With the 2026 Nissan Pathfinder, you get some fresh styling and some quality-of-life upgrades.
Right after compact crossovers, midsize family SUVs are another fiercely competitive segment featuring every automaker trying to pull an increasingly large chunk of your money. The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder is one such contender, bringing a mid-cycle update as its pitch to woo you away from something like a Toyota Highlander, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer or Mazda CX-90 (to name just a few). Nissan took a scalpel to the Pathfinder’s front end this year, along with giving it a range of minor tech tweaks to overall make it a more enjoyable experience. Predictably, though, the updates command a higher price tag than the outgoing 2025s.
You’ll feel it hardest on the entry-level end, too. The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder S sees an $1,100 price hike from the previous model year, and will now set you back at least $38,995 including Nissan’s $1,495 destination charge. You still get the redesigned grille here, as well as a larger 12.3-inch standard touchscreen setup. Front-wheel drive is still the default, with all-wheel drive being a $2,000 upgrade.
The mid-range SV trim gets a $510 price hike to $41,395 (AWD $43,395), and opens up access to a (faster) optional wireless smartphone charging pad. Stepping up one from there, the SL increases by $410 to $43,995 (AWD $45,995) and gets a couple extra cameras as part of its 360-degree camera system.
If you’re feeling a bit more of an adventurous type, the $46,495 Rock Creek still gets standard all-wheel drive, naturally, while sporting a $46,495 MSRP — $510 more than before. At the top end, the $50,895 Platinum ($52,895 for AWD; $760 higher than before) gets a new set of 20-inch wheels and new seat quilting patterns and wood trim.
Is the updated Pathfinder worth the extra cash?
Whether the changes are actually worth it will come down to how you weigh the relatively minor updates. That said, Tommy goes through all the details of the refreshed model in the video below.
While the styling has changed a bit, the powertrain for the 2026 Nissan Pathfinder hasn’t. It’s still rocking a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine putting out 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque through a 9-speed automatic transmission. Standard towing capacity for Pathfinder remains 3,500 pounds, though that does increase to 6,000 pounds when properly equipped.
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