The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Strong V-6 power
- Improved cameras
- Lots of cargo room
- Seats up to 8
Dislikes
- No hybrid
- Big and heavy
- Still thirsty
- Prices
Buying tip
The 2025 Nissan Armada improves on its plentiful space and power, while adding an off-road model and more available luxury.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Nissan Armada? What does it compare to?
The redesigned Nissan Armada is a full-size three-row SUV with lots of space and power. It challenges the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Ford Expedition, and the related Infiniti QX80.
Is the 2025 Nissan Armada a good SUV?
The Nissan Armada carries up to eight passengers in comfort, and has plenty of power and towing capability. We won’t know how good it is until we drive it, but last year’s model scored a TCC Rating of 5.6 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Nissan Armada?
Pretty much everything. It’s completely redesigned with a new look and a new frame. It also gets a twin-turbo V-6 instead of a V-8, has new Pro-4X off-road and Platinum Reserve luxury models, and offers new luxuries and technologies. The Armada shares its basic design with the more luxury-oriented Infiniti QX80 and the Nissan Patrol, which is more off-road focused and sold overseas.
The 2025 Armada rides the same 121.1-inch wheelbase as last year, but stretches 0.7 inch longer at 209.6 inches and 3.4 inches wider at 83.3 inches. It also sits a half-inch higher with a standard 9.6 inches of ground clearance.
The look is an evolutionary take on the last model. Up front, the grille is more rectangular and less V-shaped and it has less chrome trim, though there is a double line of trim inspired by vintage versions of the Patrol. The dual C-shaped headlights are taller than before, and LED lighting is found all around. Along the sides, vertical gill-like trim pieces in front of the doors replace the horizontal elements of the last model, and the smooth and rounded shape of the body sides remains mostly the same, as do the angled rear pillars.
The Pro-4X gets an off-road look with knobby tires, black fender flares, a black grille, and a prominent front skid plate on a bumper with more underbite.
Inside, the dash is dominated by dual screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment system. Both are 12.3 inches across as standard, and higher-line models boost that to 14.3 inches. The infotainment system runs Google built-in.
The control interface also includes a pushbutton shifter and a rotary dial for up to eight drive modes: Standard, Eco, Sport, Tow, Snow, Sand, Rock, and Mud/Rut. A higher level of luxury is achieved with quilted leather upholstery, 64-color ambient lighting, front seat massagers, open-pore wood trim, a 12-speaker Klipsch audio system, and biometric cooling that can automatically cool occupants in the first two rows when it detects they are hot.
Last year’s 5.6-liter V-8 made 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. It gives way to a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that spins out 425 hp and 516 lb-ft. The same engine makes 450 hp in the Infiniti QX80 on premium fuel, but this version runs on regular. Power flows through a 9-speed automatic transmission instead of a 7-speed to the rear or all four wheels. The available four-wheel-drive system works when engaged, has an Auto mode, and comes with a 2-speed transfer case for low-range gearing. Towing capacity is unchanged at a hefty 8,500 pounds.
The Armada keeps its truck-like body-on-frame construction. Nissan says it has 25% greater torsional rigidity and 57% increased lateral stiffness, which will improve the ride quality. It also retains a double-wishbone front suspension and a double-wishbone rear suspension with coil springs. However, this year higher-line models add a four-corner air suspension with adaptive dampers. The air suspension can raise the ground clearance by 2.1 inches and lower it by 2.0 inches.
The bigger footprint gives the new Armada more space inside. First-row occupants now enjoy 43.8 inches of legroom instead of 41.9 inches and third-row legroom grows significantly from 28.4 to 34.5 inches. Seating for eight is standard with three-passenger benches in the second-and third rows. Second-row captain’s chairs are available and standard in some models, and the second row slides forward and back. The second and third rows can be folded remotely from the touchscreen or the rear cargo area in top models.
Cargo volume improves slightly to 20.4 cubic feet behind the third row, 56.3 cubes behind the second row, and 97.1 cubes behind the third row. Those figures are all up roughly two to six cubic feet.
Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking front and rear with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitors with steering support, active lane control, rear cross-traffic alerts, and adaptive cruise control. This year the blind-spot monitors can cover trailers up to 33 feet long. A surround-view camera system is also available, and for 2025 Nissan adds an invisible hood view, a bird’s-eye view, and a front wide view to help drivers see around corners up to 170 degrees. Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2.1 is also offered, and it offers hands-free driving on some mapped roads with automatic lane changes.
How much does the 2025 Nissan Armada cost?
The Armada Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve models sit at the top of the lineup. They join the SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels. Prices haven’t been announced yet, but expect a bump over the $57,345 starting price for the 2024 model year. The SV model comes standard with synthetic leather upholstery, an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat and a four-way front passenger seat, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and infotainment screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, roof rails, running boards, a Class IV tow hitch and 7-pin wiring harness, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
The new Pro-4X gets skid plates, a unique bumper for an improved approach angle, an electronic limited-slip differential, the air suspension and adaptive dampers, a trailer-brake controller, and 20-inch wheels, among a variety of interior luxuries.
The Platinum Reserve comes loaded with quilted leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, massaging front seats, biometric cooling, a dash camera, a head-up display, and 22-inch wheels. Expect it to top $70,000.
Where is the 2026 Nissan Armada made?
In Japan.
