SUVs are popular again (though for many of us they never went out of vogue). Due to our recovering economy, growing families and the lower price of gas, more and more buyers have decided to opt for the space, comfort and capability an SUV affords.
Anticipating this, Nissan decided that it was time for the Armada to get a much needed makeover. While the SUV kept its truck-like exterior, it now sports a more muscular, military-chic exterior, and inside, the amenities and comforts that go from good to great.
- Families, especially those who love to road trip
- Singles or couples who need a third row or a lot of cargo space
- Drivers who need space for passengers and cargo; the space behind the third row is large for an SUV (16.6 cubic feet)
- Buyers who need seating for 6 or 7 passengers
- Buyers who may (or will) take an SUV off road; Armada is available in all wheel or 4 wheel drive
- Buyers who may (or will) need towing capacity; with 390 horsepower, the Armada can tow up to 8,300 lbs.
- Buyers for whom fuel economy is not a concern; the Armada gets about 14MPG in the city and about 19MPG on the highway. Luckily, the Armada uses regular gas (not premium).
What It Costs
All specs can be seen here; in general, upgraded editions include features available on lower priced editions as well as those mentioned here.
- The SV, priced at $44,900, includes: cloth upholstery, 4 12V power outlets, steering wheel controls, Bose sound system, parking sensors, power lift gate, running boards, heated power seats, V8 390 horsepower engine
- The SL, priced at $49,650, includes: remote start, garage door transmitter, leatherette upholstery, rain sensing wipers, brake assist with crash warning
- The Platinum edition, priced at $57,590, includes: sunroof, adaptive cruise control, heated steering wheel, heated and cooled seats, leather upholstery, heated second row seats, rear entertainment system, brake assist with crash mitigation, blind spot warning.
We took the Armada for a tour of the Berkshires and explored both the charm of the countryside and the features in the 2017 Nissan Armada Platinum edition that helped to make our trip a happy one.
Related: The Ultimate Car Seat Challenge — How Does the Armada Compare to These 3 Row SUVs?
We fell in love with the Hermosa Blue exterior of the Armada. Chrome frames the wheels, windows, lights and the air intake panel, and the chrome door handles and mirrors complement the look.
The Armada’s Almond leather interior provided a sublime experience for our drive. The dark floors and charcoal dashboard provided a nice counterbalance to the cream leather (and nicely hides dirt or clutter on the floor).
A Road Trip Necessity: Entertainment, and Storage For it
We loved the two rear entertainment screens that are embedded in the rear headrests. They can be seen from the third row but are best used by second row passengers.
The system has two wireless headphones and a remote control, which store neatly in the center console between the second row captains seats.
Wireless headphones completed the experience for my daughter. Of course she was listening to Beethoven, not watching Fuller House!
And there’s more storage below the center console in the second row.
The Magic of the SUV: A Third Row You Can Actually Use
Nissan worked hard to improve leg room, head room and access to the third row in the Armada. And, the designers did well. The row seats three, and while it’s more comfortable for two passengers, there is plenty of room for larger passengers.
Access is via a folding second row seat. It folds and flips all the way forward, so we could only access the third row on the side without my son’s car seat.
Even with the third row up, there’s plenty of cargo room; a 60/40 split seat allows for flexible cargo space, too.
Buttons inside the cargo area allow automatic raising or lowering of the third row seats.
I appreciated the neatly arranged center console controls. While many of the features are available on the screen, they were also just a button click away.
Nissan’s multi-view screen option was helpful for seeing both behind the Armada and on all sides of it, all at the same time. I could switch to just the surround view camera or just the rear view, too.
All photos by Robin Hutson, Luxe Recess.
Disclosure: Nissan provided the Armada for this story. All opinions expressed are my own.
