Hoping you all can help me with a decision I’m expecting to make. I’m looking for a new 3 row SUV and I was thinking I’m down to either the '23 GC L or 23 Pathfinder. From a lease perspective they both have very competitive lease deals and meet my budget.
That being said, I’m absolutely terrified by the horrible reviews (particularly on Edmunds) for both models. Not just nitpicking things either, like “I wish auto start/stop could be permanently disabled”. It’s more serious stuff like for the GC “Vehicle slammed on brakes on highway when there was nothing in front of it, if there was someone following closely, they would have rear ended us.” (have seen this comment at least 2x), or for the pathfinder tons of reports of tech issues, like screen going blank (i’ve seen this for the GC L also). I know folks that spend time posting reviews will typically but unhappy, but comparing to the % of 3 stars or worse ratings between GCL, Pathfinder, Pilot (22 model) and Telluride, there are a way higher % of 3 stars or worse ratings on GCL and Pathfinder. I don’t think I"m totally missing the plot there.
At this point, I’m leaning towards the Pathfinder just for my assumed better Nissan reliability, but not sure if I"m going to regret either decision. My preference is a Kia Telluride or Honda Pilot for reliabliity, but the lease deals are more than I want to pay.
Anyone wanna talk me off the ledge or confirm that my fear about the GCL or PF is warranted and to avoid?
Meh. It’s a lease. If it has issues, take it in and have it fixed. If the issues don’t go away, lemon it and move on. I’d be more worried about reliability issues on a long term purchase.
I don’t think a ton of weight can be put on these issues you’ve seen. In my opinion, if issues were so common or severe you could expect that either the manufacturer would put out a stop sale or fixes would be widely known about. Stuff isn’t always going to work, I don’t think you can find a 100% bulletproof vehicle these days.
Totally true. I think I just got a bit into a wormhole of reading bad reviews and not taking my own advice. One of the best things about the lease as mllcb42 said was it’s not my problem (or less of my prob at least) if something hits the fan.
The new Pilot is nicely setup and definitely puts functionality first. There are many small creature comforts that I can see making it a great family hauler. I would still say the Telluride is the best looking and also probably the best equipped, but not sure on the long term reliability of a Kia vs Honda product. I’d probably settle for the Honda if it was something I was planning on keeping +5 years.
If I was leasing I would probably opt for a Grand Cherokee L over a Pathfinder if both of them were in the same price range.
I actually spent afternoon test driving the GCL and Pathfinder. I must say, surprised and impressed by the PF. It was below the GCL in terms of luxury (GCL Overland trim v Pathfinder Plat/top trim), but I preferred the drive of the PF. And the GCL felt cramped inside, which surprised me.
Looking at the hatch space, with 3rd row down, the GCL felt much smaller in width and height than the PF. We currently have a 2020 Volvo XC90 and the PF and the XC90 hatch space felt on par, with GCL feeling much smaller. The cargo volume #s say that GCL is larger but it sure doesn’t feel that way. Neither did the front seats, 2nd row or 3rd row seats.
I’m leaning towards the PF if the #s work, for sure.
