Interior creature comforts include a stitched soft-top dash and door uppers, standard power lumbar support up front, standard heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and acoustic glass to provide an exceptionally quiet driving environment. At idle the noise level is on par with a library, and at 100 km/h it rises only to about the level of quiet conversation (63 db on my highly calibrated free smartphone app, compared to about 70 db in competing vehicles). In general the interior feels much more “luxury” than “mainstream”, and about my only quibble is that the glossy woodgrain trim isn’t quite my cup of tea.
In terms of technology, the 2017 Nissan Armada includes a standard GPS navigation system, 13-speaker Bose sound system, around-view monitor with moving object detection, blind spot monitor, front and rear sonar with backup collision intervention, forward emergency braking with predictive forward collision warning, distance control assist, pushbutton start, and more. Step up to the Platinum trim and you get a family entertainment system, lane departure warning and prevention, blind spot intervention, and speed-sensitive power steering. The infotainment interface doesn’t appear to be Nissan’s latest-generation system, but it’s reasonably straightforward and intuitive to use. My one complaint is that there’s only one USB port, but Nissan’s marketing people said to “stay tuned” on this, and meanwhile there are several 12V outlets to take care of charging needs, provided you bring along appropriate USB charging adaptors.
Priced starting at $63,498, and with the Platinum trim coming in at $69,998, the Nissan Armada competes against mainstream large SUVs including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Ford Expedition and Toyota Sequoia. In fully-loaded Platinum guise, it also perhaps competes against its Infiniti QX80 cousin. Where it has an edge over the competition is its best-in-class 3,856 kg (8,500 lb) towing capacity, very well appointed interior, and limo-like second-row seats. For families who want to be able to haul themselves and their toys in exceptional comfort it should definitely be on the shortlist of considerations. It will be available in dealerships starting in mid-August 2017.
