The 2025 Nissan Armada Is So Much Better: Review
Huge improvements to the design, powertrain, and interior make the 2025 Armada a viable three-row option.
Cons: Still Feels Massive, Not Super Roomy, Pricey With Options
2025 Nissan Armada: A Massive Improvement
Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1
he Nissan Armada has always felt like an afterthought among the more-established truck-based SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, and GMC Yukon. But not anymore. Nissan thoroughly improved the Armada for 2025, giving it a bold look and an impressively updated interior to go along with a brand-new turbocharged V-6. And don’t worry, that smaller engine won’t make you miss the V-8.
Engine & Drivetrain: No V-8? No Problem
Nissan ditched the previous V-8 for a new twin-turbocharged V-6. And we couldn’t be happier with the decision. The previous V-8 felt dated and underpowered, while this new 3.5-liter unit—which Nissan swears shares some lineage with the GT-R’s motor—packs 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That’s a healthy 25 hp and 103 lb-ft improvement over the old V-8.
Even with two fewer cylinders, the V-6 has more than enough grunt to move this massive SUV with decent fervor. Dare we say the 6,111-pound Armada feels borderline quick off the line, racing to 60 miles per hour in an estimated 6.0 seconds. The twin-turbo V-6 provides tons of immediate torque and has a strong enough powerband to keep the three-row moving steadily at highway speeds.
That new V-6 is paired to a seamless nine-speed automatic transmission, and in this case, rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is available as an option on most trims. And if you need to move anything, the Armada has an impressive max towing capacity of 8,500 pounds.
Technology & Infotainment: Finally, A Modern Cabin
One of the biggest issues with the outgoing Armada was its sparse cabin and limited technology. Not anymore. The new Armada has a lovely interior loaded with tech; the SL and SV models sport dual 12.3-inch displays, while the Platinum, Pro-4X, and Platinum Reserve models upgrade to 14.3-inch screens.
The screens are crisp, clear, and easy to use. The Armada utilizes the latest version of Nissan’s Connect infotainment system with Google Built-In available, which includes Google Maps, Assistant, and the Play Store. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, as you’d expect, and they connect seamlessly. They also look extremely pretty projected onto the Platinum Reserve model’s massive center screen. Nissan also offers a 12-speaker Klipsch audio system on the SL, Pro-4X, and Platinum models.
Nissan’s latest-and-greatest ProPilot Assist 2.1 is available on the Armada, but even on the top-trim Platinum Reserve, it’s a $2,900 option. Regardless, you definitely want it. ProPilot Assist 2.1 is Nissan’s hands-free active safety system, and it works seamlessly on long highway cruises. Simply tick the ProPilot button on the steering wheel and keep an eye on the road; the Armada will stay centered in the lane, slow down and speed up with traffic, and even suggest lane changes with slower cars in front of it.
Design: Bigger But Better Looking
Visually, the Armada looks larger than the Tahoe and Yukon—even though it’s about two inches shorter than both. The upright proportions and short wheelbase probably don’t do it any justice. That said, the design for 2025 is much-improved from its predecessor; the body lines are sharper, the front end is cleaner, and it all feels more cohesive.
Depending on which trim you choose, Nissan offers anywhere from 18- to 22-inch wheels, with the Platinum Reserve model getting the biggest shoes of the bunch. The Platinum Reserve also goes heavier on the chrome than other models, with chrome in the grille, side panels, and inserted into the wheels. If you want a subtler look, the Pro-4X model ditches most chrome for black and orange accents instead.
Passenger + Cargo Space: Not Super Roomy
The Armada is roomy by any measure, but it’s down on space slightly compared to some of its chief competitors, especially in the third row. With 32.9 inches of legroom and 36.2 inches of headroom, the Armada falls just short of the Tahoe’s legroom and headroom (34.9 / 38.2 inches), and well short of the Expedition (41.1 / 40.0 inches).
Cargo volume behind the third row is just 20.4 cubic feet compared to the Expedition’s 21.6 cubes and the Tahoe’s 25.5. Fold the Armada’s second and third rows flat, and that figure swells to 56.3 and 97.1 cubic feet, respectively.
Driving Impressions: Heavyweight Light On Its Feet
For such a massive SUV, the 2025 Nissan Armada is surprisingly light on its feet. The new chassis boasts a 25-percent improvement in torsional rigidity and a 57-percent increase in lateral stiffness, which means less body roll. It hasn’t been quashed entirely, but the Armada handles itself well in turns otherwise.
The steering is light and precise, but not so vague that you have no idea what the SUV is doing. And thanks to the standard four-corner air suspension, the ride is unbelievably soft; the Armada floats over potholes and skips over speed bumps without issue.
Fuel Economy: Not A Fuel-Sipper
The Armada isn’t the most efficient SUV of the group. The three-row returns 16 miles per gallon city, 20 highway, and 18 combined at its most efficient. With 4WD, those numbers drop to 16 city, 19 highway, and 17 combined. The Tahoe gets 20 city, 26 highway, and 22 combined at its most efficient, while the Expedition returns 16 city, 24 highway, and 19 combined.
Pricing + Verdict: Bigger and Better
The Armada comes in multiple trims for 2025, with the base SV starting at $59,530 with destination, which costs a somewhat ridiculous $2,010. That base price undercuts both the Tahoe ($61,195) and Expedition ($63,995).
Off-road enthusiasts will appreciate the addition of the rugged Pro-4X trim, which packs more off-road capability for $75,70. The Platinum Reserve model tested here sits at the top of the range and costs $79,000 to start. This particular model adds options like ProPilot Assist 2.1 ($2,900), premium paint ($990), and carpeted floor mats ($550), bringing the as-tested price to $83,440.
