FAMILY SHOWDOWN! -- 2026 Honda Pilot vs. 2026 Nissan Pathfinder: Comparison

What's going on YouTube? So there are tons of family SUVs on the market, which means you have more variety of choice than ever before However, many people are still craving a tried and true formula Which is something the refreshed honda pilot and the refreshed nissan pathfinder stick to pretty well Now one of the very key elements is that both of these options are offering a v6 Which is increasingly rare for the segment But one thing that they're also adding a lot more of this year is technology and luxury features that they've never had before So which does it better? Let's go ahead and find out The honda pilot and nissan pathfinder have long legacies as rivals and for these newest renditions We will be comparing the fully loaded trims which are priced less than one thousand dollars apart elite and platinum If you're looking to buy one Make sure to check out carconfections.com slash new car quotes to get the best price and access to invoice pricing information Starting with the exterior designs. Both models have gotten some tweaks for 2026 Primarily to look more squared off and tough For the pilot that means a boxier larger grill with a new scuff plate accent this year finished in silver for the elite trim The pathfinder also has a wider appearance for its refresh With the platinum trim sporting lots of gloss black on the grill and some silver accents for a luxurious touch Looks are subjective. So we don't score the exteriors, but be sure to let us know which one you prefer in the comments But getting into the scorable objective items. Let's look at the lighting Both models have reflector led headlights with a slim design The pilot has some advantages here though with all of its lighting elements led including the turn signals That's in addition to having led fog lamps, which are missing from the nissan By the way, feel free to keep your own score along the way if you want based on your personal priorities Moving to the side the pilot has about a three inch length advantage over the pathfinder as it is one of the largest in the Segment, but we'll be checking out interior space later on As you can see both have substantial and boxy designs with raised roof rails and 20 inch contrast alloy wheels While only the nissan offers the premium option of a two-tone paint job Out back the boxiness continues with much fewer changes than up in the front For features, they are very similar with spoilers exposed wipers and large branding between the tail lights Additionally, they both have partially led tail lamps with only the brake lights and accenting being led The pathfinder though has a 1000 pound maximum towing advantage over the pilot When it comes to the mirrors, both of them have heating blind spot monitoring and power folding But only the honda has the premium auto dimming ability as well Continuing with safety both models have their brand's entire safety suites as standard equipment to keep your family safe on the day-to-day Now these suvs have some big changes on the inside. So let's check those out But first If you're new here, we're brothers and we've been reviewing cars since we were 12 and 16 We started young and since then we've reviewed over 2000 cars at every price point No matter what you're looking for from our long-term vehicle videos to our side-by-side comparisons We'd love for you to subscribe to be a part of our car confections family Let's learn a lot and have some fun with all the latest cars Approaching the cabins both have their brand's typical key fobs equipped with smart entry systems and remote start on the fob Opening up the doors. Both cabins are more luxurious than ever for 2026 and that starts with the seating While both models have nice looking seats It's the pathfinder that will have the materials advantage with full nappa leather seats Which is a higher quality leather than the regular leather on the pilot elite Both have unique quilting designs and the seats themselves will be equipped with heating ventilation memory and 12 ways of adjustment Hopping in we can get into the cabin materials which we divide into both material choice and overall build quality Both are very solid when it comes to build quality with everything fitting together without any gaps And while they both use soft touch materials leatherette wrapping and faux wood trim throughout It's the nissan that uses more of it even wrapping the center tunnel for extra knee comfort It will receive the materials point After startup, you'll see digital clusters on both with lots of customization Though the pathfinders is a couple inches larger These top models also come equipped with head-up displays for even more convenience Pulling back they share rain sensing wipers and heated leather-wrapped steering wheels But the nissan has the premium edition of power adjustment When it comes to the next important category of storage, we evaluate both the center consoles and extra cubbies offered Since the console sizes haven't changed with the refreshes We can confirm that the pilot is bigger fitting 23 of our signature donuts as compared to 16 in the pathfinder Beyond the consoles They both have many other cubbies including a pass-through for the pathfinder And a passenger storage shelf on the pilot to store whatever you need And the front cubbies are wireless phone charging pads But the nissans is the newest qi2 wireless charger One of the first models in the u.s to offer this better performance and magsafe in a vehicle Both have electronic shifters and in reverse both display 360 degree cameras with good resolution For climate they both have three zone automatic climate controls with easy to use physical knobs and buttons And they also share physical volume knobs. So let's sample the bose sound systems With only one speaker difference and hailing from the same brand