2025 Nissan Armada: Finally feeling all grown up
The 3-row SUV gets some new tech. It feels as big as always, but handles better and sprints like a gazelle. Still, the family may squawk about their accommodations while Mom and Dad ride in style.
2025 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve Intelligent 4WD: Bigger and better?
Price: $86,840 as tested. ProPilot Assist 2.1 adds $2,900; two-tone paint; $990; floor mats, $550; splash guards, $400.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver lists its bright spots as “Plenty quick, spacious and quiet cabin, good ride quality on the smaller wheels.” They pan its “indecisive transmission, artificial steering, engine clatter at idle.”
Marketer’s pitch: “Own the road. The off-road too.”
Reality: Insanely large but feels just large.
What’s new: When last we tested an Armada, Mr. Driver’s Seat was impressed by the improvements the vehicle made. But it fell short on spaciousness.
There’s an all-new version for 2025, and Nissan touts its new ProPilot 2.1 hands-off driving assist and Pro 4X off-road capabilities. But it’ll cost you — we’re going to part with another $15,000 for a similar offering less than five years later. So everything is perfect now, right?
Competition: Competitors include the Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Ford Expedition, Jeep Wagoneer, and Toyota Sequoia.
Up to speed: The Nissan Armada comes with a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 425 horsepower.
It gets to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, which makes for one fast rhino, according to Car and Driver.
Shifty: The shift controls are a row of ebony buttons underneath the HVAC controls; these are among the most obscured shifters I’ve encountered.
They work fine, but I have to say, after a week of driving, an encounter with an unfamiliar driveway made me worry I could make the wrong choice.
There is a manual mode for the 9-speed automatic and paddle shifters on the steering wheel, and those do the job as well.
On the road: I totally wanted to report that the Nissan Armada has finally slimmed down enough to be an easily controlled enjoyable experience on all kinds of roads.
But I’m not allowed to lie.
The Armada actually is improved. Put it in Sport mode and you’ll quickly realize it is the only livable mode for driving with any ease, and you’ll be able to travel medium-narrow to normal two-lane roads. You’ll get a feel for narrow streets and how to gauge the Armada’s width, which is something not every big vehicle can achieve.
But on the last day of my Armada adventure, I inadvertently put it on some really old, really narrow Chester County roads and it was literally scary to pass oncoming vehicles. I was driving right on the edge of the pavement and we just squeezed past each other. (Kudos, though, for mirrors and sight lines that allow you to find the edge confidently.)
Driver’s Seat: The Driver’s Seat is really nice — plush, great feel, supportive. Some people might prefer something a little more firm, but I liked this a lot.
The accelerator sits up high off the floor like it does in many large vehicles. This one is quite a distance from the floor, though — my big feet slipped off more than once during the week. Make sure it works for you.
The gauges are full Nissan, but the speedometer is pretty well hidden by the steering wheel.
Friends and stuff: The middle row captains chairs pale in comparison to the front seat. They’re hard and a little small. They do recline, but only about as much as an airplane seat.
Of course, the third row falls even shorter. The seat sits low; the headrest sits at about the level of my shoulders, and my head touches the ceiling.
The seat folding controls were among my favorites. Toggle the buttons one way to put the seat backs down; no need to stand there holding the button like you have nothing better to do while you’re trying to load a vehicle.
Toggle the buttons the other way to raise the third row back in place; raising the second row requires going to the second row and using the manual levers, so you cannot win them all.
Towing maxes out at 8,500 pounds.
Cargo space is 20.4 cubic feet in the back; 56.3 behind the second row; and 97.1 with all the seats folded.
In and out: If you have any knee or hip issues, bring the stepladder. This baby rides high, and while that makes you feel like king of the road, the entry/exit is as tough to endure as the handling.
Play some tunes: The stereo creates some very nice sound, about an A. Songs were clear and reproduced with that certain something-something, and that was even without tracking down the equalizer for further adjustment. (And that’s actually a fairly easy job, with a permanent icon on the left side of the screen.)
Keeping warm and cool: The heater controls operate through the screen or through a jumble of ebony buttons underneath the infotainment screen.
Fuel economy: Surprisingly the Armada gets 18.2 mpg in testing that went beyond Mr. Driver’s Seat’s usage, not bad for a giant vehicle without any hybridization.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Armada reliability to be a 3 out of 5.
In the end: The Armada is much smaller than the General Motors offerings, but it matches the Sequoia’s fuel economy using simply a gasoline engine.
It’s nice to see when vehicles improve like this, and the Armada is now a real contender.