The automotive market has made a major shift away from sedans and towards crossovers. Fuel efficiency requirements have also forced a shift away from traditional body-on-frame SUVs, leaving very few capable vehicles in the segment. Ford and Lincoln have finally given their large SUVs a desperately needed refresh, and General Motors has just unveiled their next generation large ‘utes too. Quietly in the background, there is another updated full size SUV that is arguably just as noteworthy, the 2020 Nissan Armada Platinum.
Completely overhauled for the 2017 model year and based on an entirely different platform than its predecessor, the Armada is one of the most interesting vehicles to come out of Nissan in recent history. Unlike the domestics mentioned above, the Armada platform is only available in one length, but can be configured for seven or eight passengers. The interior is very much in line with the rest of the Nissan design language, but the material feel and layout seems far superior to the aging Pathfinder (reviewed here).
The Armada is available in two trims; the SL and the Platinum, with variations of the Platinum trim available to change up the appearance and seating configuration. Our test vehicle was one of these variations, the Platinum with captain’s chairs, taking the fully loaded Platinum and adding a padded leather center console between the two seats in the second row, for a $500 upcharge.
The interior is very roomy; getting into the third row is easy enough but it would be a lot easier if the center console was more easily removable. Getting back out on the other hand, with the outboard seats folded forward is easy, with a large and well placed grab bar to assist. When getting ready for cargo, the third row seats are power folding up and down at a speed that would be jealous of molasses. Once all rows are down, a reasonably flat load floor is present, except for that center console, whose supple leather is sticking out above everything else and right in harms way.
Standard on all trims is the NissanConnect touchscreen infotainment system featuring navigation and SiriusXM, but sadly lacking in Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity. The infotainment system looks and feels like it is a generation behind most of the systems other carmakers use. This generational gap is present throughout the rest of the tech in the Armada as well. For example, the blind spot and vision systems feel like they’re from earlier in the decade, using a light inside the door rather than embedded in the side mirror. The rear view mirror has a video display in it, but it is not as high definition as the one found in GM vehicles, and it can’t zoom in and out.
The SL trim is already very well equipped and has a starting MSRP of $65,898, with the top Platinum trim commanding a $6,500 premium. For the extra coin you get a video rear view mirror, heated and cooled front seats, intelligent blind spot and lane intervention, and eight-inch monitors are built into the back of the front headrests to give rearward passengers entertainment via the DVD and HDMI system. Wireless headphones are also included to keep the movie noise isolated from mom and dad. Our test vehicle, with captain’s chairs and dressed in Hermosa Blue ($300) came with an as-tested price tag of $73,198 before fees, taxes and discounts.
Road feel is certainly not comparable to the plethora of crossovers on the road, as is typical of body on frame vehicles. While it does a decent job of taking the bumps from the road with grace, there is plenty of body roll during cornering, and you really feel the weight when stopping the 2707kg (5969 lbs) Armada. The turning circle is absolutely massive, requiring a full extra turn of the steering wheel over you would expect. While these shortcomings can make city driving tedious, highway road manners are superb, with smoothness and great comfort.
The overall driving experience of the Armada is expectedly truck-like, which reminds you that this tank is a true 4×4 vehicle rife with capability. The Armada sits on a rigid steel frame that has all of the chassis bolted to it, and the entire body sits on top of it. The benefits of this type design are strength – the Armada has towing capacity of up to 3,865kg (8,500lbs), far more than any crossover can pull. Having a two-speed 4×4 transfer case, an auto leveling rear suspension, as well as front and rear stabilizing bars means off-roading with the Armada is a real possibility.
The downside to all of this capability is the weight, and in turn, fuel economy. The Armada, despite its smooth shifting and perfectly driveable seven-speed transmission has unimpressive fuel economy ratings. City driving checks in at 17.7L/100km, with highway driving at 12.9L/100km and a combined cycle rating of 15.5L/100km. During our testing, which admittedly was very heavily weighted towards city driving, in cold weather, and on an engine that was barely past break-in period, the average readout on the instrument cluster never dropped below 20L/100km.
The engine is quite possibly the star of the show here. A rarity in vehicles these days, the engine is a naturally aspirated 5.6-liter DOHC V8, with peak output of 390 horsepower at 5,800RPM and 394 lb-ft. of torque at 4,000RPM. Accelerating the Armada on the highway feels like you are at the helm of a freight train, with torque always on tap and effortlessly thrusting you through the full range each gear. We did not get a chance to tow with the Armada but can only imagine it doesn’t complain at all when given the task.
While not quite as top-tier in technology as the domestic competition from the likes of the Ford Expedition (reviewed here) or the next generation Chevrolet Tahoe, the 2020 Armada is certainly a youthful refresh when compared to its closest Japanese rival, the dated Toyota Sequoia (reviewed here). Standing tall above everything else on the road, the 2020 Nissan Armada Platinum is a great command center to launch an attack on the open road from, especially for long-distance highway driving.
See Also:
2019 Ford Expedition Limited
2019 Cadillac Escalade Platinum
2018 Toyota Sequoia SR5
