Nissan brings home the best with Armada

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due.

In 2021, manufacturers are paying more attention to styling and appearance. At Nissan, there are some updates to the subcompact Kicks and large SUV Armada. In this week’s tester we get the behemoth Armada, and we couldn’t be happier.

The Coulis Red Pearl Armada Platinum with a 5.6-liter V8 engine was a driver’s dream. Load all of your friends, family, neighbors, kids and anyone else who wants to go into it and drive away, it’s that easy. At 400 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft. of torque, the Armada had no issues with its ability to get up and go. Paired with a smooth sevenspeed automatic transmission, it’s a powerhouse.

Heated leather steering wheel, front and rear climatecontrolled seats, illuminated cup holders, third-row power reclining and folding seats were fine qualities of our Platinum interior upgraded version, while exterior features like 22inch wheels and power folding chrome mirrors were great.

Did we mention the new Nissan emblem? The Armada is the first to sport that as well, and we love it!

We really enjoyed the second-row captain’s chair package which came with a center console. A 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment was nicely placed above the redesigned center stack. And the rear family entertainment system came with two 8-inch HD displays, two wireless headphones and an HDMI input.

The Armada is a family hauling and towing machine. It not only can take the kids to practice or school, but it is No.1 for a family trip and dinner out on the town with the favored neighbors. Its towing capacity came in at 8,500 lbs. in both four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive. The Armada has a trailer brake controller receiver and trailer sway control, all great tools for towing.

A trip to eastern Pennsylvania was nothing but fun, with extra space, plenty of legroom and expectations exceeded in the comfort department.

Nissan Armada

MSRP: To be determined for 2021 ($63,930 in 2020 model year)

As tested: $65,550 for a 2020 year model

MPG: 14 city, 19 highway, 16.4 as tested

MARC GRASSO — MEDIANEWS GROUP The Nissan Armada is big enough for a whole contingent of family members, neighbors and whoever else wants to ride along.