Three powertrains, three different ownership experiences. The hybrid delivers consistent 50 MPG city economy but the first-gen dual-clutch transmission is a ticking time bomb, clutch actuators fail and coolant leaks at the heat exchanger around 60k-100k miles, both expensive fixes. The EV variant holds battery capacity well (93% state of health at 66k miles is typical) but maxes out at 80kW charging, turning road trips into multi-hour ordeals. If you're a city driver who charges at home, the EV works fine. If you road-trip regularly or want bulletproof reliability, buy a Prius instead. Skip the PHEV, it adds complexity without solving the hybrid's transmission issues or the EV's charging limitations.
Three Pathfinders exist under one name: the pre-2013 body-on-frame trucks that owners drive past 250k miles, the 2013-2021 CVT models that die expensive deaths around 140k, and the 2022+ reboot that ditched the CVT for a V6 and 9-speed automatic. The newest generation undercuts Toyota by $10k-20k and looks promising on paper, but it's only three years old, too soon to know if Nissan fixed what they broke. Two 2025 Platinums have had alternators fail completely at highway speed, and rear windows are spontaneously shattering in sunlight. If you're shopping used, grab a 2012-or-older model with the VQ engine and you'll likely outlive the loan. If you want new, you're betting on a turnaround that hasn't earned trust yet.