2023 Nissan Armada

Pros

• A beautiful, well-made interior
• A torque-filled V8 engine is powerful.
• At highway speeds, everything is still.
• A lot of safety features are the same.

Cons

• V8 engines need to use gas better.
• There need to be more seats in the third row.
• Because the cargo floor is so high, it is hard to load.
• The way information is shown to be out of date.

The 5.6-liter V8 engine in the Armada is potent. Our test Armada went from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, a second faster than the 5.3-liter V8 Chevrolet Tahoe. At higher speeds, the Armada can pass other ships very well. The Armada’s brakes are also excellent. They brought the large SUV to a slowdown from 60 mph to a standstill at 123 feet. Ten feet faster than the next best competitor. In town, the brakes always worked the same way.

Even though the Armada is among the most accessible SUVs to drive, no one expects a large SUV to handle well, and the Armada’s handling potential is only average. The steering is slow and doesn’t have much feel.

The Armada is a relatively quiet and solitary car to drive. Even though the front seats are wide and comfortable, they don’t have much support to hold you in place when you turn. Even though the captain’s chairs in the second row are well-padded, they can’t be moved forward or back to make more legroom. By today’s standards, third-row seats need to be better.

Even though we would have liked bigger vents for such a big cabin, we were more disappointed that the climate system couldn’t keep the temperature constant when it was set to auto. The ventilated seats in the Armada we tested were also loud and didn’t do much to cool us down.

There’s no doubt that the ride is easy. This helps when going over small to medium bumps. It becomes a problem when the waves are more significant and much jostling and shuddering. Other SUVs feel tighter and in charge. Our test car’s 22-inch wheels and narrow tire sidewalls did little to improve the ride.

There is enough space in the front seats, but it gets tighter as you move back. The third-row center is low, too hard to get into and out of because it’s on the ground, while the captain’s chairs in the second row are fixed in place (they do not slide like those in some rival SUVs). The Armada has a high seat height, so even average-sized people will need to use the side steps to get on and off.

The dashboard of the Armada has new climate controls and a big screen for entertainment. The graphics and controls are easy to use but could be more modern. The Armada has good visibility from the outside, but when turning sharply to the left, the big mirrors and thick front roof pillars can block your view. The available system of cameras showing what’s going on around the car makes parking much less stressful.

Even though it has a prominent touchscreen, the graphics could be more up-to-date. The system also takes some time to start up. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come with every car. Either interface is worse than Nissan’s awkward infotainment system. The placement of the USB and power ports could be better, especially for those in the second row, and there are fewer than we’d expect in a large SUV.

Luckily, there are several common ways to make safety better. All of them did well on our tests. Even though both adaptive cruise control features are slow to respond, they both brake and speed up smoothly.

Below the third row, there is little room for cargo. Loading is complex because the cargo floor is high, and you must reach far over the extensive rear bumper. The second-row armrests of the optional captain’s chairs stick up above the cargo area floor. This makes it harder to load longer items. There is little room for storage in the front seats. The front has a big center console, but that’s it. You will likely put other things in the cupholders in the show.

The Armada is good at pulling things behind it. When properly equipped, it can pull up to 8,500 pounds, which is about the same as the Chevy Tahoe. A trailer brake controller comes with most trims as standard equipment.

The EPA says that the Armada gets a combined 15 mpg (13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway) with four-wheel drive and one mpg more with rear-wheel purpose. That is less than what similar full-size SUVs get. On our 115-mile test route, mostly highway, we got 16.5 mpg, so the EPA numbers make sense. For the most power, you need premium fuel, but 87 octane is acceptable for the Armada.

The Armada costs about the same as other large SUVs, but the materials and technology inside could be better than what’s available today. The Armada should be appealing if you want a strong V8 engine and the ability to pull a lot of weight. People who wish to do more traditional things will be let down. The warranty from Nissan is just fine.

The Armada looks good on the outside, and the inside is as close to luxury as Nissan can get. The Armada makes the Infiniti QX80, its corporate twin, look expensive. The Armada doesn’t have any problems, but other than its powerful and loud V8 engine, it doesn’t stand out in any way.

Most people want the SL trim level. Several excellent options have been added:

• Larger wheels
• Leather seats
• A heated steering wheel
• A surround-view camera system
• A remote engine start
• A top-of-the-line 13-speaker Bose audio system

Nissan Armada models.

In 2023, Nissan will sell the Armada, a full-size SUV with room for eight people. You can choose from the S, SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels. Unless you choose the four-wheel drive with low-range gearing, each has a 5.6-liter V8 engine with 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque.