2018 Nissan Pathfinder: What's Changed

CARS.COM

• Most significant changes: Automatic emergency braking and a new Rear Door Alert system are now standard.
• Price change: Base prices are $500 higher on S and SV trim levels, $1,400 higher on the SL version and $250 higher on the Platinum; the destination charge is unchanged at $975.
• On sale: Now
• Which should you buy, 2017 or 2018? The 2018 because of standard automatic emergency braking

Active safety features that were optional on most vehicles, or not offered at all, just a few years ago are rapidly becoming standard on all types of vehicles, Nissan cars and SUVs included. Auto emergency braking is now standard on the Pathfinder, Nissan’s three-row SUV.

Automatic emergency features, like automatic emergency braking triggers driver alerts if a potential frontal collision is detected and can automatically apply the brakes.

The new Rear Door Alert system is standard on the Nissan Pathfinder, too. It reminds the driver to check the backseat with an instrument panel warning, then a chirping horn if a rear door was opened before a trip but not opened again after the SUV was turned off.

The base front-wheel-drive S trim starts at $31,765 including destination, and the front-drive SV starts at $34,455. These prices are $500 higher than last year, but the increase is reasonable given the additional standard features. The SL’s price jumps $1,400 to $38,475 for a front-drive version, but navigation, NissanConnect telematics services and adaptive cruise control are now included in the price.

A Midnight Edition appearance package that was offered on the 2017 Platinum trim shifts to the 2018 SL model instead later in the model year. The package includes black 20-inch alloy wheels and extensive use of black exterior trim.

The Pathfinder is a roomy seven-seat SUV powered by a 284-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that works with a continuously variable auto transmission. Front- and all-wheel-drive models are offered on the Nissan Pathfinder.

The SUV market is ultra-competitive these days, so it isn’t surprising that Nissan has made automatic emergency braking standard on the Pathfinder. The addition of this automatic emergency feature addresses one of the issues with the Nissan Pathfinder SUV, which finished last in a field of eight when we tested the 2017 version in our 2016 Three-Row SUV Challenge. Unchanged is the fact that the Pathfinder still doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone app connectivity.