Final 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a giant deal, and never only for the Nissan sellers who desperately wanted one thing that wasn’t greater than a decade outdated within the lineup.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. Whereas the Patrol title may not imply a lot right here, in different markets and amongst fans, it’s a legendary off-roader that provides the Toyota Land Cruiser an actual run for its cash.
Besides 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 possibly can all the time modify it and add these issues for those who actually needed to, however the Armada was rather more centered on getting a pile of youngsters round city than bashing sand dunes and crawling up rock faces.
For the brand new third-generation Armada, nonetheless, Nissan listened to the complaints, and now you can get an Armada Professional-4X that comes with an air suspension, steel skid plates and a locking rear differential similar to the remainder of the world will get with the Patrol. Clearly, Nissan isn’t messing round right here. In the event you don’t plan to go off-roading in Moab anytime quickly, although, does the most recent redesign supply sufficient of an incentive for consumers to decide on the 2025 Armada over extra established opponents such because the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe? And simply how good is that this factor off-road?
Full Disclosure: Nissan needed me to drive the brand new Armada so badly, it provided to fly me to Nashville so I might drive it on the launch. I as a substitute elected to drive myself to avoid wasting time. Sadly, Nissan didn’t have a Z within the Atlanta fleet that I might use. Nissan additionally put me up in a really good room at a elaborate resort in Franklin that grows its personal greens, purchased my meals and offered loads of drinks.
From the skin, the 2025 Nissan Armada is what I might name generically good-looking. It seems to be good, however there additionally aren’t a whole lot of design components that basically stood out to me as notably distinctive or engaging. I even see slightly Kia EV9 within the rear three-quarter view. All of it comes collectively in a reasonably cohesive design that, once more, I do like, at the very least so far as three-row body-on-frame SUVs go. In addition to, whereas exterior design is vital, the cabin and the way the designers used the obtainable house is much extra vital.
In that regard, I’m blissful to say Nissan positively succeeded. You don’t need to take my phrase for it, both. Simply take a look at the images. To borrow a automotive author cliché, that cabin simply seems to be like a pleasant place to spend a while, and after spending a while behind the wheel I can affirm the Armada staff didn’t pull some type of bait-and-switch on us with inside supplies. It is good in there, particularly for those who spring for the highest trim ranges. Many of the surfaces are lined in high quality supplies that each appear and feel way more premium than you’d count on from an Expedition/Tahoe competitor. Plus, Nissan isn’t mendacity when it talks about how snug its so-called Zero Gravity seats are. These issues are implausible.
That mentioned, the brand new Armada doesn’t precisely make its Infiniti QX80 sibling irrelevant. Some consumers might take a look at a loaded Armada and determine that it’s good sufficient, however whether or not we’re speaking concerning the quilted leather-based seats or the supplies on the doorways and the sprint, you may inform Nissan didn’t go all-out on luxurious. If that feels like a backhanded praise, it’s not speculated to be. I might argue it was an acceptable alternative not solely to separate the Infiniti from the Nissan but additionally as a result of the Armada is more likely to tug household obligation, and youngsters destroy the whole lot they contact. Whereas loads good, the leather-based and different supplies really feel like they strike a pleasant steadiness of being sturdy and straightforward to scrub whereas additionally nonetheless feeling nicer than you most likely want.
Until 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 staff about why that’s, they informed me designers adore it, clients adore it and for the reason that fingerprints are comparatively straightforward to scrub off, the individuals who actually don’t prefer it are a small minority. Personally, I feel all piano black plastic seems to be 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.
Fortunately, the Armada didn’t actually develop a lot between generations. It was already an enormous car and didn’t have to get any greater, if solely from the angle of the pedestrians who would take pleasure in not getting splattered everywhere in the entrance finish like six-foot-tall grasshoppers. That mentioned, there actually is sufficient house to suit six adults, and the third row is broad sufficient that three adults might sit considerably comfortably in the event that they actually wanted to. After 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, however it was wonderful. He mentioned it was wonderful.
In the event you do determine to take 5 of your closest buddies on a highway journey in your new Armada, although, they’re most likely going to want 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 whole weekend. That’s what cargo packing containers 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 house to your stuff. The Tahoe and Expedition do nonetheless have the sting on whole cargo quantity, though it’s value declaring that the Armada has the Expedition beat with the third row in place. You may also 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 carry the second-row seats again into place if you want them.
Underneath the hood you now not get a V8, which can be disappointing for folks whose complete character is constructed round proudly owning a car with a V8, however it’s laborious to think about many different folks will care. The dual-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. Simply say it’s the GT-R engine and drive 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 make loads of energy. I wouldn’t name the Armada fast, however it will get out of its personal means with ease, and whereas it doesn’t sound fairly nearly as good because it most likely would with a V8, it ought to get higher fuel mileage. The outgoing Armada acquired 15 mpg mixed, which formally Isn’t Nice even for those who’re the form of upper-middle-class household that may afford to drop $70,000 on a household car. The brakes, alternatively, get the job finished however have the lengthy journey within the pedal that you simply get in a whole lot of vehicles and SUVs, so that you’ll have to regulate your type for those who’re used to efficiency automotive brakes that seize laborious as quickly as you contact the brake pedal.
