Final time Nissan redesigned the Armada it was an enormous deal, and never only for the Nissan sellers who desperately wanted one thing that wasn’t greater than a decade outdated within the lineup.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 identified in worldwide markets because the Patrol and gave it the Armada badge. Whereas 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.
Besides the 2017 Nissan Armada didn’t include many of the off-road goodies that made the Patrol right into a Land Cruiser rival. You could possibly all the time modify it and add these issues for those who actually wished to, however the Armada was rather more targeted on getting a pile of children 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, metallic 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 happen to don’t plan to go off-roading in Moab anytime quickly, although, does the newest 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 wished me to drive the brand new Armada so badly, it supplied 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 flowery resort in Franklin that grows its personal greens, purchased my meals and supplied loads of drinks.
From the surface, the 2025 Nissan Armada is what I’d name generically good-looking. It seems good, however there additionally aren’t lots of design components that actually stood out to me as significantly distinctive or enticing. I even see a bit Kia EV9 within the rear three-quarter view. All of it 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. In addition to, whereas exterior design is necessary, the cabin and the way the designers used the out there area is much extra necessary.
In that regard, I’m joyful to say Nissan positively succeeded. You don’t need to take my phrase for it, both. Simply have a look at the images. To borrow a automotive author cliché, that cabin simply seems like a pleasant place to spend a while, and after spending a while behind the wheel I can verify the Armada workforce 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. A lot of the surfaces are lined in high quality supplies that each appear and feel much more premium than you’d anticipate from an Expedition/Tahoe competitor. Plus, Nissan isn’t mendacity when it talks about how comfy its so-called Zero Gravity seats are. These issues are unbelievable.
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 concerning the quilted leather-based seats or the supplies on the doorways and the sprint, you possibly can inform Nissan didn’t go all-out on luxurious. If that feels like a backhanded praise, it’s not purported to be. I’d argue it was an acceptable alternative not solely to separate the Infiniti from the Nissan but in addition as a result of the Armada is more likely to tug household responsibility, and children destroy all the things they contact. Whereas loads good, the leather-based and different supplies really feel like they strike a pleasant steadiness of being sturdy and simple to wash whereas additionally nonetheless feeling nicer than you in all probability want.
Except you don’t like piano black. There’s a great little bit of piano black within the heart console, and after I talked to one among Nissan’s staff about why that’s, they informed me designers adore it, prospects adore it and because the fingerprints are comparatively straightforward to wash off, the individuals who actually don’t prefer it are a small minority. Personally, I feel all piano black plastic seems low-cost, however possibly that’s a part of why I failed at changing 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 a large automobile and didn’t must get any larger, if solely from the angle of the pedestrians who would get pleasure from 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 large sufficient that three adults might sit considerably comfortably in the event that they actually wanted to. Once 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 nice. He mentioned it was nice.
If you happen to do resolve to take 5 of your closest associates on a highway journey in your new Armada, although, they’re in all probability going to want to pack mild. With the third row up, there’s actually solely room for 2 carryon luggage and some smaller objects. Then once more, that’s not a difficulty 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 in addition 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 ft 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 ft of area in your stuff. The Tahoe and Expedition do nonetheless have the sting on whole cargo quantity, though it’s price mentioning that the Armada has the Expedition beat with the third row in place. You may as well 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.
Below the hood you now not get a V8, which will likely be disappointing for folks whose total character is constructed round proudly owning a automobile with a V8, however it’s onerous 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 responsibility, 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 manner with ease, and whereas it doesn’t sound fairly nearly as good because it in all probability would with a V8, it ought to get higher gasoline mileage. The outgoing Armada bought 15 mpg mixed, which formally Isn’t Nice even for those who’re the sort of upper-middle-class household that may afford to drop $70,000 on a household automobile. The brakes, however, get the job finished however have the lengthy journey within the pedal that you simply get in lots of vans and SUVs, so that you’ll have to regulate your type for those who’re used to efficiency automotive brakes that seize onerous as quickly as you contact the brake pedal.
