The final time I drove a Nissan Armada, I wasn’t impressed. It felt large and ungainly on my errand route round suburban Los Angeles, and the gasoline economic system in site visitors was abysmal. It appeared that each time I obtained behind the wheel, I found one thing else to gripe about. Final week, nonetheless, I had the other expertise. On a protracted, 800-mile highway journey to see household, the Armada endeared itself to me time and time once more.
Unsurprisingly, the large Nissan’s design transient is much better suited to freeway cruising than it’s commuting by way of Mid-Wilshire. With a hushed, glassy-smooth trip and inside supplies that rival the newest Lexus LX, the Armada is sort of excellent for a Sisyphean quest for the horizon – so long as you don’t count on a lot effectivity from the husky, 400-horsepower V8.
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The Armada’s most notable benefit over a few of its rivals is a properly constructed cabin. Gentle-touch plastics and contrast-stitched leather-based cowl the dashboard, and the door panels have ruched vinyl that calls a mid-Nineteen Nineties Avalon to thoughts – dated however cushy-soft. My Armada tester featured the $750 captain’s chairs within the second row, and the mounted console is essentially the most clearly low-cost little bit of plastic within the cabin. Avoid wasting money, go away the usual rear bench in place, and revel within the huge Nissan’s comfortable, squishy definition of consolation.
That description additionally applies to the Armada’s trip out on the open highway. A {smooth}, four-wheel unbiased suspension and considerable sound deadening present insulation extra akin to hyperbaric chambers than vehicles. The entrance and rear buckets are Kansas-flat and I might have used a bit extra shoulder assist after a number of hours within the saddle, however they do get heating throughout and air flow up entrance should you go for the Platinum trim. The dealing with will get sloppy if the highway begins to curve, however the Nissan SUV does City Automobile–fashion luxurious very nicely.
A {smooth}, four-wheel unbiased suspension and considerable sound deadening present insulation extra akin to hyperbaric chambers than vehicles.
Nonetheless, whereas it excelled for my little household’s journey to the mountains, I believe bigger broods can have extra to complain about. That’s as a result of the Armada presents solely 16.5 cubic ft of cargo house with the third-row seats in place, final amongst its aggressive set and trailing the Chevrolet Tahoe by 9.0 cubic ft. It is even down on its smaller Pathfinder sibling by 0.1 cubes. And also you gained’t be gaining a lot passenger house in change for baggage – a excessive flooring provides of us within the way-back an uncomfortable seating place, and there’s much less leg and shoulder room than within the Chevy, Ford Expedition, or Toyota Sequoia.
The growly V8 beneath the hood provides the Armada an above common 8,500-pound towing score, but it surely additionally has a hefty urge for food, particularly paired with full-time four-wheel drive with a selectable low vary. Its normal 400 hp beats the Tahoe and equals the Expedition, but it surely calls for extra gasoline than both, at 13 miles per gallon metropolis, 18 freeway, and 15 mixed. The Bow Tie brigade boasts 15 / 20 / 17, whereas the Ford does even higher at 16 / 22 / 19. And the Tahoe even presents a torquey turbodiesel inline-six that may hit as much as 26 mpg on the freeway with four-wheel drive.
The Armada presents solely 16.5 cubic ft of cargo house with the third-row seats in place, final amongst its aggressive set and trailing the Chevrolet Tahoe by 9.0 cubic ft.
Nonetheless, I discovered myself charmed by the large Nissan’s sultry V8 and posh expanses of quilted, stitched leather-based. I’ve mentioned earlier than that the Armada – what with its spectacular inside high quality and off-road lineage donated from the abroad Nissan Patrol – must be thought-about a finances Land Cruiser, however I additionally suppose it makes a wonderfully respectable household trip machine.
I drove a 2023 mannequin with an as-tested value of $73,310 due to the rear bucket seats and a $395 coat of paint, pricing that’s roughly comparable with the Tahoe Excessive Nation, Expedition Restricted, and Sequoia Restricted. The 2024 Armada begins at an affordable $57,515 for an SV 4×2 or $60,515 for a 4×4, additionally consistent with its rivals.
The Verdict: That might not be low-cost, per se, but it surely looks like an honest purchase for somebody in search of more room or energy than the equally priced, four-cylinder-only 2024 Land Cruiser can present. Extra so since even the SV has a wonderful inside and the identical {smooth} trip as my Platinum tester. Should you want the house of a Tahoe, the Nissan will disappoint. However as a Land Cruiser-slash-Lincoln highway tripper, it’s laborious to disregard the sneaky charisma of the Armada.