2025 Nissan Armada Moves Uptown

Hot off the heels of Infiniti’s QX80 launch, Nissan’s all-new 2025 Armada has the potential to steal some buyers away from the luxury brand’s mechanically identical halo SUV. And rightfully so. Nissan has massaged every square inch of the new-from-the-tires-up Armada. The body-on-frame hauler sports attractive yet rugged sheetmetal. There’s more power under the hood. And dressed up with the top trim’s fripperies, the Nissan’s interior crosses into the luxury realm.

Our time on the streets with the Armada was spent in the new top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve trim. Settle into the massaging, heated, and ventilated quilted-leather seats, and it’s difficult to ignore the luxuriousness of the accommodations. Soft touch points are abundant. Dual 14.3-inch screens—one for instrumentation and the other for infotainment—provide an IMAX-like experience. Thankfully, the QX80’s additional touchscreen that operates the heating and cooling functions didn’t make the cut—here in the Armada, physical buttons control the HVAC and stereo functions. Unfortunately, these buttons, including the ones to operate the nine-speed automatic, are all piano black and destined to be scratched immediately after delivery. You won’t find the QX80’s console drink chiller here, but equipped with four-wheel drive, the Platinum Reserve rings in at $82,000, which is $2445 less than the lowliest rear-drive variant of the QX80 and a whopping $30,590 less than the top-trim Infiniti.

New Motive Force

Here, as in the QX80, the 5.6-liter V-8 didn’t survive the makeover. Motivation is now provided by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 425 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. That’s down 25 ponies to the QX due to the Armada being tuned to run on regular gas while the Infiniti needs premium swill. We miss the rumble of the V-8, but there’s plenty of mustard in the new turbo six, which has 25 more horses and 103 more lb-ft than the former V-8. A nine-speed automatic replaces the former seven-speed, and four-wheel drive is available on all trims.

Underway, the twin-turbo V-6 is plenty strong; we expect 60 mph to arrive in around 6.0 seconds. We commend Nissan for not pumping fake V-8 noise into the cabin, but if something could be done about all the clatter at idle, that would be great. The noisy direct injection makes it sound as if the engine’s got 24 bad lifters. When the SUV is left in the Standard drive setting, the nine-speed is eager to upshift into higher gears, presumably for fuel-economy purposes. Spin the drive selector to Sport mode (or shift it manually) to hold gears longer. The official EPA estimates have yet to be revealed, but we expect the combined ratings to fall in line with the QX80’s, with 17 mpg for all-wheel drive and 18 mpg for rear-drivers.

Underneath is a new frame that Nissan claims provide 25 percent more torsional rigidity and a 57 percent increase in lateral stiffness over the outgoing model. This stronger base paired with suspension refinements provides better ride and handling than before. Lean the Armada into a corner, and this slab-sided behemoth is more reluctant to keel over; there’s also less wallowing over railroad crossings. Mix in the switch from a hydraulically assisted steering rack to electric assist, and the driving experience is hands-down a massive improvement. The steering is more direct with just enough heft to it. And though the effort feels a touch artificial as it ramps up, there’s more life in it than before. The electric rack also opens then the door to Nissan’s hands-free driver-assist system, ProPilot 2.1. The Platinum Reserve rides on height-adjustable adaptive air springs. Unfortunately, the body-on-frame jitters that plague the QX80 are present here too. We’d love to get our hands on a lower-trim unit with steel springs to see how it rides—that may be the way to go.

More Inner Space

Though the Armada’s passenger volume and cargo space aren’t tops among full-size SUVs, they’re still competitive with the Ford Expedition, the Chevrolet Tahoe, and the Toyota Sequoia. But there’s more space for people and stuff than in the previous-generation Armada. Nearly every measurable dimension is larger, creating a spacious cabin, and third-row riders are awarded the greatest amount of newfound real estate with 4.5 inches more legroom. Cargo volume is up everywhere too, with three more cubic feet behind the third row.

The beauty of the Armada is its entry price, which undercuts the competition by thousands while offering one the most potent powertrains in the segment. The base SV starts at $58,530—unchanged from the 2024 model—and comes with a six-speaker stereo and 12.3-inch screens (as does the SL) in place of the bigger 14.3-inch displays. The tech starts to pile on with the $64,980 SL, which includes a rocking 12-speaker Klipsch audio system, Google Built-In, inductive device charging, and heated front seats. The $71,940 Platinum unlocks even more goodies, such as a multiple cameras and a biometric interior monitor to read occupants’ body temperature and adjust the HVAC zones to cool people off more quickly if needed.

Pro-4X Is Ready to Get Dirty

To be a player in the full-size SUV game, you need a mudslinger to tackle the trails. For the first time, Nissan equips the Armada with its Pro-4X goodies to compete with Ford’s Timberline, Chevy’s Z71, and Toyota’s TRD Pro packages.

The Pro-4X uses air springs that can raise the body 2.1 inches from its static ride height and features a bespoke front fascia and a chiseled chin to provide an approach angle of 33.0 degrees, a break-over angle of 25.5 degrees, and a departure angle of 24.5 degrees, all of which place it near or at the front of the class. It’s the only Armada with fender cladding, all-terrain tires, and an electronically locking rear differential, and if the goo gets too thick, it has Lava Red recovery hooks up front. Its rugged curb appeal makes it arguably the best-looking model in the lineup.

Excessive rain cut our off-road adventures short, but our brief drive over the greasy soil of Tennessee’s Franklin County provided a chance to try the Armada’s extensive camera system, whose images can be displayed across both 14.3-inch screens. The “Invisible Hood” view acts as the ultimate virtual spotter, providing a clear view ahead even when the nose is aimed toward the sky, and the side cameras allow for precise placement of the front tires to avoid sliding off an object. The Armada offers up 27.6 inches of water fording, but when the air springs are fully extended, there’s little give in the suspension.

The Armada is rated to tow 8500 pounds, and hitched to a roughly 6000-pound Airstream, the Pro-4X never lacked for muscle. There was a little squirm when the wind pushed around the big stainless-steel parachute but not to a concerning level. The Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve may be the preferred haulers, as the air springs level out the tail end—and for some reason these two trims are also the only ones offered with an integrated trailer-brake controller. On lesser models, the wiring is installed under the dash to connect your own setup.

With all the brawn, technology, looks, and capability of the stylish Infiniti QX80 for seriously less coin, plus a new trail-ready off-road option, the Armada is worth a serious look. And not just from QX80 intenders.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com