Talking of towing, each 2025 Armada comes with a tow score of 8,500 kilos and will be capable to 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 might tow, however it was nonetheless an excellent demonstration of how the SUV would behave whereas towing. I can even affirm that whereas no quantity of know-how makes it so you may’t really feel a trailer behind you, even dummies with restricted expertise ought to be capable to tow safely. Whether or not that must be allowed with out further driver coaching is a wholly totally different query, however it’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.
Expertise is, in fact, a giant deal as of late, 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’d like 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 provides one thing that Nissan calls Biometric Cooling that makes use of infrared cameras to detect which passengers might have slightly further air-con after they get in. Supposedly, this may assist your youngsters calm down after they get in after soccer observe, which is a neat concept, however I additionally drove the Armada on my own, so I don’t 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 Help 2.1. Solely provided on SL, Platinum and Platinum Reserve trims, it permits for hands-free driving on mapped highways, and whereas I’d need to do extra intensive testing earlier than I say an excessive amount of, however it at the very least dealt with to restricted freeway driving effectively sufficient that I wasn’t utterly freaked out once I took my palms off the wheel, and I get the sensation Tesla stans may have a tough time believing {that a} legacy automaker is even able to providing one thing like this. On Armadas with out ProPilot Help 2.1 or on roads that haven’t been mapped, you continue to get extra conventional ADAS options however need to hold your palms on the wheel when you’re driving.
I’m additionally a giant fan of the optionally available head-up show that you could get on the brand new Armada. It’s shiny, straightforward to learn and most significantly, it shows turn-by-turn instructions even for those who’re utilizing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for navigation. You may most likely stay with out the HUD, however you’re already spending some huge cash on a giant SUV, so why would you? It can make your life higher and likewise hold you slightly safer.
As for the precise screens, you get a 12.3-inch driver show and a 12.3-inch infotainment display customary, however for those who improve to the PRO-4X, Platinum or Platinum Reserve trims, these screens each develop to 14.3 inches. Perhaps that’s extra display than you need in your loved ones SUV, however Nissan skipped the pattern of tossing a mega-screen into the middle, and I admire that. Because of this, you additionally get precise bodily controls, which makes me, a faithful knob-turner, very blissful. If solely Nissan had additionally taken my love of column shifters and distaste for push-button shifters under consideration when deciding how it’s best to put the transmission into gear.
Ultimately, 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 frustration continued when Nissan’s staff informed us it had rained an excessive amount of to do a lot of the course they’d initially deliberate. Contemplating how slick the bottom was within the sections we have been nonetheless capable of drive, they have been most likely proper to name off the extra critical stuff, however that doesn’t imply I used to be blissful about it. I assume I’ll simply need to plan an overlanding journey for when an Armada Professional-4X hits the Atlanta press fleet.
Whereas I wasn’t allowed to drive up the big hill that also regarded completely climbable, we have been at the very least capable of do a number of issues that demonstrated simply how succesful the Professional-4X actually is. We’re speaking a few 6,000-pound, three-row SUV right here, so physics isn’t precisely your good friend, however locking the rear diff made straightforward work of what seemed to be a few 45-degree incline, and the front-facing digital camera made it straightforward to put the wheels even once I couldn’t see over the hood. The truth is, you may even activate an invisible hood mode that reveals the bottom below your automotive overlayed on a show that’s additionally sharp sufficient to actually see the place you’re going and what obstacles to keep away from.
One other 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 powerful job of smoothing out impacts and serving to the Armada really feel below management. I’m effectively conscious we have been in a reasonably managed setting 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 might do at any level, however I’m at the very least snug saying the Armada will go far additional off-road than the overwhelming majority of Professional-4X consumers will ever want it to. Will it be capable to 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 subject with off-roading the brand new Armada — other than most homeowners not wanting so as to add desert pinstripes to their paint — is solely going to be its measurement. This factor is large, and whereas I didn’t hit something, a part of the path included a tree that I got here uncomfortably near scraping. Different drivers additionally got here inside a number of inches of that tree, too, so it wasn’t simply me. It is a lengthy, broad SUV, and whereas that might not be 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 already know, like a brand new Xterra. Since I couldn’t actually get a straight reply to why there’s no new Xterra, it most likely has to do with cash and inside politics, however come on, Nissan. A brand new Xterra would print cash, and I imply that severely, not tongue-in-cheek like my earlier plans for a Miata However Larger and the truck-like Challenger Rampage. Perhaps if sufficient folks purchase Armadas, Nissan will lastly find the money for to present us the Xterra we’ve been clamoring for. Both 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.
Contemplating how a lot nicer the brand new Armada is, you’d most likely count on it to be an excellent bit costlier 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). Nonetheless, Nissan says it expects the SL model to be the amount vendor, and that one begins at $62,970 plus an additional $3,000 in order for you 4WD. The Professional-4X, alternatively, begins at $73,740, whereas a 4WD Platinum Reserve will set you again $79,900.
These costs definitely aren’t precisely low, however they’re additionally consistent with what you’d count on on this section. A base Tahoe is a number of thousand {dollars} extra, whereas the Expedition begins about $1,000 under the Armada. And in the end, I get the sensation Nissan goes to have a more durable time getting folks to check drive the brand new Armada than it’ll convincing those that do to tug the set off. The advertising line about it being a extra reasonably priced Infiniti QX80 might have come instantly from Nissan, however I purchase it. The 2025 Nissan Armada simply feels nicer than its opponents, and that can most likely promote extra of them than the locking rear differential, underbody safety or the truth that it’s now only a Patrol with a distinct title.
