Last time Nissan redesigned the Armada it was a giant deal, and never only for the Nissan sellers who desperately wanted one thing that wasn’t greater than a decade previous within the lineup. You see, for the 2017 mannequin yr, Nissan introduced over the SUV recognized in worldwide markets because the Patrol and gave it the Armada badge. While the Patrol identify won’t imply a lot right here, in different markets and amongst fans, it’s a legendary off-roader that offers the Toyota Land Cruiser an actual run for its cash.
Except the 2017 Nissan Armada didn’t include a lot of the off-road goodies that made the Patrol right into a Land Cruiser rival. You may all the time modify it and add these issues should you actually wished to, however the Armada was far more targeted on getting a pile of youngsters round city than bashing sand dunes and crawling up rock faces.
For the brand new third-generation Armada, nevertheless, Nissan listened to the complaints, and now you can get an Armada Pro-4X that comes with an air suspension, steel skid plates and a locking rear differential identical to the remainder of the world will get with the Patrol. Clearly, Nissan isn’t messing round right here. If you don’t plan to go off-roading in Moab anytime quickly, although, does the most recent redesign provide sufficient of an incentive for consumers to decide on the 2025 Armada over extra established rivals such because the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe? And simply how good is that this factor off-road?
Full Disclosure: Nissan wished me to drive the brand new Armada so badly, it supplied to fly me to Nashville so I may drive it on the launch. I as a substitute elected to drive myself to save lots of time. Sadly, Nissan didn’t have a Z within the Atlanta fleet that I may use. Nissan additionally put me up in a really good room at a elaborate lodge in Franklin that grows its personal greens, purchased my meals and offered loads of drinks.
From the surface, the 2025 Nissan Armada is what I’d name generically good-looking. It appears to be like good, however there additionally aren’t a variety of design parts that basically stood out to me as notably distinctive or enticing. I even see a little bit Kia EV9 within the rear three-quarter view. It all comes collectively in a reasonably cohesive design that, once more, I do like, no less than so far as three-row body-on-frame SUVs go. Besides, whereas exterior design is vital, the cabin and the way the designers used the accessible area is way extra vital.
In that regard, I’m comfortable to say Nissan undoubtedly succeeded. You don’t need to take my phrase for it, both. Just have a look at the images. To borrow a automotive author cliché, that cabin simply appears to be like like a pleasant place to spend a while, and after spending a while behind the wheel I can affirm the Armada group didn’t pull some type of bait-and-switch on us with inside supplies. It is good in there, particularly should you spring for the highest trim ranges. Most of the surfaces are coated in high quality supplies that each feel and appear way more premium than you’d anticipate from an Expedition/Tahoe competitor. Plus, Nissan isn’t mendacity when it talks about how snug its so-called Zero Gravity seats are. Those issues are incredible.
That mentioned, the brand new Armada doesn’t precisely make its Infiniti QX80 sibling irrelevant. Some consumers could have a look at a loaded Armada and resolve that it’s good sufficient, however whether or not we’re speaking in regards to the quilted leather-based seats or the supplies on the doorways and the sprint, you’ll be able to inform Nissan didn’t go all-out on luxurious. If that seems like a backhanded praise, it’s not purported to be. I’d argue it was an applicable alternative not solely to separate the Infiniti from the Nissan but additionally as a result of the Armada is more likely to drag household obligation, and youngsters destroy all the things they contact. While lots good, the leather-based and different supplies really feel like they strike a pleasant stability of being sturdy and simple to scrub whereas additionally nonetheless feeling nicer than you in all probability want.
Unless you don’t like piano black. There’s an excellent little bit of piano black within the heart console, and once I talked to one in all Nissan’s workers about why that’s, they informed me designers like it, prospects like it and because the fingerprints are comparatively simple to scrub off, the individuals who actually don’t prefer it are a small minority. Personally, I believe all piano black plastic appears to be like low-cost, however perhaps that’s a part of why I failed at turning into a automotive designer, and the individuals who receives a commission to decide on inside supplies didn’t.
Thankfully, the Armada didn’t actually develop a lot between generations. It was already an enormous car and didn’t must get any larger, if solely from the attitude of the pedestrians who would take pleasure in not getting splattered all around the entrance finish like six-foot-tall grasshoppers. That mentioned, there actually is sufficient area to suit six adults, and the third row is vast sufficient that three adults may sit considerably comfortably in the event that they actually wanted to. When I piled into the Armada with a bunch of different auto journalists, we match a 6-foot-4 journalist within the driver’s seat, my 5-foot-10 self within the second row, and a 6-foot journalist within the third row with out anybody’s knees banging in opposition to the seat in entrance of them. The third-row man’s head brushed the ceiling, but it surely was effective. He mentioned it was effective.
