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 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. Whereas the Patrol identify may not imply a lot right here, in different markets and amongst fanatics, 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 may at all times modify it and add these issues for those who actually needed to, however the Armada was far more centered on getting a pile of children 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 Professional-4X that comes with an air suspension, metallic 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. When you don’t plan to go off-roading in Moab anytime quickly, although, does the newest redesign supply sufficient of an incentive for patrons 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 needed 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 save lots of 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’d name generically good-looking. It seems to be good, however there additionally aren’t numerous design components that basically stood out to me as notably distinctive or engaging. I even see a bit of Kia EV9 within the rear three-quarter view. All of it comes collectively in a reasonably cohesive design that, once more, I do like, a minimum of so far as three-row body-on-frame SUVs go. Moreover, whereas exterior design is necessary, the cabin and the way the designers used the accessible area is way extra necessary.
In that regard, I’m completely satisfied to say Nissan undoubtedly succeeded. You don’t need to take my phrase for it, both. Simply take a look at the photographs. 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 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 count on 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 incredible.
That mentioned, the brand new Armada doesn’t precisely make its Infiniti QX80 sibling irrelevant. Some patrons might take 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 may inform Nissan didn’t go all-out on luxurious. If that appears like a backhanded praise, it’s not alleged to be. I’d argue it was an applicable 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 youngsters destroy every part they contact. Whereas loads good, the leather-based and different supplies really feel like they strike a pleasant stability of being sturdy and straightforward to wash whereas additionally nonetheless feeling nicer than you in all probability want.
Until you don’t like piano black. There’s a great 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 instructed me designers find it irresistible, clients find it irresistible and for the reason that fingerprints are comparatively straightforward to wash off, the individuals who actually don’t prefer it are a small minority. Personally, I believe all piano black plastic seems to be low-cost, however possibly 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 larger, if solely from the attitude of the pedestrians who would get pleasure from not getting splattered everywhere in the entrance finish like six-foot-tall grasshoppers. That mentioned, there actually is sufficient area to suit six adults, and the third row is huge sufficient that three adults might sit considerably comfortably in the event that they actually wanted to. Once I piled into the Armada with a gaggle 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 fantastic. He mentioned it was fantastic.
When 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 luggage 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 sufficiently big not just for six adults but in addition all of their baggage for a complete weekend. That’s what cargo packing containers are for.
Then once more, Nissan says the 20.4 cubic ft that you just do get behind the third row is about 25 p.c greater than you bought within the outgoing Armada, and with all three rows down, there’s a strong 97.1 cubic ft of area to your stuff. The Tahoe and Expedition do nonetheless have the sting on complete cargo quantity, though it’s price declaring that the Armada has the Expedition beat with the third row in place. You can even 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 whenever you want them.
Underneath the hood you now not get a V8, which can be disappointing for individuals whose whole character is constructed round proudly owning a car with a V8, however it’s exhausting to think about many different individuals 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 means 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 gasoline mileage. The outgoing Armada received 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, then again, get the job carried out however have the lengthy journey within the pedal that you just get in numerous vans and SUVs, so that you’ll have to regulate your fashion for those who’re used to efficiency automotive brakes that seize exhausting 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 responsibility 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 a great demonstration of how the SUV would behave whereas towing. I may also verify 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 completely 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 after they had been 16 to haul a ship or a journey trailer 20 years later.
Know-how is, in fact, 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 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 gives one thing that Nissan calls Biometric Cooling that makes use of infrared cameras to detect which passengers might have a bit of additional air-con after they get in. Supposedly, this may assist your children quiet down after they get in after soccer apply, which is a neat thought, however I additionally drove the Armada on my own, so I don’t know if it really works.
One notable characteristic that I used to be capable of take a look at 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 a minimum of dealt with to restricted freeway driving properly sufficient that I wasn’t fully freaked out once I took my fingers off the wheel, and I get the sensation Tesla stans could 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 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’ll be able to in all probability reside with out the HUD, however you’re already spending some huge cash on an enormous SUV, so why would you? It would make your life higher and likewise maintain you a bit of 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 development of tossing a mega-screen into the middle, and I recognize that. Consequently, you additionally get precise bodily controls, which makes me, a loyal knob-turner, very completely satisfied. 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 routinely 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 high and American flag shorts. The frustration continued when Nissan’s workforce instructed 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 had been nonetheless capable of drive, they had been in all probability proper to name off the extra critical stuff, however that doesn’t imply I used to be completely satisfied 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 regarded completely climbable, we had been a minimum of capable of do a couple 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 buddy, however locking the rear diff made straightforward work of what gave the impression 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. Actually, 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 formidable job of smoothing out impacts and serving to the Armada really feel below management. I’m properly conscious we had been in a reasonably managed atmosphere driving over man-made obstacles that had been particularly designed with the Armada’s capabilities in thoughts, so it’s not like we had been pushing the boundaries of what it might do at any level, however I’m a minimum of comfy saying the Armada will go far additional off-road than the overwhelming majority of Professional-4X patrons 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 difficulty with off-roading the brand new Armada — apart from 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 a couple of inches of that tree, too, so it wasn’t simply me. This can be a lengthy, huge SUV, and whereas that will 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 based mostly on the Frontier. You recognize, 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 critically, not tongue-in-cheek like my earlier plans for a Miata However Greater and the truck-like Challenger Rampage. Perhaps if sufficient individuals 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 instructed 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 count on it to be a great 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). Nevertheless, 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 need 4WD. The Professional-4X, then again, 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 according to what you’d count on on this phase. A base Tahoe is a couple of thousand {dollars} extra, whereas the Expedition begins about $1,000 beneath the Armada. And in the end, I get the sensation Nissan goes to have a tougher time getting individuals to check drive the brand new Armada than it’ll convincing those that do to tug the set off. The advertising and marketing line about it being a extra inexpensive Infiniti QX80 might have come immediately 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.
