2025 Nissan Armada: This large SUV has lots to love

Living in a city, I’m not a big SUV kind of person. But, if I had to get a large three-row SUV, the 2025 Nissan Armada would be in contention. It has a lot of cool tech that makes driving big easier, and even as a petite driver, I found the visibility and driving position to be really good.

So, let’s dig into why I put this on my must-test list.

[Video review: Top Likes, Dislikes on 2025 Nissan Armada – Did They Do Enough?]

2025 Nissan Armada super cool tech

Let’s start with the tech piece of it. The 2025 Nissan Armada comes with Google built-in, which means it has natural voice commands for things like HVAC controls and navigation. It’ll also tell you a joke. You have access to Google Maps, the Google Play store and Google Assistance. Plus, you have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All of it is seamlessly integrated and works really well. It does have a five-year free trial, and you will have to pay a subscription fee, which is yet to be determined, when the trial expires. CarPlay/Auto are free and will not expire.

We were driving Platinum Reserve models, so we had access to all the up-level goodies, including the rear camera mirror, massaging seats and the hands-free capable ProPilot Assist 2.1 system. And the up-level Klipsch audio system is phenomenal. Cranking the volume all the way up brings very little distortion, and the 12-speakers provide an immersive experience.

My favorite available feature, however, had to be the ultra-wide front camera view that goes from infotainment screen to gauge cluster. I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I could see use cases in both city and off-road situations. The camera system in general got an upgrade, and another available feature include an “invisible” hood view that shows what’s underneath the vehicle as you pass over.

Like its lux-level cousin, the 2025 Infiniti QX80, it also has an available built-in dash cam that can take photos and video of the exterior and interior of the vehicle.

Excellent powertrain

I know a lot of people will bemoan the loss of a V-8 engine, but they shouldn’t. This is truly a case of less being more. A lot more. The twin-turbo V-6 delivers 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This is the VR35 engine, and it is evolved from the Nissan GT-R.

Trust me when I say it doesn’t suck.

Frankly, it’s really flipping good. It has smooth acceleration to merge with highway traffic, performs well in a city situation and is generally quiet while driving on the highway. It has all the power you need, and most of the power you want. I’d say there are very few large three-row SUVs that feel better powered than this – and then we get into Lincoln Navigator territory.

Making life easier

While I like all the tech adds the 2025 Nissan Armada has included, there is one area I happy to see remain low tech: the HVAC controls. Unlike the Infiniti QX80, you have actual buttons and switches to control your climate, which makes it much easier to deal with on the fly. There are additional and redundant controls in the infotainment screen, but your frequently touched items are right there to be, well, touched.

Getting out of the driver’s seat and moving to the caboose, I found a couple available features I really appreciated in the cargo area. First, you have one-touch fold-flat third row seats. They are power operated for up and down positions. Second, you have an easy-release button for the second-row seats. You will manually have to muscle them back into place, but the easy down is an excellent feature if you need to load large items into the back.

Finally, you have an air suspension button in the boot. With a single press and short hold, the Armada will drop 2 inches, so you have lower load floor. This will make it easier to load and unload cargo without a big lift.

Decent third row

Through some kind of magic, designers and engineers managed to increase rear legroom by 4 inches without increasing exterior proportions. This was certainly plenty of space for me to sit there comfortably, and I’m about 5-feet tall. The seats themselves are reasonably comfortable, and you have some good tough points and a nice big window to fight claustrophobia.

A colleague who was 6-foot, 5-inches climbed back there, and let’s just say he didn’t fit as well as I did. But he did comment that he’d be able to stick it out back there for a short trip.

Another great thing to note about the third row is the easy access. You have a latch on the second-row seat to tip the seat forward, and it gives you a wide opening to climb into the third row. Furthermore, the seat will tip forward with a child seat in place.

A few areas of improvement

Lest you think this vehicle has zero downsides, there are a few tweaks I think Nissan could make that would catapult Armada from must-test to must-buy. First up, let’s talk about the wireless charger. It is not only slow to charge your phone but also heats it up. I get very irked when automakers include features that don’t work as advertised. If you’re going to include a feature, make it work. Please. I’m beginning to feel like a broken record. It’ll be fine for short trips, but if you’re going to keep your phone in there for more than an hour, consider using the wired-in charger instead.

While the rear cargo area is increased by 25%, it’s still a little bit small. Yes, you’ll be able to fit backpacks and athletic gear back here. You’ll probably even be able to fit a stroller or walker. But if you want to take a road trip with six or seven passengers? No, their stuff will not fit. So, you’ll need to look into alternate cargo storage like a roof bin towable cargo camper. Good thing this has standard 8,500 towing capacity.

The last item probably falls under the category of “Jill problems,” but the seat bottoms are too big. I mean, the Zero Gravity seats in general are amazing, so that’s why the seat bottom thing stuck out for me. At $70k for the top-tier trim, I’d like to see thigh-bolster adjustments.

Our take on the 2025 Nissan Armada

The 2025 Nissan Armada is a really nice vehicle. But nice doesn’t come cheap. Base price for the Armada is going to be about $56k, and if you want to get that Platinum Reserve, you’re looking at about $72k, which comes within spitting range of the base price of the Infiniti QX80. For my money, I’d take the Armada over the QX80 every day of the week.

Editor’s note: Driving impressions in this “First Drive” review are from an invitation-only automaker launch event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Nissan North America covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.