GREEN | 6 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
20 mpg city, 26 highway (front wheel drive); 19/25 (4WD)
U.S. EPA
More impressive, it’s a massive 5/4mpg city/highway improvement over the outgoing Pathfinder.
Truck Trend
The Pathfinder earns impressive EPA ratings for its class--20 mpg city, 26 highway with front-wheel drive, or 19/25 with four-wheel drive.
Nissan calls these figures best in class, although of models with a third-row seat, only the base Ford Explorer, with front-wheel drive and the 2.0T (EcoBoost) four-cylinder engine, does better; it gets 20/28 mpg.
The base four-cylinder Toyota Highlander also comes close, at 20/25 mpg, and the Highlander Hybrid has it solidly beat at 28/28 mpg. However the Highlander Hybrid starts at around $40k, just short of where a fully loaded Pathfinder tops out.
And if you wanted to extend your shopping up into the luxury brands, the Lexus RX 450h also does significantly better than the Pathfinder, while the Mercedes-Benz GL 350 Bluetec beats the Nissan by 1 mpg on the highway.
Conclusion
If you're limiting your budget but want a V-6, the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is the most fuel-efficient three-row crossover you can get.
