The Nissan Armada received the equivalent of an automotive reboot in 2025 with the big SUV getting a ground up redesign after years of making due with an aging powertrain and an interior that was simply not competitive in the modern automotive marketplace.
Nissan has big plans for the Armada and already showed off a glimpse with the recently unveiled Nismo variant as well as the rugged PRO-4X variant. However, look past these niche models and we wanted to know how the Armada in its most luxurious form fared against a growing pool of contenders including established names like the Ford Expedition and the Chevrolet Suburban?
Styling is a welcome evolution
The exterior styling of the 2025 Armada retains some of the core elements that defined older Armada models with the blocky shape and kinked rear window being subtle nods to the past. However, at the same time, the front end gets reworked headlights and a bigger front grille with the grille work varying depending on trim level. Move into a Platinum Reserve model like this one and you’ll get bright chrome trim and full LED lighting. The rear end gets a reworked liftgate and rear bumper with a slender lightbar unifying the lighting elements with the Nissan logo being positioned front and center.
The side profile is bold and assertive with Nissan putting a greater emphasis on retaining the rugged lines that defined the SUV. This is also intentional since the Armada is now closely related to the international market Patrol with only badging and other minor differences separating the two now. When viewed as a whole, the Nissan feels youthful and doesn’t feel like your stuck in a lingering time warp. Most Armada models get 20-inch wheels but our tester featured bigger 22-inch hoops.
That said, the Armada is also facing pressure from some of its rivals. The Ford Expedition recently got a radical redesign and the Chevrolet Suburban is still riding high from a refresh that it got a few years ago. This can cause the Nissan to not stand out as much in some situations but go for the right trim and paint color, and the Armada does push itself to the front of the pack.
Revamped interior piles on tech but feels like its missing something
Slip inside the Armada and you’ll find that the three-row interior is a very spacious place to spend time in with the cabin holding seven to eight passengers depending on seat configuration. In the case of our Platinum Reserve tester, the passenger count dropped to seven due to the captain’s chairs but the thrones provide plenty of comfort with healthy amounts of head and legroom.
The seats get quilted leather accents and the buttery soft leather and cushioning provide plenty of long distance comfort. The seats work together with the high quality materials in this trim to give the Armada a luxury SUV vibe that also blurs the line between it and its cousin the Infiniti QX80. The differences between the two do emerge when you start looking at some of the finer details.
For instance, the Klipisch premium audio system has a few less speakers than the Infiniti and some of the plastics and accents are a step behind. Cargo space is *very impressive but the asterisk here is that this applies only when the all the seats are folded down with the third row creating a tight pocket of space when it’s up. Folding the second and the third-row down does help improve space and allowed us to haul a wide range of loads including several bulky bags.
Thankfully, the technology on display here is largely the same that you get in the Infiniti with the 2025 model being the first Armada ever to get Google’s Built-In system. The setup replaces the awful native software Nissan had prior and allows owners access to a wide range of Google features including the Google Play Store, Google Maps, and more. A pair of 12.3-inch screens come standard with the duo covering the instrumentation and the infotainment system.
Higher trims like our Platinum Reserve tester get a bigger 14.3-inch infotainment screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also along for the ride too. The main complaint we had was an annoying rattle that emanated from the dashboard during our tester’s stay with us which seemed out of place in a vehicle that is supposed to compete with the best near-luxury SUVs in the segment.
Smaller V6 boosts performance and fuel economy
The biggest change here is under the hood with all Armada models pitching their ancient 5.4 liter naturally aspirated V8s for a smaller 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6. The six-cylinder does have some familial links to the one that was used in the Nissan GT-R but it has been extensively modified for truck and SUV applications with the engine in our tester producing 425 hp and 514 lb-ft of torque. These are gains of 25 hp and 103 lb-ft of torque respectively with the engine also being hooked up to a nine-speed automatic. Our tester managed to make the sprint to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds which is impressive for a big feature laden SUV.
Our main gripe wasn’t so much to do with the engine but rather the suspension. Nissan says it has made numerous modifications and improvements to help improve handling but the steering still felt too light for our tastes and the soft suspension made it difficult to get a good idea of what the SUV was up to when going over the road with rougher sections of tarmac still producing jittering motions. The EPA says a rear-wheel drive Armada can get 16/20 mpg in city/freeway driving with all-wheel drive equipped examples getting 16/19 mpg in the same categories.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2025 Nissan Armada starts at $57,520 for the base SV model with the SL and Platinum swinging the needle firmly into the $60,000 range. The rugged PRO-4X is your first taste of the $70,000 figure and a base Platinum Reserve starts at $76,990 with all pricing not including taxes and fees.
Our Platinum Reserve arrived with a healthy list of options and these optional extras caused our tester to go above $85,000. That’s a healthy amount of change but it’s mercifully not as much as some of the markups we have seen posted by a few ambitious dealerships with these firms adding markups that make the SUV cross the $90,000 barrier.
The price tag is on par with rivals but it also highlights the interesting problem with packaging that the Armada continues to struggle with. The Chevrolet Suburban still offers a V8 but it has a better mixture of trim levels and the 10-speed automatic has one more than the Nissan’s 9-speed unit. The Ford Expedition also has better packaging and the 2025 model is benefiting from a slimmed down trim ladder that simplifies the art of choice for consumers.
The 2025 Nissan Armada is a welcome improvement from the past. However, as Nissan continues to navigate rough waters and has to make some of the hard decisions that often come with this task, the Armada will ultimately have to improve its finer packaging to help it be a true contender in the full-size SUV wars.
Leave a Reply