An impressive full-size SUV. The Armada is a full-size SUV competing with the Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota Sequioa, and Ford Expedition. It was redesigned for the 2017 model year, however many protested the fact that we essentially got the Infiniti QX80 with revised Nissan styling and badges. The current Armada is known as the Nissan Patrol in other parts of the world, a vehicle that has been on the market for 8 years already with very minimal updates. We were all hoping for a complete ground-up redesign of the Armada, but I think this car still makes a good case for itself despite its age. The Armada drives more like a budget Infiniti than it does an overpriced Nissan, and while the infotainment is dated, I still think this car feels better to drive than the Tahoe.
When you first get into the Armada, you obviously notice how big it is. You sit really high up, you get this commanding view of the road, and that front hood just seems to go on forever in your line of vision. Even just from looking at it from the outside, this thing looks like a whale. It gives you the impression that it’s going to feel big, lumbering, cumbersome to drive. However when I put first it in drive and got moving, I immediately noticed that the Armada rolls pretty quick, accelerator responds immediately without any dead-zone (almost like an old school cable driven accelerator), the steering is light and fairly quick for a full size SUV, transmission responds well, and even the handling isn’t all that bad. Instead of feeling like a big, lumbering, body-on-frame SUV, it actually reminds me of a Pathfinder with a V8 and a more responsive 7-speed automatic. The Armada just feels lighter and easier to drive compared to the other entires I’ve driven. It goes a great job at blending the ruggedness of a body-on-frame SUV with the refinement of a unibody crossover.
The steering is extremely light. It definitely feels looser than the Tahoe and the Expedition. While that may seem like a bad thing, I think the lighter feel helps the Aramada feel more maneuverable. It responds quickly with fluidic motions, and the steering is decently matched to the front tires. The steering in the GM competitors feels feels rugged, non-linear, and more truck-like, but the steering in the Armada feels significantly lighter and more car-like. When you go around the corner, the steering relays where the front tires are pointing really well, and it feels surprisingly easy to plant the Armada exactly where you want it on the road. The steering response around corners is refined and precise, especially for a vehicle of this size.
Handling isn’t all that bad either. I imagine that it’s a difficult task making a large body-on-frame SUV feel expensive and luxurious, but I think Nissan did a really good job with this platform. The Armada has body lean and it’s definitely not a corner carver, but for a full-size SUV that looks so big on the outside, I actually found the ride and handling very composed and direct. Even when you have to make a quick U-turn, the Armada handles it with car-like agility and precision. Everything feels controlled, and the Armada is just really easy to drive for a full-size SUV. You can take turns without the chassis feeling dicy and unstable, and the vehicle seems to handle whatever you throw at it without breaking a sweat. The Armada gives you the impression that you’re driving something smaller than it really is. The reason I say that this car feels more like a budget Infiniti than it does an overpriced Nissan is because this car feels more buttoned down than you would expect it to be, and while it’s not sporty to drive, the Armada is the type of vehicle that always feels like its doing what you want it to do. It really listens to your inputs and it has the quick thinking of a much smaller vehicle. I don’t even think there is a reason to go for the Infiniti model unless you want some of the upgraded tech the Infiniti gives you.
When you’re cruising at freeway speeds, the Armada feels great. It glides down the road and it doesn’t protest being driven at higher speeds at all. I’ve never driven a vehicle this large that felt nearly as eager to zip around on the freeway. You can pull quick passing maneuvers just like you would in a regular car and the Armada just takes it without any drama. The Tahoe feels considerably more lumbering and less eager to downshift and pass in comparison.
Even when you’re just cruising down the road at normal speeds, the Armada just glides down the road and soaks up the bumps very well. It has the aplomb of an old Buick with the handling of a modern midsize crossover. The steering points the vehicle dead-on straight, and while the steering itself is quite loose and numb, the car points where it needs to go with authority and refinement. This vehicle just has a nice feeling of airiness where it can fly down the road with barely any input on the accelerator. The Armada disguises its weight superbly well and it doesn’t mind being rushed around. Even when you aren’t driving your Armada like a crazy person, it feels super relaxing to cruise around in on the open road, with a silky smooth ride quality and hushed interior road noise.