Talking of towing, each 2025 Armada comes with a tow ranking of 8,500 kilos and may be capable to deal with boat and journey trailer responsibility with ease. With a shiny and scarily expensive Airstream hooked as much as the again, we weren’t precisely testing the bounds of what the Armada might tow, however it was nonetheless a great demonstration of how the SUV would behave whereas towing. I can even verify that whereas no quantity of know-how makes it so you possibly can’t really feel a trailer behind you, even dummies with restricted expertise ought to be capable to tow safely. Whether or not that needs to be allowed with out extra driver coaching is a wholly completely different query, however it’s not like Nissan wrote the legal guidelines that enable anybody who efficiently parallel parked a decade-old Toyota Corolla once they have been 16 to haul a ship or a journey trailer 20 years later.
Expertise is, after all, an enormous 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 help 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 help for wi-fi CarPlay and Android Auto, a surround-view digicam system that helps make parking simpler, and heated, cooled and massaging entrance seats— the Armada additionally affords one thing that Nissan calls Biometric Cooling that makes use of infrared cameras to detect which passengers might have a bit further air con once they get in. Supposedly, this can assist your youngsters calm down once 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 Help 2.1. Solely 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 intensive testing earlier than I say an excessive amount of, however it no less than dealt with to restricted freeway driving properly sufficient that I wasn’t utterly freaked out after I took my fingers 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 maintain your fingers on the wheel whilst you’re driving.
I’m additionally an enormous fan of the non-obligatory head-up show that you could get on the brand new Armada. It’s vibrant, 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 possibly can in all probability stay with out the HUD, however you’re already spending some huge cash on an enormous SUV, so why would you? It’s going to make your life higher and likewise maintain you a bit 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. Possibly 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 admire that. Because of this, you additionally get precise bodily controls, which makes me, a loyal knob-turner, very joyful. If solely Nissan had additionally taken my love of column shifters and distaste for push-button shifters into consideration when deciding how you must 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 robotically 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 workforce informed us it had rained an excessive amount of to do many 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 in all probability proper to name off the extra severe stuff, however that doesn’t imply I used to be joyful about it. I suppose 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 seemed completely climbable, we have been no less than capable of do just a few 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 pal, however locking the rear diff made straightforward work of what seemed to be a few 45-degree incline, and the front-facing digicam made it straightforward to position the wheels even after I couldn’t see over the hood. In truth, you possibly can even activate an invisible hood mode that exhibits the bottom beneath 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 formidable job of smoothing out impacts and serving to the Armada really feel beneath management. I’m properly 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 bounds of what it might do at any level, however I’m no less than comfy 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 possibly Nissan ought to help me find out.
If I needed to guess, although, the most important problem with off-roading the brand new Armada — other than most house owners not wanting so as to add desert pinstripes to their paint — is solely 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. Different drivers additionally got here inside just a few inches of that tree, too, so it wasn’t simply me. It is a lengthy, large SUV, and whereas that is probably not an issue within the desert, different trails are going to be a difficulty.
If solely Nissan had a smaller, narrower body-on-frame SUV in its lineup, maybe based mostly on the Frontier. You understand, 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 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. Possibly if sufficient folks purchase Armadas, Nissan will lastly manage to pay for to offer 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 in all probability anticipate it to be a great bit costlier than the outgoing mannequin, however the base SV mannequin truly has the identical beginning worth 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 quantity vendor, and that one begins at $62,970 plus an additional $3,000 if you would like 4WD. The Professional-4X, however, begins at $73,740, whereas a 4WD Platinum Reserve will set you again $79,900.
These costs actually aren’t precisely low, however they’re additionally in keeping with what you’d anticipate on this section. A base Tahoe is just a few 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 is going to convincing those that do to tug the set off. The advertising and marketing line about it being a extra inexpensive Infiniti QX80 could have come instantly from Nissan, however I purchase it. The 2025 Nissan Armada simply feels nicer than its opponents, and that can 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 unique identify.
