Nissan Pathfinder vs Toyota Prado

What's the difference?

The Nissan Pathfinder has evolved over the years from what was quite a rough-and-tumble Ford Everest style vehicle to a remarkably plush three-row family SUV.

Although it took a while to reach Australia, when the fifth-generation version landed in late 2022 it was a huge leap over its predecessor. And yet it has been a relatively slow seller in Australia.

In the first half of 2024 only 405 were registered, less than a tenth of the segment benchmark Toyota Kluger (5861 sales).

This can be largely attributed to a lack of choice in the Pathfinder range, following Nissan culling entry-grade variants early on leaving only the relatively expensive Ti and Ti-L grades, both fitted with a V6 petrol engine. 

To increase customer choice, Nissan has reintroduced the ST-L mid-spec trim with the option of front-wheel drive for under $60,000, before on-road costs. But is it a good buy?

They call it the Toyota LandCruiser (two words) but to Australian eyes it looks like what we affectionately call a Prado. But it’s what’s underneath the surface, beyond the name, that makes this car so interesting.

We recently had the opportunity to drive the Toyota LandCruiser in the US, where the engine isn’t the usual turbo diesel found in the Prado, but rather a petrol-electric hybrid that Australian buyers are denied.

So we wanted to know if we were missing out on something special or if Toyota Australia made the right call to stick with a diesel-only option. Aside from the engine the LandCruiser is very similar to the Prado, so we’ll focus on the key difference rather than detailing the minor changes across the pair.

We spent time behind the wheel of the US LandCruiser to find out, spending a few days driving it around Los Angeles to get a feel for it.