The 7-speed automatic in this car is an amazing transmission. It takes you back to when Nissan was making really good stepped automatics before they switched over to CVTs. The shifts are silky smooth and lightning quick. Roll on the throttle even a tiny bit and the transmission just snaps into the exact gear that you need to perform the perfect passing maneuver. It really listens and does exactly what you need it to do. It’s probably one of the best automatic transmissions I’ve experienced in a mainstream modern car. Downshifts happen quickly with barely any input on the accelerator, and the shifts are so smooth to the point where you barely even feel them. During off the line acceleration, the transmission can feel a little focused on fuel economy, but the upshifts are still very smooth and snappy, and they don’t disrupt the smooth wave of torque coming from the 5.6 liter V8 engine.
The 5.6 liter V8 has a smooth power band that feels far more refined than the Tahoe’s 5.3 Vortec. This engine makes 390 horsepower and 394 ft. lbs. of torque, which is 35 more horsepower at 11 more lb. ft. of torque compared to the Tahoe with the standard 5.3 engine. The engine has more than enough get up and go. It feels powerful, the power band is linear, the torque comes on early at low RPM. This engine actually sounds more like a V6 in the lower revs, but when you give it some gas you’re greeted with pleasant V8 noises. I also thought the engine had the feel and refinement a V6, just with more torque and horsepower. The Armada gets to 60 in an impressive 5.9 seconds, and it certainly feels like it. This thing really can take off when you put your foot down. At no point did the engine in this car feel sluggish or underpowered, in fact it actually felt slightly more powerful than most buyers in this class would really need. It’s a very sprightly engine and it doesn’t seem to mind being revved out a little. It’s a smooth, quiet, powerful V8 engine.
While I really liked the crisp response from the accelerator, the brakes are definitely on the vague side. This is a truck after all, and whenever you hit the brakes you can tell that you’re in a huge vehicle. The brakes don’t really kick in until about half way into the pedal travel, and there isn’t much of a crisp or defined bite to them. The vehicle stops smoothly, but there is a considerable amount of dead travel in the brake pedal before any braking action is felt. The front end nose dive is also very prominent under braking, but I wasn’t really expecting anything less considering the size of this vehicle.
Visibility in this car is surprisingly good. You wouldn’t know it from the exterior styling, but the Armada is a really easy car to see out of. The side mirrors are about the same size as the mirror in your bathroom, and you can see pretty much everything out of them. The front hood looks big and imposing from the driver’s seat during your first initial impressions, but out on the road you barely notice it, and you basically tower over everybody else on the road. The rearward visibility is as good as any regular hatchback vehicle, with a large back window and unobstructed sight lines.
What do I think of the Armada? Well, I think the driving dynamics are near the top of the class. It doesn’t feel nearly as lumbering or “truck-ish” as you would think. I think the new Expedition is the only vehicle in the class that can rival the same levels of refinement and maneuverability this new Armada gives you. While the driving dynamics of the Armada are phenomenal for a large body-on-frame SUV, the interior is definitely love it or hate it. I personally like the interior of this car, but the tech is dated compared to the other vehicles in this class, and the button-crazy head unit reminds me of something from the late 2000s. You don’t get quite the same level of in-car technology compared to some of the competitors. It’s an older design, and this car definitely shows its age in certain areas. While the technology is dated, this car really excels at seat comfort and interior passenger room. You get a nice blend of utility and luxurious unlike some of the competitors that put utility first over driver and passenger comfort. My overall rendition on this car is that the comfort, utility, and car-like driving dynamics all make up for whatever the Armada lacks in technology and modern aesthetics. If you don’t care much about having the newest features and always trying to stay ahead of the curve, the Armada makes for a really good full-size SUV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE7vP9YJT8g