America's Fascination with Full-Size SUVs Lives On: A Closer Look at the 2017 Nissan Armada

Nissan's timing couldn't be better in introducing the totally redesigned 2017 Armada, which has been generating a lot of attention lately now that the platform has been changed. The new Armada is based on the wildly popular Nissan Patrol SUV, a legitimate workhorse all over the globe with quite an Instagram following in the US.

The Armada is designed more for comfort than for extreme off-roading. Americans don't get the locking front and rear differentials found on the patrol, but the Armada is still extremely capable with an improved ride and luxurious interior compared to the previous Armada. With pricing starting around $45,000 for a base model, we expect shoppers to be very interested in test driving the new Nissan Armada.

The 2017 Nissan Armada is offered as a two or four-wheel drive and is available in three trim levels. All of them are outfitted with a robust 5.6 L V8 making 390 horsepower, paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission. We're driving this 4x4 Platinum version, which is well above the base price but still competitive versus the Ford Expedition and a loaded Chevy Tahoe on the road.

The Armada corners with confidence despite its heft, but there is some body roll. The V8 ensures it can merge into traffic quickly or climb hills with a heavy load in tow off-road. The four-wheel drive version gets it done thanks to its rigid frame two-speed transfer case and Hill start assist. Turn off the traction control and put it in low for some solid rock crawling capabilities.

The Armada has plenty of power, so you can check that off your list. However, Nissan also really dialed it in when it comes to cabin comfort. The Armada's quiet ride, sophisticated soft touch materials, and detailed craftsmanship are almost on par with its luxury cousin, the Infiniti QX80. Standard features like heated front seats navigation, and a great sounding Bose audio system are also a good start.

The six-way power adjustable seats are really comfortable, and there's even lumbar support for long commutes or even road trips. The SV and Platinum models step it up with a heated second row seat, dual DVD monitors, and wireless headphones with a reclining third row, all of which should keep your crew very happy while road tripping or car pooling.

We like that the third row is easily accessible - just pull this lever, and it's super easy. When you need more cargo space, just push a button, and the split third row seats fold flat, so you have plenty of room for your gear. The comfortable loading height and available power lift gate are convenient too.

As for tech, there's no lack of it in the new Armada. From the wireless phone charger to the 360° around View Camera, the Armada uses Nissan's older, more user-friendly information display. However, we do have one grip: we'd like to see Android Auto or Apple CarPlay included. On the upside, you'll find a wide range of available adaptive safety features.

Overall, for around $60,000, you can get a loaded 2017 Nissan Armada that includes spacious comfort, impressive safety tech, and solid towing capability.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enAmerica's fascination with the full-size SUV is far from over thanks to lower gas prices so Nissan's timing couldn't be better in introducing the totally redesigned 2017 Armada the Armada has been getting a lot of attention lately now that the platform has been changed it used to be based on the Titan pickup but that's no longer true the new Armada is based on the wildly popular Nissan Patrol SUV you don't see the patrol here in the US but it's a legit Workhorse all over the globe and it even has quite the Instagram following in the US the Armada is designed more for Comfort than for extreme off-roading Americans don't get the Locking front and rear differentials found on the patrol still the Armada is extremely capable with an improved ride and luxurious interior compared to the previous Armada and with pricing starting around $45,000 for a base model we expect Shoppers will be very interested in test driving the new Nissan Armada it's offered as a two or four-wheel drive and available in three three trim levels and all are outfitted with a robust 5.6 L V8 making 390 horsepower and that's paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission we're driving this 4x4 Platinum version which is well above the base price but still it's competitive versus the Ford Expedition and a loaded Chevy Tahoe on the road the armata corners with confidence despite its heft but there is some body roll and the V8 ensures it can merge into traffic quickly or climb Hills with a heavy load in tow off-road the four-wheel drive version gets it done thanks to its rigid frame two-speed transfer case and Hill start assist turn off the traction control and put it in low for some solid rock crawling capabilities the Armada has plenty of power so you can check that off your list but Nissan also really dialed it in when it comes to cabin Comfort the arata's quiet ride sophisticated soft touch materials and detailed craftsmanship are almost on par with its luxury cousin the Infiniti QX80 standard features like heated front seats navigation and a great sounding Bose audio system are also a good start the six-way power adjustable seats are really comfortable there's even lumbar support for long commutes or even road trips the SV and platinum models step it up with a heated second row seat dual DVD monitors and wireless headphones with a reclining third row all of which should keep your crew very happy while road tripping or car pooling we like that the third row is easily accessible all you do is just pull this lever it's super easy and when you need more cargo space just push a button and the split third row seats fold flat so you have plenty of room for your gear the comfortable loading height and available power lift gate are convenient too as for Tech there's no lack of it in the new Armada from the wireless phone charger to the 360° around View Camera the Armada uses Nissan's older more userfriendly information display however we do have one grip we'd like to see Android auto or apple carplay included but on the upside you'll find a wide range of available adaptive safety features all in all for around $60,000 you can get a loaded 2017 Nissan Armada that includes spacious Comfort impressive safety Tech and solid towing capabilityAmerica's fascination with the full-size SUV is far from over thanks to lower gas prices so Nissan's timing couldn't be better in introducing the totally redesigned 2017 Armada the Armada has been getting a lot of attention lately now that the platform has been changed it used to be based on the Titan pickup but that's no longer true the new Armada is based on the wildly popular Nissan Patrol SUV you don't see the patrol here in the US but it's a legit Workhorse all over the globe and it even has quite the Instagram following in the US the Armada is designed more for Comfort than for extreme off-roading Americans don't get the Locking front and rear differentials found on the patrol still the Armada is extremely capable with an improved ride and luxurious interior compared to the previous Armada and with pricing starting around $45,000 for a base model we expect Shoppers will be very interested in test driving the new Nissan Armada it's offered as a two or four-wheel drive and available in three three trim levels and all are outfitted with a robust 5.6 L V8 making 390 horsepower and that's paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission we're driving this 4x4 Platinum version which is well above the base price but still it's competitive versus the Ford Expedition and a loaded Chevy Tahoe on the road the armata corners with confidence despite its heft but there is some body roll and the V8 ensures it can merge into traffic quickly or climb Hills with a heavy load in tow off-road the four-wheel drive version gets it done thanks to its rigid frame two-speed transfer case and Hill start assist turn off the traction control and put it in low for some solid rock crawling capabilities the Armada has plenty of power so you can check that off your list but Nissan also really dialed it in when it comes to cabin Comfort the arata's quiet ride sophisticated soft touch materials and detailed craftsmanship are almost on par with its luxury cousin the Infiniti QX80 standard features like heated front seats navigation and a great sounding Bose audio system are also a good start the six-way power adjustable seats are really comfortable there's even lumbar support for long commutes or even road trips the SV and platinum models step it up with a heated second row seat dual DVD monitors and wireless headphones with a reclining third row all of which should keep your crew very happy while road tripping or car pooling we like that the third row is easily accessible all you do is just pull this lever it's super easy and when you need more cargo space just push a button and the split third row seats fold flat so you have plenty of room for your gear the comfortable loading height and available power lift gate are convenient too as for Tech there's no lack of it in the new Armada from the wireless phone charger to the 360° around View Camera the Armada uses Nissan's older more userfriendly information display however we do have one grip we'd like to see Android auto or apple carplay included but on the upside you'll find a wide range of available adaptive safety features all in all for around $60,000 you can get a loaded 2017 Nissan Armada that includes spacious Comfort impressive safety Tech and solid towing capability\n"