinder provided front- and side-view cameras to monitor obstacles at low speeds, making it easier to navigate challenging terrain without needing an external spotter.

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 also boasted a robust list of standard safety features, including lane-departure warning with steering assist, automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam LED headlights, and a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection. Higher-end driver-assistance features like adaptive cruise control were also standard. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was available on the base LE model and standard starting with XLE.

Upgraded to Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, the new RAV4 included Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which allowed the adaptive cruise control system to function at speeds below 20 mph.

In crash-testing, the RAV4 performed admirably, achieving high scores and earning a 2023 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This marked an improvement over the 2022 model's status as a Top Safety Pick (without the plus).