If you do resolve to take 5 of your closest mates on a highway journey in your new Armada, although, they’re in all probability going to wish to pack gentle. With the third row up, there’s actually solely room for 2 carryon baggage and some smaller objects. Then once more, that’s not a problem that’s distinctive to the Armada, and I don’t know if I need to drive an SUV that’s large enough not just for six adults but additionally all of their baggage for a complete weekend. That’s what cargo bins are for.
Then once more, Nissan says the 20.4 cubic toes that you simply do get behind the third row is about 25 % greater than you bought within the outgoing Armada, and with all three rows down, there’s a strong 97.1 cubic toes of area to your stuff. The Tahoe and Expedition do nonetheless have the sting on complete cargo quantity, though it’s value mentioning that the Armada has the Expedition beat with the third row in place. You may decrease each the second and third row seats from the rear of the Armada, though solely the third row is power-operated, so that you’ll need to manually raise the second-row seats again into place while you want them.
Under the hood you now not get a V8, which will likely be disappointing for folks whose complete persona is constructed round proudly owning a car with a V8, but it surely’s onerous to think about many different folks will care. The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 makes 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and the engine is type of associated to the V6 used within the venerable GT-R. It’s been up to date for truck obligation, so it’s not such as you’re getting the GT-R’s actual engine in your loved ones hauler, but when anybody offers you a tough time about driving a six-cylinder SUV, you don’t have to inform them that. Just say it’s the GT-R engine and power them to determine how a lot of an exaggeration that’s.
In each on- and off-road driving, in addition to whereas towing, the engine and the nine-speed transmission it’s paired with provide you with loads of energy. I wouldn’t name the Armada fast, but it surely will get out of its personal method with ease, and whereas it doesn’t sound fairly pretty much as good because it in all probability would with a V8, it ought to get higher fuel mileage. The outgoing Armada bought 15 mpg mixed, which formally Isn’t Great even should you’re the form of upper-middle-class household that may afford to drop $70,000 on a household car. The brakes, then again, get the job accomplished however have the lengthy journey within the pedal that you simply get in a variety of vehicles and SUVs, so that you’ll have to regulate your type should you’re used to efficiency automotive brakes that seize onerous as quickly as you contact the brake pedal.
Speaking of towing, each 2025 Armada comes with a tow ranking of 8,500 kilos and may be capable of deal with boat and journey trailer obligation with ease. With a shiny and scarily expensive Airstream hooked as much as the again, we weren’t precisely testing the boundaries of what the Armada may tow, but it surely was nonetheless an excellent demonstration of how the SUV would behave whereas towing. I may affirm that whereas no quantity of expertise makes it so you’ll be able to’t really feel a trailer behind you, even dummies with restricted expertise ought to be capable of tow safely. Whether that ought to be allowed with out further driver coaching is a completely totally different query, but it surely’s not like Nissan wrote the legal guidelines that enable anybody who efficiently parallel parked a decade-old Toyota Corolla after they have been 16 to haul a ship or a journey trailer 20 years later.
Technology is, after all, a giant deal lately, and Nissan has no plans to repeat the identical mistake Infiniti made when it launched the QX50 with an outdated infotainment system and no assist for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. If you need tech options, the brand new Armada has them in spades. For instance, along with extra customary options — like assist for wi-fi CarPlay and Android Auto, a surround-view digital camera system that helps make parking simpler, and heated, cooled and massaging entrance seats— the Armada additionally presents one thing that Nissan calls Biometric Cooling that makes use of infrared cameras to detect which passengers may have a little bit further air con after they get in. Supposedly, it will assist your children quiet down after they get in after soccer follow, which is a neat thought, however I additionally drove the Armada on my own, so I do not know if it really works.
One notable function that I used to be capable of check was Nissan’s newest suite of superior driver-assistance applied sciences that it calls ProPilot Assist 2.1. Only supplied on SL, Platinum and Platinum Reserve trims, it permits for hands-free driving on mapped highways, and whereas I’d need to do extra in depth testing earlier than I say an excessive amount of, but it surely no less than dealt with to restricted freeway driving nicely sufficient that I wasn’t fully freaked out once I took my arms off the wheel, and I get the sensation Tesla stans can have a tough time believing {that a} legacy automaker is even able to providing one thing like this. On Armadas with out ProPilot Assist 2.1 or on roads that haven’t been mapped, you continue to get extra conventional ADAS options however need to hold your arms on the wheel when you’re driving.
I’m additionally a giant fan of the optionally available head-up show that you may get on the brand new Armada. It’s vivid, simple to learn and most significantly, it shows turn-by-turn instructions even should you’re utilizing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for navigation. You can in all probability dwell with out the HUD, however you’re already spending some huge cash on a giant SUV, so why would you? It will make your life higher and likewise hold you a little bit safer.