sound quality is almost identical Now both have had the biggest change in the screen department this year Both the pilot and pathfinder are sporting new 12.3 inch displays now an answered prayer for many admirers of these models Software wise both see big improvements adding things like google maps and they have wireless apple carplay wireless android auto and other google apps built in The pilot also has the handy cabin talk feature to make sure the kiddos in the back can hear what you say Wrapping up the front of the cabins both have auto dimming rearview mirrors with home link remotes and large panoramic sunroofs Now, let's see how the packaging plays out in the back seats Starting in the second row. We see the pilot pull ahead on space With an impressive lead of about five inches in legroom and about one extra inch of headroom as well So that aspect is less than the five percent difference required to score a point But things even out a lot more when it comes to features They both include heating sliding and reclining seats with sunshades usb ports and climate controls for these top trims However, the pilot sneaks in a household outlet as well for extra charging needs Additionally, the pilot has a seating trick obviously while the nissan can only have a bench seat or captain's chairs The honda can do both It has a removable seat that also serves as a console This allows for on-demand seven or eight passenger seating something the nissan cannot do Now, let's check out the third row space and features Before getting into the seats entering is more convenient with the pathfinder as its second row seats tilt without moving the seat back Meaning you would not have to remove many child seats Now for the measurements where headroom is similar, but the pilot once again has a legroom advantage The honda has a much more comfortable and spacious third row since the pathfinder is one of the smallest in the segment Features wise each model has at least one usb port some cup holders and air vents Walking up to the tailgates both have hands-free power ones and once they open up the pilot continues to have a space advantage It still beats the pathfinder in all three seating configurations behind the third row behind the second row and behind the first row This makes it more family-friendly for hauling everything you need along Beyond space neither have power third rows or handles to fold the second row from the cargo areas But you will find spare tires underneath the floors That's it for the interiors. So now let's take this fight to the streets As we said in the beginning these two models have long been known for their hardy v6 powertrains and that continues for both in 2026 They have tried and true 3.5 liter v6 engines with almost identical power and torque figures as well as overall acceleration This is accompanied by refined throaty exhaust All right, so there we were hitting 60 miles an hour with this pathfinder platinum So mason already introduced it really well, of course Uh, the big news with the 2026 pathfinder is not actually something new it's something retained that we weren't expecting so We actually get to keep the 3.5 liter naturally aspirated v6 engine this year Even though the mechanically related infinity qx60 has switched over to the two liter variable compression turbo four-cylinder All right, there we are taking off to about 60 miles per hour and of course You can hear that growl of a v6 so if you didn't tune in to part one of our review, that's where we told you guys that the v6 sticks around in the 2026 pilot as you may know if you've been researching some of the rivals to the pilot That's becoming increasingly rare a lot of the rivals have gotten rid of their v6 options And I know a lot of you guys really appreciate having a v6 option as well And that does indeed stick around for 2026 As far as the other elements the pathfinder has a 9-speed automatic transmission compared to a 10-speed auto in the honda While advancements have been made to both transmissions over the years We find the pilots to be a bit more agreeable in everyday use compared to the pathfinders Which is more prone to the occasional confused shift speaking of let's talk about that. We've got a 9-speed zf automatic transmission um, this was a second gen option that They added when they redesigned this it stays the same Yeah, definitely willing to downshift Easily can go down multiple gears at once and I think the tuning seems uh, even a little bit better than in the 2025 Now let's talk about the other aspect of the powertrain and that's the transmission this comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission. This is honda's in-house developed transmission They've used it in a lot of products and they have been using it in the pilot for a few years now I think it's a pretty good transmission It doesn't get too confused when you put your foot down you wait just a second there But it can downshift multiple gears at once to give you the power that you need Both have capable all-wheel drive systems as equipped and dedicated off-road trims available But how do these two fare when it comes to ride quality and handling? For the important trait of ride quality the pathfinder and pilot are segment leaders Riding incredibly smoothly on almost any road, especially when combined with the comfortable seats After many hours of driving both these models. We were very happy with them However on the handling front the pilot is the more agile of the two With less body roll and more accurate steering than in the pathfinder Now I want to take a second to discuss ride quality for the pathfinder now This is an area we've always been impressed with that. Of course is really not going to change for the 2026 refresh So we still have a really good ride quality This vehicle is one of those that you just kind of cruise down the highway and you know just sink into the seats and take a good nap because The suspension does a great job of soaking up any bumps that you may hit in the road As you can see this road is not all that smooth actually as a matter of fact and it's doing A great job even with the large wheels on the outside We're just kind of cruising down this beautiful road here and I want to talk about ride quality for the pilot Now this has always been an area that the pilot has excelled and on our time here on the first drive program I've been nothing but impressed we've driven around the pilot for quite some time And it does a fantastic job of just soaking up the bumps I mean, that's exactly what you want out of a family three-row suv and the pilot just absolutely nails that you don't feel hardly any intrusion Even if you hit a large road imperfection Unfortunately, we took both sound level readings while we were sampling them at press events So we can't officially score these 55 mile an hour readings yet We're excited to live with both of them back home in kentucky. But here are the readings for your reference in the meantime Very good 56.3 decibels is what we are sitting at 55.5 decibels is what we are sitting at as our sound level reading finally for fuel economy neither lead the segment Especially since several rivals offer hybrids at this point The nissan slightly edges out the honda but not by enough to score a point In our reviews and comparisons We're also adding in reliability and resale information to give you a better picture of the overall value beyond just the original msrp Beginning with reliability. We developed the combined reliability index Which takes into account several studies from trustworthy sources and combines them in a way that gives you the most realistic picture In this respect honda is one of the best in the business rated 12 slots above the industry average giving it plus 2.4 points Nissan is also above average But less so than honda as it's rated nine slots above the industry average and it adds 1.8 points to the score Related to that. They have the same warranty coverage, but honda has one year of complimentary maintenance compared to nissan's two We also put mason's economics degree to work to develop a detailed predictive resale value tool After five years and 60 000 miles honda actually has the highest value in the entire auto industry At 64.79 percent of expected retained value Nissan is further behind at 50.56 after five years and 60 000 miles This 14 advantage will give the pilot plus 2.8 points Now let's talk about pricing In a very expensive segment both the pilot and pathfinder represent more value than most of their competitors But they're still not cheap in the top trims The nissan leads the charge at 54 445 and the pilot is exactly one grand more expensive Now let's account for the one thousand dollar price difference using our scale This will give the pathfinder a half point for this fairly price conscious segment of buyer If pricing resale or reliability matter less to you feel free to disregard these points So there you have it the objective winner. Do you agree? Well, let's go over some reasons you might buy each of these products And then we'll tell you which one we would put in each of our driveways I'm going to start with reasons you would pick the pilot for your personal winner That will be more cargo capacity and more passenger space Another reason is that it has the flexible rear seating with that removable middle seat option And it also has better resale and reliability now on the flip side You should pick the pathfinder if you're looking for a more affordable price tag It is a little cheaper than the honda pilot It has nicer cabin materials in the front As well as a longer complimentary service period now speaking of areas where one is excelling over the other We'd encourage you to go to carconfections.com slash vehicle rankings This is a very competitive segment the three row midsize one And we've looked at all the options and ranked them in individual categories things like cargo space interior luxury power train choices Value technology things like that and you can see the best options in each of those categories Not just the pathfinder and pilot but all of the options So if you want to make an informed buying decision Definitely go to carconfections.com slash vehicle rankings And if you're looking to buy either one of them while you're on our website We'd encourage you to hop on over to carconfections.com slash new car quotes the reason you should do that is because We have a tool on our website that will connect you with local car dealers in your area to get you the best price It's also going to give you access to invoice pricing information Which is a great tool to use while dealership negotiating If you'd like to take advantage of that as well as things like our monthly payment tool You can find all of that in a link down below as well as a pinned comment at the top of this video But which ones would we put in our driveway? I'll start I would pick the honda pilot. I like it's more spacious packaging I also prefer the way it drives and the overall ride quality I have to second that I think I would also pick the honda pilot unless there is a big price discrepancy between the two of them I know sometimes the pathfinder can be discounted quite a bit more Now we are curious to hear your thoughts down below. Which of these two suvs are you going to take? Let us know your thoughts now if you're already a part of our family Thank you so much for your continued support And if you're not already we'd love to welcome you into our car confections family by you hitting that subscribe button down below You're going to be a part of our family and we have a lot of cool car reviews Comparisons and news that you won't want to miss out on. We'll catch you next time as we sample more of the latest automotive delicacies