2026 Nissan Pathfinder Review: Towing Test

Our automotive expert tows a hefty hunk of American muscle car with the 2026 Pathfinder.

Benjamin Hunting | 

Aug 20, 2026 | 6 min read

Benjamin Hunting

• Pros: The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder offers an official tow rating of 6,000 pounds. 
• Cons: I found the Pathfinder underpowered when towing near its maximum capacity, and I was surprised by its lack of advanced towing technologies.
• The Takeaway: The Pathfinder's towing performance is disappointing with heavier loads.

The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder advertises a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 pounds, which puts it in the same class as three-row rivals like the Toyota 4Runner and ahead of other crossover SUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse and the Subaru Ascent. However, the technical limits of a sport-utility vehicle while towing can differ from how confident and comfortable an SUV feels from behind the wheel when tugging a load close to its posted rating. Just because a vehicle can tow a certain amount of weight doesn't mean it should.

With that in mind, I decided to hitch up the top-tier edition of the 2026 Nissan Pathfinder to the heftiest cargo I could find and run it through as many different trailering scenarios as possible.

• About the towing test vehicle
  
• The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder could use more power
• Nissan's 2026 Pathfinder is less stable than expected at speed
• The 2026 Pathfinder is light on advanced towing tech
  

About the Towing Test Vehicle

For this towing test, I drove a Nissan Pathfinder Platinum featuring a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 284 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard with this model, and the test vehicle had the optional four-wheel-drive system. 

Factoring in its two-tone Baltic Teal paint and optional second-row captain's chairs, the test vehicle's manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) came to $54,935, including the $1,545 destination charge.

With about 3,750 pounds of modified American muscle car and 900 pounds or so of trailer, the test load for this Pathfinder was roughly 4,650 pounds, giving it a good 1,350 pounds of headroom under its advertised maximum. This is how I discovered that Nissan's sport-utility looks better on paper than it handles on the road when it's time to haul.

Benjamin Hunting

The 2026 Pathfinder Could Use More Power

While 284 horsepower sounds like reasonable motivation for a three-row SUV, the situation changes quite a bit when you effectively double the weight it's asked to deal with. Adding 4,650 pounds of trailer load to an SUV that already tips the scales at just over 4,600 pounds felt like too much for the Nissan's 3.5-liter V6 to handle.

On a flat road, the engine was adequate, but only just. Anything faster than 65 mph met with a high-revved shrug from the engine, which couldn't seem to muster up the gumption to accelerate. Things got worse when pulling up a grade, as the Pathfinder struggled with uphill sections of road near my home, proving unable to maintain even 55 mph.

Even with the Tow drive mode engaged, the vehicle's speed sagged by the time I crested whatever peak lay ahead of me. It's worth noting that the cruise control had trouble maintaining a steady speed, whether ascending or not, so I felt more comfortable modulating the accelerator pedal myself with the trailer attached.

I want to underscore that all of the above occurred with a load that was 1,250 pounds lighter than the Nissan's maximum tow rating. On the flip side, I found the Pathfinder's brakes to be excellent in all situations. The vehicle comes pre-wired for installation of a trailer-brake controller (with the requisite harness in the glove box), but I had no issue with the vehicle's ability to come to a safe, controlled stop no matter how fast I was going.

Benjamin Hunting

Nissan's 2026 Pathfinder Is Less Stable Than Expected at Speed

I found there was significant squat from the 2026 Pathfinder's rear suspension, even though I had my Cadillac CTS-V riding near the rear of the trailer. On acceleration, particularly when trying to maintain pace up a hill, I could feel the back end of the SUV squirming.

Trailer movement communicated through the suspension was also a constant. I didn't feel the Pathfinder was dangerous to use for towing, but I was less comfortable with it than I have been when towing the same trailer and load with other, similarly sized SUVs. 

Nissan's towing guide recommends a weight-distributing hitch for the Pathfinder if you plan to tow more than 5,000 pounds. I was towing 350 pounds less than that, and I still would have liked the additional security this type of hitch can provide. It's definitely something to consider if you plan to do any trailer work with this SUV (just keep in mind you can't use it with certain types of rental trailers that feature surge brakes).

Benjamin Hunting

The 2026 Pathfinder Is Light on Advanced Towing Tech

The Pathfinder provides minimal towing technology to help you with your load. In fact, engaging the Tow drive mode deactivates the vehicle's ProPilot Assist advanced driver-assistance feature, leaving you with just adaptive cruise control. It does, however, extend the blind-spot-warning feature along the length of the trailer, which I appreciated.

I didn't enjoy using Tow Mode, however. Many vehicles I have used for towing automatically detect a trailer when its harness is plugged in. The Pathfinder requires you to manually select Tow mode — when I forgot to turn it on and tried to reverse in my yard, the rear-collision system activated and scared the daylights out of me.

You can't turn on Tow mode while reversing, either. If you're in motion when you remember to make the proper selection, you'll still get hit with the automatic-braking feature. Overall, it's a multistep process that could be avoided by simply deactivating these features as soon as the trailer is plugged in.

I was also disappointed that there were no trailer-specific camera views available with the Pathfinder. I don't expect big towing mirrors on a three-row family SUV like this one, but it's not too much to ask for a clear view of the areas alongside the vehicle and the trailer, or a good top-down hitch view to help with hooking up the ball.

The closest the Pathfinder offers in this regard is a 360-degree view of the area immediately surrounding it, which lets you at least glimpse the front of the trailer through the infotainment screen. And yet it comes with an off-road-oriented camera showing the space directly below the front bumper. I think more people will tow with the Nissan than take it on a serious off-road trail.

It's possible that the Pathfinder is a better-behaved tow vehicle when lugging a lighter load. My time with the vehicle was disappointing, though, and I think there are better options for anyone specifically seeking a sport-utility vehicle that can double as both a daily driver and tow rig. If you lean more toward the towing side than the sport-utility side, you might consider a full-size truck, like the 2026 Toyota Tundra I tested earlier this year.

Nissan provided the vehicle for this 2026 Pathfinder review.

Benjamin Hunting

Nearly two decades into his career as an automotive journalist, Benjamin has had his hands greasy, his hair blown back, and his heart broken by more than one project car. In addition to his work at Capital One, he has contributed features and reviews to Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hagerty, Driving Line, Inside Hook, Super Street, European Car, Roadkill Magazine, Motor 1, The Drive, the Toronto Star, the National Post, Business Insider, NAPA, Autoblog, Automotive News Canada, and AutoGuide. He is also cohost of the Unnamed Automotive Podcast and cocreator of the Code 45 and Dead Air graphic novels. In his spare time, he's a friend to vinyl and enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days.