2025 Nissan Armada Follows the Infiniti QX80’s Upscale Path

• The 2025 Nissan Armada ushers in a new generation of the brand’s long-running SUV.
  

• This third-generation Armada sticks with a body-on-frame construction but moves away from the 5.6-liter V8 and toward a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6.

• Nissan says the 2025 Armada will go on sale before the end of 2024.

After the launch of the latest Infiniti QX80, it was only a matter of time before you saw a new Nissan Armada, following the same formula as its more upscale Infiniti counterpart.

The 5.6-liter V8 is gone and a turbocharged V6 is now responsible for powering this body-on-frame SUV. The latest Armada also adds more off-road-capable Pro-4X trim to the option sheet.

The pivot to a downsized powertrain shouldn’t be too big of a surprise if you saw Infiniti’s reveal. The Armada sports the same 3.5-liter turbocharged V6, or VR35DDTT in Nissan-speak, as the QX80. But the folks at Nissan tuned it to accommodate lower octane fuel, and this 3.5-liter V6 will make 425 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Despite losing cylinders, this force-fed V6 makes 25 more hp and 103 lb-ft of torque more than the outgoing 5.6-liter V8. Still, this turbocharged V6 makes an extra 25 hp in the QX80.

According to the folks at Nissan, that power difference comes from the aforementioned octane restrictions placed on the Armada’s powertrain. The V6 shoves its power through a standard nine-speed automatic transmission and to the rear wheels, or into the four-wheel-drive system.

Surrounding the V6 powertrain is new sheetmetal, and the new Armada styling is predictably modern with a more vertical design language. Up front, you’ll find stacked LED headlamps that work with the latest Nissan V-Motion grille. The Armada also gains a visually floating roof, which ties the Armada into the growing Nissan trend.

Of course, the interior is probably more important than the exterior design. Nissan loads up the latest Armada for the screen-war battleground. Sitting atop the Armada’s dashboard is a pair of 12.3-inch screens that handle media and driver display duties.

If those aren’t big enough, the more upscale Platinum, Platinum Reserve, and Pro-4X models bump up the size to 14.3 inches per screen. Nissan pivoted to a push-button controlled automatic transmission, which could take some Armada shoppers by surprise.

As you’d expect from a large body-on-frame SUV, there are three rows of seating regardless of trim. The Armada will come with either a second-row split bench or a pair of captain’s chairs if you’re willing to sacrifice a seating spot.

Stuffed inside the media screen is a full feature suite from Google on SL and higher trim levels. That means native Google apps like Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Play Store are a touch away. Thankfully, Nissan hasn’t ditched Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and both are standard issues.

Just like the QX80, the 2025 Nissan Armada will come with coil springs or adjustable air suspension. The base-model Armada SV blends that coil spring suspension with a standard set of 18-inch alloy wheels. Bumping up to the air suspension means climbing up to the Platinum Reserve trim, or scooting to the off-road-focused Pro-4X trim.

The Pro-4X trim also comes with more than just air suspension—it gets some extra off-road hardware and extra off-road styling features. The big draw for the Pro-4X, outside of the air suspension, is the rear locker.

The rear locking differential is ironically locked behind the Pro-4X banner and should help if you get into a slippery situation. There’s also some extra underbody protection by way of skid plates and red tow hooks.

As you’d expect from a new vehicle generation kicking off in 2024, the ’25 Armada has no shortage of standard safety gear. The Nissan Safety Shield 360 system is standard equipment and comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

All 2025 Nissan Armadas will come with some semblance of adaptive cruise control. Base SV and Pro-4X models will have Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, which blends adaptive cruise with a lane-centering system.

Moving up to SL, Platinum, and Platinum reserve nets you standard ProPilot 1.1, which uses navigation information to adjust speed in corners. ProPilot 2.1 is available in Platinum, Platinum Reserve, and SL models, which is Nissan’s eyes-on, hands-free driver-assistance system that is geofenced to certain roads, like most of these Level 2 technologies.

As for how much extra this Armada will set you back from the current model, that’s too soon to tell. Nissan says it’s going to release pricing information closer to the Armada’s launch later this year. But don’t be surprised if the current $58,530 base price disappears, and the Armada starts somewhere in the $60,000 range.

Will the 2025 Nissan Armada be on your shopping list for a full-size SUV? Tell us your thoughts below.