As for the precise screens, you get a 12.3-inch driver show and a 12.3-inch infotainment display customary, however should you improve to the PRO-4X, Platinum or Platinum Reserve trims, these screens each develop to 14.3 inches. Maybe that’s extra display than you need in your loved ones SUV, however Nissan skipped the development of tossing a mega-screen into the middle, and I recognize that. As a outcome, you additionally get precise bodily controls, which makes me, a loyal knob-turner, very comfortable. If solely Nissan had additionally taken my love of column shifters and distaste for push-button shifters into consideration when deciding how it’s best to put the transmission into gear.
Eventually, it was time for my favourite a part of any press journey — the off-road course. As a automotive blogger, I’m mechanically an out-of-touch coastal elite, however as somebody who grew up within the South all I actually need to do with any automotive I’m given is take it mudding. If solely it had been heat sufficient for me to put on my Budweiser tank prime and American flag shorts. The disappointment continued when Nissan’s group informed us it had rained an excessive amount of to do a lot of the course they’d initially deliberate. Considering how slick the bottom was within the sections we have been nonetheless capable of drive, they have been in all probability proper to name off the extra critical stuff, however that doesn’t imply I used to be comfortable about it. I suppose I’ll simply need to plan an overlanding journey for when an Armada Pro-4X hits the Atlanta press fleet.
While I wasn’t allowed to drive up the big hill that also appeared completely climbable, we have been no less than capable of do a couple of issues that demonstrated simply how succesful the Pro-4X actually is. We’re speaking a few 6,000-pound, three-row SUV right here, so physics isn’t precisely your pal, however locking the rear diff made simple work of what seemed to be a few 45-degree incline, and the front-facing digital camera made it simple to put the wheels even once I couldn’t see over the hood. In reality, you’ll be able to even activate an invisible hood mode that reveals the bottom below your automotive overlayed on a show that’s additionally sharp sufficient to essentially see the place you’re going and what obstacles to keep away from.
Another part of the course concerned getting two wheels off the bottom, and even with all of the mud, the Armada barely even blinked. The air suspension additionally did a formidable job of smoothing out impacts and serving to the Armada really feel below management. I’m nicely conscious we have been in a reasonably managed atmosphere driving over man-made obstacles that have been particularly designed with the Armada’s capabilities in thoughts, so it’s not like we have been pushing the boundaries of what it may do at any level, however I’m no less than snug saying the Armada will go far additional off-road than the overwhelming majority of Pro-4X consumers will ever want it to. Will it be capable of deal with Hell’s Revenge with the identical sense of ease? I don’t know, however perhaps Nissan ought to help me to find out.
If I needed to guess, although, the largest situation with off-roading the brand new Armada — except for most house owners not wanting so as to add desert pinstripes to their paint — is just going to be its measurement. This factor is huge, and whereas I didn’t hit something, a part of the path included a tree that I got here uncomfortably near scraping. Other drivers additionally got here inside a couple of inches of that tree, too, so it wasn’t simply me. This is an extended, vast SUV, and whereas that is probably not an issue within the desert, different trails are going to be a problem.
If solely Nissan had a smaller, narrower body-on-frame SUV in its lineup, maybe primarily based on the Frontier. You know, like a brand new Xterra. Since I couldn’t actually get a straight reply to why there’s no new Xterra, it in all probability has to do with cash and inner politics, however come on, Nissan. A brand new Xterra would print cash, and I imply that significantly, not tongue-in-cheek like my earlier plans for a Miata But Bigger and the truck-like Challenger Rampage. Maybe if sufficient folks purchase Armadas, Nissan will lastly manage to pay for to present us the Xterra we’ve been clamoring for. Either that, or it’s popping out quickly, and everybody who informed me they wished that was within the playing cards is only a rattling good liar has one heck of a poker face.
Considering how a lot nicer the brand new Armada is, you’d in all probability anticipate it to be an excellent bit dearer than the outgoing mannequin, however the base SV mannequin really has the identical beginning value no matter whether or not you get rear ($56,520) or four-wheel drive ($59,520). However, Nissan says it expects the SL model to be the quantity vendor, and that one begins at $62,970 plus an additional $3,000 in order for you 4WD. The Pro-4X, then again, begins at $73,740, whereas a 4WD Platinum Reserve will set you again $79,900.
Those costs definitely aren’t precisely low, however they’re additionally consistent with what you’d anticipate on this phase. A base Tahoe is a couple of thousand {dollars} extra, whereas the Expedition begins about $1,000 beneath the Armada. And finally, I get the sensation Nissan goes to have a tougher time getting folks to check drive the brand new Armada than it can convincing those that do to drag the set off. The advertising line about it being a extra reasonably priced Infiniti QX80 could have come instantly from Nissan, however I purchase it. The 2025 Nissan Armada simply feels nicer than its rivals, and that may in all probability promote extra of them than the locking rear differential, underbody safety or the truth that it’s now only a Patrol with a special identify.
