2025 Nissan Armada Tested: Big-Rig Energy

To be a legitimate player in the full-size-SUV game, you need an off-road model, something the Nissan Armada had lacked until this year. Now, the automaker is giving its all-new body-on-frame Armada the Pro-4X treatment to contend with the full-size SUV segment’s mudslinging rigs. But there’s more to the 2025 Armada than just a single new trim, and the resulting changes make it a much better vehicle overall.Going Pro(-4x)The hulking Armada Pro-4X has major curb presence. With the standard air springs at full mast, the SUV’s towering 80.1-inch silhouette stands nearly as tall as Shaquille O’Neal. Its chiseled fascia, burnished with red recovery hooks seemingly ready to pull a freighter out of Lake Superior, affords it an approach angle of 33.0 degrees. A break-over angle of 25.5 degrees, a 24.5-degree departure angle, and 9.6 inches of ground clearance are all measurements at or near the head of the class. This is also the only Armada fitted with fender cladding, all-terrain tires, and an electronically locking rear differential.
But the universe gives, and the universe takes away. The Pro-4X model may be new, and the whole package may be radically improved, but the Armada’s 5.6-liter V-8 bit the dust between generations. In its place is a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 churning out 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, respective gains of 24 and 103 over the outgoing V-8. Nissan’s nine-speed automatic transmission now swaps the ratios, but it constantly shuffles gears and can’t seem to stop double-guessing itself, even at highway speeds.HIGHS: Plenty quick, spacious and quiet cabin, good ride quality on the smaller wheels.Nissan tuned this V-6 to run on regular gas, so it’s down 25 horses to its luxury stablemate, the Infiniti QX80, which slurps premium. Yet at the track, the 6085-pound Pro-4X sped to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds at 98 mph, 0.2 and 0.1 second quicker than the 406-pound-heavier QX.From the outside, you can hear the idling V-6 clattering like a 1980s diesel, but inside the lavish cabin, up to eight occupants will appreciate a hushed 64 decibels at 70 mph. The wheelbase is unchanged, yet the first and third rows gain legroom. The second row sacrifices a couple of inches to open up the third, which gains an immediately appreciable 4.5 inches. The ride has some head toss at low speeds, but it’s better than the jitters we experienced in the lone higher-trim Armada and the QX80—smaller wheels for the win here. The new electronically assisted steering is a bit heavy but more responsive than the previous hydraulic setup. Despite a soft brake pedal, there’s enough stopping power to bring this bulky three-row to a halt from 70 mph in 175 feet.Going PlatinumAt the top of the Armada lineup resides the Platinum Reserve, carrying the same sizable presence as the Pro-4X but with a focus on luxury instead of kicking up dirt. The all-in Platinum Reserve comes standard with everything shy of a kitchen sink; it’s got posh quilted (and massaging front) leather seats, abundant soft touch points, air springs, 22-inch wheels, and a biometric camera that monitors occupants’ body temperatures and cools them should they run a little hot.LOWS: Indecisive transmission, artificial steering, engine clatter at idle.As previously mentioned, the Platinum Reserve’s combination of 22-inch wheels and Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S rubber doesn’t do any favors for ride quality. Much like we observed in the QX80, the air springs and adaptive dampers are not explicitly tuned for the big-wheel package and provide all sorts of body-on-frame wiggling and jiggling. In the Pro-4X, which rolls on 20-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 all-terrain rubber, these disturbances go largely unnoticed. Beyond the fussy ride, the Armada’s upsized wheels deliver even more unpleasantries into the cabin. At a steady 70-mph cruising speed, we observed 66 decibels of ambient noise to the Pro-4X’s hushed 64. Those numbers, however, become less relevant when the crisp and powerful Klipsch audio system is put through its paces. More on the ArmadaThe Platinum and its 22-inch all-season Bridgestones needed 179 feet to stop from 70 mph—longer than the Pro-4X and its smaller all-terrains—but there are some advantages to the double-deuces. Around the skidpad, the Platinum Reserve pulled 0.80 g to the Pro-4X’s 0.77 g. But the larger rolling stock’s more meaningful edge is fuel economy. In our 75-mph highway test, the Platinum Reserve returned 22 mpg, besting the EPA’s estimate by 3 mpg. The Pro-4X, on the other hand, only managed 18 mpg. Head to head, the heavier Platinum Reserve is slower off the line, reaching 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds at 98 mph.The Pro-4X’s $75,750 and the Platinum Reserve’s $82,000 base prices sound high, but the Nissan costs thousands less than its fully kitted-out competition, most of which are also new or refreshed. The Armada’s generational improvements make it more competitive than ever. It’s time for a battle of the big rigs. VERDICT: Leaps-and-bounds improvement over the outgoing Armada.SpecificationsSpecifications
2025 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve 4×4
Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $82,000/$85,450
Options: ProPilot Assist 2.1 package, $2900; carpeted floor mats (includes cargo-area protector, cargo blocks, first-aid kit), $550
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 213 in3, 3492 cm3
Power: 425 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
TRANSMISSION
9-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.8-in vented disc
Tires: Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S
275/50R-22 111H M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 121.1 in
Length: 209.6 in
Width: 80.0 in
Height: 75.2–80.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 66/55/41 ft³
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 97/56/20 ft³
Curb Weight: 6118 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.1 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.5 sec @ 98 mph
100 mph: 15.0 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.9 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.5 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 123 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.80 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 16 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 22 mpg
75-mph Highway Range: 510 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/16/19 mpg
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2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X
Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 8-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $75,750/$80,455
Options: Pro-4X Premium package (heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard second-row seats, panoramic moonroof, biometric cooling, dash cam, motion activated liftgate), $2780; two-tone paint, $1000; Pro-4X carpeted floor mats, $550; mud guards, $375
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 213 in3, 3492 cm3
Power: 425 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
TRANSMISSION
9-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.8-in vented disc
Tires: Yokohama Geolander A/T G015
275/60R-20 115H M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 121.1 in
Length: 209.6 in
Width: 80.0 in
Height: 75.2–80.1 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 66/55/41 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 97/56/20 ft3
Curb Weight: 6085 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.4 sec @ 98 mph
100 mph: 15.0 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.9 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.5 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.4 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 123 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.77 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 14 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 18 mpg
75-mph Highway Range: 420 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 16/15/18 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED David Beard studies and reviews automotive related things and pushes fossil-fuel and electric-powered stuff to their limits. His passion for the Ford Pinto began at his conception, which took place in a Pinto.
Source: caranddriver.com