That’s certainly no small sum to pay—especially before adding AWD. But with major upgrades to the exterior, interior, and powertrain, the Armada no longer feels like an afterthought. It’s a genuinely great three-row SUV.
Competitors
2025 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve
EngineTwin-Turbocharged 3.5-Liter V-6
Output425 Horsepower / 516 Pound-Feet
TransmissionNine-Speed Automatic
Drive TypeFour-Wheel Drive
Efficiency16 City / 19 Highway / 17 Combined
Weight6,111 Pounds
Towing8,500 Pounds
Seating Capacity7
Cargo Volume20.4 / 56.3 / 97.1 Cubic Feet
Base Price$59,530
As-Tested Price$83,440
On SaleNow
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Top comments
William McCormack4 months ago
Remember the Titan? It deserved another chance with this powertrain.
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The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster Drives Like the Coupe, Mostly: Review
With just 132 pounds of extra weight, the Vantage Roadster loses its roof with almost zero penalty.
We’re big fans of the new Aston Martin Vantage. It made it to the very last rounds of our inaugural Cool Car Cup last year, only to be beaten out by the 1,001 horsepower V-12 hybrid lunatic that is the Lamborghini Revuelto. I voted for the Vantage; it’s a driver’s supercar that threatens to drift on command but also precisely carves up a canyon road. It’s brutish, beautiful, and well-calibrated.
Now, a year into production, Aston Martin removed the Vantage’s tin top and made a Roadster—not a Volante, a term reserved for its luxurious GTs like the DB12 and Vanquish—just a Roadster. It has the same spec sheet as the coupe: 656 horsepower and 590 pound-feet from an AMG-derived twin-turbo V-8, rear-mounted eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, and a bonded aluminum chassis. It’s just one-tenth of a second slower to 60 miles per hour, and it weighs 132 pounds more.
All Aston has to do is make it drive like the coupe. Which, according to Aston Martin, wasn’t all that difficult.
The primary difficulty with removing the roof of any car is rigidity; the vehicle’s resistance to bending in various directions. Cars twist in an incredible array of ways, and a car that is extremely rigid on paper might have localized structural weaknesses—stuff like a flexible control arm bracket or a weak strut tower. Without proper structure, odd things happen to the handling and ride quality. A telltale sign of a flexy structure is body-on-frame jiggles and heavy suspension loads.
Simon Newton, the same engineer who headed up the Vantage coupe, handled the Roadster—and he has interesting ideas about rigidity. When the new Vantage coupe launched, he didn’t chase any headline rigidity numbers or percentage increases. Instead, he proudly described stiffening the front firewall to improve steering response and front-end grip, and described the importance of detailed reinforcement rather than an overall number. Thus, the Vantage Roadster, thanks to its bonded aluminum structure and a reinforced rear suspension structure, has “largely the same rigidity” as the coupe.
The Vantage team also specced slightly different transmission mounts, specific to the Roadster, for better ride quality and drivetrain response. Most fascinating is what stayed the same: The springs, dampers, adaptive damper calibration, and the array of sensors and controllers in the Bosch 6D-IMU all retain the same state of tune. Newton says this is a testament to how rigid the Roadster’s platform is, because “those systems are highly sensitive to even the smallest changes in vehicle performance.”
Pros: Drives Just Like The Coupe, Fast Roof Mechanism, Quiet With The Top Up
Aston completed the housekeeping with updated gauge cluster and infotainment artwork (including a single button to turn off all driver’s assist systems), addressing former complaints about illegibility. Completing the Vantage Roadster’s mechanical package is a Z-fold, eight-layer cloth roof that opens or closes in 6.8 seconds, something I tested immediately.
With the top down, a loop around California’s finest desert backroads, and a 2000’s-era Great Recession music playlist, I sank deep into a pool of “Vantaging”—a verb similar to “Summering.” The Roadster does indeed feel like the coupe, just without a roof. Ride quality is decent, if sporty, with a bit of the Coupe’s rear damper stiffness still present. Compound bumps pack the rear suspension, but it figures itself out fairly quickly. Sharp cracks and edges don’t shock the body, and it remains steadfastly rigid—no cowl shake here.
The Vantage’s exhaust, which sounds distinctly different from any AMG V-8, is even more present—and lovely. Who could have imagined that less roof makes for an even better sound?
On the highway, the top-down aero is a little lacking. While the overall fatigue from the wind is low, it’s just a noisy place to be. With a passenger at highway speeds, it was difficult to talk at a normal volume, though that’s without a wind deflector. Even at higher speeds, the air doesn’t entirely redirect over the top of the Vantage well. But slowed to backroad speeds, all sins are forgiven.
ons: Noisy With The Top Down, Probably Pricey
Dynamically, the Roadster is identical to the coupe, down to the nuances. The little rear wiggles it does under power, the glued front axle, and the lovely brake feel all remain. Only over the harshest bumps while cornering expose any sort of cowl shake, but just for a moment, and don’t present any odd cornering behaviors.
It is a gorgeously sorted Roadster. You could copy-paste my coupe review and it would be accurate, just with added droptop dopamine. With the top up, it’s effectively as quiet as the coupe, save for some slightly unacceptable wind leaks around the A-pillar.
The only snag is price—it will be expensive, like the coupe. And the price isn’t even known as of publishing, thanks to tariffs upending the world trade order. But, I almost don’t need to know the price when Vantage coupes easily crest into the high $200,000 mark, and the Roadster is always more expensive than the coupe.
Aston pulled a neat trick here. It’s like Boxster versus Cayman. All you have to do is choose your flavor and enjoy the rest.
Competitors
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