LIVING IN LUXURY
Armada is great ride, though gas mileage suffers
An analog dinosaur in a digital world, the 2019 Armada stays competitive with a luxurious cabin, competent handling, a ride soft as a bag of marshmallows, with the ability to haul eight people and tow 8,500 lbs.
Competing in a full-size world of old-fashioned, body-on-truck-frame SUVs, the Armada holds its own as a slightly less expensive alternative to the Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe/ Suburban, Toyota Sequoia and the GMC Yukon.
With a leather- and wood-girded interior that, even at highway speed, is as quiet as a cat on the prowl The Armada is a value leader. It starts around $46,790 and tops out just south of $63,000. That’s a good $2,000$5,000 less than chief competitors and a solid $20,000 - $25,000 less than its mechanically identical cousin, the Infiniti QX80.
We say the Armada is a good deal, but only if you don’t mind the gas mileage. The EPA says 13 mpg city/18 highway/16 combined for 4WD—why would you buy a truck this big with 2WD?—but the best we could finagle out of this beast was 10/15/13. Even with the lightest foot we could manage, this thing sucks gas like a fat boy with a chocolate milkshake after an August football practice. (Speaking for a friend).
The 2019 Ford Expedition is the king of this hill, turning out 17 mpg city and 24 highway, but, hey, in the days of cheap gas, who cares? At least it runs on regular. Carpe diem quam minimum credula
postero. “Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.” Pardon the digression. Latin is one of two dead languages I studied. The other? English.
Safety third
While we’re off on the demerits, there’s one more little thing. While Nissan this year made standard some critical driver-assist technologies, like dynamic cruise control and forward collision warning with braking, to get the full package one must step up to the Platinum model, starting at $60,100, to get lane-keep assist, which Nissan calls Intelligent Land Intervention.
That’s kind of a big deal. Here’s why. Size does not always equate to greater safety. The Armada, for example received five stars, the most possible, in National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, but only three stars in frontal collision and rollover protection.
The latter is a big deal, especially in truck-like SUVs. When a driver, say, notices he has wandered off the roadway, the natural inclination is to jerk the vehicle to the left. When you do that, the vehicle squats down on the right because the shifting weight compresses the springs. The other thing that happens is that one suddenly finds oneself headed into oncoming traffic, or the vehicle starts to skid to the right. This is called “overcorrection,” a term often found in news articles about fatal accidents.
The correction suddenly shifts weight to the left, and—BOING!— the left side springs pop like a Jackin-the-Box. The vehicle rolls, and babies, bodies, bottles and toy bears come flying out. Sorry to be so graphic. As a journalist I’ve covered so many of these that I’ve developed a crummy attitude toward them. As we age, many things begin to fade from our memories, but never the bodies. Those are applied with branding irons.
With Lane-Keep Assist, the Nissan first warns the driver by sending a little warning shudder through the steering wheel. Waste of time if you ask me. If the driver doesn’t respond, the truck taps the brake on the opposite wheel to pull itself back into the lane. There, that’s the ticket.
That’s why one Swedish study attributed a 50-percent decline in fatalities to vehicles with LKA. It eliminates rollovers.
Many people don’t like this feature, especially the warnings—some brands use buzzers, etc.—and so they turn it off. Frankly, since most vehicles we test come equipped to the max, I’ve seen this feature a lot the last few years and I’ve learned to drive while staying in my lane. There are worse things than buzzers and vibrating steering wheels. Killing one’s entire family, for example.
So we’re agreed, only the Platinum model, ok? On the other hand, if top safety ratings matter, it’s the, uhm, Expedition again.
Ample luxury
Questions of life and death aside, there’s a lot to like about Nissan’s plus-size SUV. Even a base SV ($47,100) comes standard with intelligent cruise control, Navigation with voice control, remote entry, push-button start, Dual-zone HVAC, rear seat heater ducts, one-touch power windows, illuminated steering wheel controls, dual secondand third-row reading lamps, three 12-volt DC power outlets.
We like the Armada’s interior because not only does it make us feel like we are enveloped in the arms of luxury, it’s analog. No touch screens with multiple menus that try to act like they are iPads. We’re talking knobs, real radio knobs.
Even the upper dash is semi-softtouch, and the big and busy center stack is surrounded by wood and stitched leather.
More than a single USB port would make this thing almost perfect. On the other hand, an optional lay-flat phone charger helps some.
Riding high
The driver’s riding position is satisfyingly high, one can see over the big ole hood. Wide doors and armrests make it easy to ride down the road and feel at all squished.
Big side mirrors show plenty of what’s behind but we especially like the Platinum’s blind-spot monitor and 360-degree camera. A single dash button brings up a birds-eye view of the truck, making parking it squarely in parking spot child’s play. Can you feel me Walmart shoppers?
Great powertrain
Nissan’s proven 390-hp, 5.6-liter V-8, mated to silky, well-sorted seven-speed transmission, gives the Armada a real sense of power. Zeroto-60 comes in just 6.7 seconds, faster than many cars.
More importantly the drivetrain hooks up well. Acceleration is buttery smooth, and shifts seem to come exactly where one would want them. The rig even has a nice throttle note.
The Armada gets average reliability ratings, but problems come in the electrical and suspension departments. The powertrain is solid, one reason Nissan warranties it for 5 years.
Good buy
Right now, Nissan is offering $1,000 cash back or 0.9 percent financing for 60 months (better get that while you can). That’s on top of however much a motivated Nissan dealer is willing to discount the SUV.
On the other hand, a 2017 Armada is nearly identical and can be found on lots in the $30,000 to $35,000 range.