LIKES
- Lusty V-8
- Strong for towing
- Spacious inside
- Good safety features
- Value at the base level
DISLIKES
- Drinks fuel
- Is expensive
- Plodding handling
- Small third-row seat
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Nissan Armada looks big, tows big, hauls big, drinks big...you get where we’re going, right?
What kind of car is the 2022 Nissan Armada? What does it compare to?
With the Armada, Nissan ships a full-size SUV with three rows of seats that can tow and haul with the strength of a V-8. The Armada rivals the Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, and Chevy Tahoe.
Is the 2022 Nissan Armada a good SUV?
The Armada can haul up to eight people and has a strong V-8, but fuel economy is dismal and handling isn’t as crisp as that in some competitors. We rate it a 5.8 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Nissan Armada?
Very little has changed this year, as the Armada returns in S, SV, SL, and Platinum editions. It wears the revamped front end it gained last year, with LED headlights that strap a wide and tall grille to its nose, wrap around its fenders, and point to a rear roofline that mimics that on the similar Infiniti QX80. It’s attractive, but has to square up against Navigator et al.
A comfortable cabin squares with the Armada’s mission. With seats for up to eight people, five full-sizers can sit in the front two rows with extra room in every direction. It’s the third row where leg and head room and seat comfort all take hits. The Armada’s semi-posh interior gets fancy in Platinum trim with its quilted leather, and the widescreen infotainment offers a sigh of relief from Nissan’s recent dated efforts, too.
All Armadas sport automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors, but crash-test data hasn’t been published.
How much does the 2022 Nissan Armada cost?
The $50,395 Armada S is our pick, with its standard 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, 18-inch wheels, and navigation. The $69,795 Platinum wears quilted leather upholstery and 22-inch wheels, but performance is identical.
Where is the Nissan Armada made?
In Yukuhashi, Kyushu, Japan.
Styling
It’s rugged and boldly detailed, but the Armada doesn’t rise above.
Is the Nissan Armada a good-looking SUV?
The Armada has an assertive style, but it’s not as suave or as attractive as the Navigator or Escalade. We give it a 5 here.
Nissan revamped its big SUV last year, giving it a more upright and blocky look. The grille grew taller, the LED headlights more angular, and the fenders took on more creases. There’s plenty of detail to go around its front end, but the Armada gets less complicated from the side. Behind its front-fender gilles it’s plainer, with an upkick to its rear roof pillars that makes the visual connect with the Infiniti QX80 clear. Rugged and capable in its style, the Armada doesn’t stand out.
Performance
The Armada skips agility and heads right to horsepower.
If you’ve forgotten what it’s like to drive a heavy, trucklike SUV, the Armada will remedy your memory. It’s a soft-riding, tall vehicle that leans deeply into corners, behind the power of a muscular V-8. It’s a 6 here: it drops a point for the handling, but picks two up for its powertrain and its ride.
Is the Nissan Armada 4WD?
Rear-wheel drive is standard on all but the Platinum. Otherwise, it’s four-wheel drive, with a 2-speed transfer case.
The Armada’s best asset is its 5.6-liter V-8. With 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, it has a hearty growl and pushes the nearly three-ton Armada around with smoothness and ease. The 7-speed automatic rarely gets confused, since it doesn’t have two or three more gears like the gearboxes on some rivals to cloud its choices.
It’s strong, but the Armada’s not overly quick, given its curb weight. It can tow up to 8,500 lb.
With a body-on-frame design, the Armada isolates its cabin from the road very well. It’s especially smooth, even on 22-inch wheels that send faint tremors into the dash but don’t transmit them to the steering wheel. Few vehicles we’ve driven feel as separated from pavement seams and potholes as the Armada with 18-inch wheels.
The downside to that, of course, is looser handling. The Armada leans heavily into corners and has copious suspension dive and squat under heavy braking. The steering responds well enough, without upsetting the Armada’s balance.
Comfort & Quality
Nissan doesn’t cut corners with the boxy Armada’s posh interior.
The Armada has room for as many as eight people and lots of belongings. Though it doesn’t have the allure of the similar Infiniti QX80, it’s close. We give it an 8 for comfort and utility.
In the first row, front-seat passengers have wide, generously padded chairs with ample room in every direction and power adjustment. Base seats wear synthetic leather, but upper-range Armadas get leather (with quilting, even) and heating and cooling.
Row two offers either a bench or twin captain’s chairs, with about 41 inches of leg room so tall passengers can sit behind leggy drivers. Row three can be useful for small people, but there’s less space than in many rivals; the Armada’s rearmost seat just doesn’t have the head or leg room, or the seat-bottom support, to ferry adults for anything but short and complaint-ridden trips.
The base Armada’s trim looks appealing and fits together well; Platinum versions get the woodgrain trim and supple leather that nudges into Infiniti territory.
Safety
No crash-test data is available.
How safe is the Nissan Armada?
Good question. Neither the IIHS nor the NHTSA has crash-tested one, so we’ll hold off on a score for now.
Every one has automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, and front and rear parking sensors. Options include a surround-view camera system—which we recommend since the Armada has thick roof pillars that cut down on outward vision—and a rear camera mirror.
Features
The Armada doesn’t skip the important things.
Nissan fits every Armada with a long list of standard equipment, offers plenty of options, and includes a fine infotainment system. That gets an 8 here; it misses extra points for value and for its average 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
Which Nissan Armada should I buy?
We like the Armada S for the best value in the lineup. The $50,395 Armada S has power heated front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, navigation, 18-inch wheels, and a trailer brake controller.
How much is a fully loaded Nissan Armada?
The $69,795 Platinum adds quilted leather upholstery, a power-fold third-row seat, cooled front seats, 22-inch wheels, and a rear entertainment system.
Fuel Economy
The Armada’s worst feature? Its fuel economy.
Is the Nissan Armada good on gas?
Not in the slightest. The EPA scores the 4WD Armada at 13 mpg city, 18 highway, 15 combined, which earns a 2 in our ratings. Drop down to rear-wheel drive, and it’s 14/18/16 mpg, or a couple miles per gallon worse than a top-line Expedition or Tahoe on the highway.
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