• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

2008 Nissan Armada LE 4X4 Road Test

I can't say that I've always liked the Armada. The first-generation SUV might have looked good and performed with enthusiasm, but its interior was short on refinement and compared to

Big, bold SUV has gotten a great deal better this year. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

other full-size sport utilities on the market like Chevy's Tahoe and Ford's Expedition, it was so overwhelmed by interior road noise that I felt like I was riding around in a big metal drum. Fortunately, Nissan changed all that was bad about its flagship SUV for 2008, and now that the market has moved away from such gas guzzlers it's one of the nicest utes on the market. Timing is everything, isn't it?

Just the same, there are some who want nothing less than a full-size SUV, and they've got their reasons. After all, you can't really pull a 9,000-pound boat or a camping trailer with a Prius or load up seven family members and all of their gear in your smart car. For these reasons the full-size sport utility market is here to stay, but that doesn't mean there won't be casualties, as only the best will survive. Does the Armada have what it takes?

Most of the exterior design's hard points remain the same, although details have

The big changes are inside. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

been updated to improve the look. The 2008 model gets a new front fascia, new headlamp clusters and redesigned fog lamps, plus a new one-piece roof rack, a reworked rear fascia, new 20-inch wheels and two new exterior colors; Pebble Beach and Timberline. The latter is a nice shade of metallic green, while the former is a metallic taupe of sorts, and the color that coated the Armada that Nissan loaned me for my week-long test.

As far as trim levels go, you can buy an Armada in rear- or four-wheel drive no matter the designation, and that designation starts out with SE and finishes off with the LE 4x4 you see here. There's no base engine, like others in this class, but you do get your choice of cloth or leather, not to mention whether or not you want a navigation system with a

Now that's more like it Nissan. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

back-up camera.

Trim levels and subtle external styling changes aside, the most significant overhaul happened inside. Gone are the cheap plastics and wiggly audio and HVAC buttons, replaced by top-tier soft-touch materials and high-quality switchgear that seem more akin to Infiniti than Nissan, although one glance at the inner workings of the updated QX56 will put this misnomer to rest as it's a great improvement over its predecessor as well. Just the same, the Armada's center stack is pretty well identical to its more luxurious sibling and, when so equipped, features a large eight-inch audio/navigation/backup camera screen on top flanked by twin air vents, and an infotainment control interface just below, with music provided by Bose, XM (with NavTraffic no less), your external audio device, flash memory, the integrated Music Box hard drive, any one of six CDs or your local AM or FM radio jock. Audio buttons and knobs surround the faceplate, within separate cutouts in the aluminum surfacing, while a thin strip of switches modulate the dual-zone automatic climate control system underneath. To the left is a large rotating knob for swapping between 2WD, AUTO, 4HI or 4LO, and just to the right under the HVAC controls is the oddest thing I've seen in quite a while, a port for the compact flash card I hinted at a moment ago. Oh, don't get me wrong, having a stack of compact flash cards sitting around due to my penchant for Canon camera gear, it came in handy, but so far this is the only vehicle I've seen that forces its owner to choose between storage types, with most of the Armada's competitors opting for the more popular USB connection. Overall, the center stack is well laid out and nicely constructed, and while not particularly flashy, conservatively attractive.

I suppose

Woodgrain is a nice touch. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

that sums up the entire cabin. Other than a heated steering wheel, proximity sensing door locks and ignition dubbed Intelligent Key, Bluetooth hands-free, which aren't very visual, plus woodgrain, exclusive on the LE, and some bright and brushed metal trim, there isn't much of a sense of occasion here, Nissan preferring to let the QX56 have all the highfalutin glory, but that's the idea of having two brands selling what is virtually the same vehicle under the skin anyway. One for a more utilitarian purpose and less affluent demographic, and the other for those that simply have to have the best and are prepared to pay for it. Either way, there's loads of space for people and things, the latter items storable in a commodious cargo bay if the powered rear seat is folded forward, while everyone aboard will feel safe and secure due to all the necessary airbags, including roof-mounted curtain-type airbags for side impact and rollover protection from front to rear.

Ride along in the new

Handles curves surprisingly well for a big rig. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

Armada and there's none of the drumming effect the old one encountered. It's as tight as anything in its class and so well insulated that I can't see its interior decibel reading being much higher than the Infiniti. The seats are wonderfully comfortable too, no matter where you're sitting, and overall it feels smaller than it is when at the wheel.

Yes, that means that it rides extremely well and handles curves with surprising alacrity too thanks to its independent rear suspension setup. No, it won't leave your neighbor's Murano in the dust when high-tailing it down a curvy road, unless that road happens to be strewn with small boulders and crater-sized ruts, where this SUV happens to shine.

Our tester came with the part-time four-wheel drive system I touched upon a minute ago when describing the control knob on the dash, and other than including an all-wheel drive component, it isn't anything more than has been offered in this class for decades. The AWD aspect of the drivetrain, however, is a real bonus. Sure 4LO will allow it to scale intense grades no matter the road surface or tackle just about anything thrown in its way, but together with electronic gadgets like hill decent control and Nissan's Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), which augments braking and engine output to maintain total control when things get out of hand, its automated all-wheel drive setup will be more useful to the majority of SUV buyers who don't go off-road other than when traversing the gravel driveway to the cottage. The system chooses when to apply each axle as needed without any input from the driver, so that optimal traction is always on call and as much fuel economy as possible is preserved during the process.

Fuel economy?

No shortage of luggage space even with all three rows upright. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

You laugh, I know. Why even bring up fuel efficiency with a truck that boasts such a powerful 5.4-liter V8 as its base engine? True, the Armada is about as thrifty as a... full-size SUV (there's not much bigger out there other than highway trucks and earth movers so I'm lost for clever quips), but Nissan has gone to pains in order to minimize your fuel bill. First off, instead of a four-speed automatic, this SUV gets a five-speed with a new gated shifter. Alright, busted, both GM and Ford offer six-speed autos in their full-size sport utes, not to mention cylinder-deactivation just like Chrysler's 5.7-liter Hemi, but like Chrysler, Nissan has long been a leader in multiple gear automatics and should get some credit for have five forward gears way before the rest of the domestics ever thought of the idea. The Armada's are nicely spaced to optimize the engine's 317 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque, but it's possible an additional top gear would help reduce its highway mileage. As it stands,

Commands the road and the trail. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

the Armada manages a rather dismal 12 mpg in the city and 17 on the highway. Ouch! With a fuel tank good for 27.7 gallons you'll get superb driving range for sure, but at today's prices of about $3.78 per gallon (the expected average throughout 2008), it'll cost you a scandalous $104.70 to fill it up!

Should I bother going on? OK, once again we're back to the issue of a butt for every seat, meaning that there will still be buyers for large SUVs, despite the high prices of fuel. They've got their reasons, and I'm not about to question anyone's environmental morals because it's not my place. Case in point, I was flying from Boston to Chicago last week and sat beside an extremely large guy who asked me about full-size SUVs. He currently owned an Expedition and wanted to upgrade to the new model. When asked why, he said there simply wasn't anything large enough to fit his bulk and maintain a decent sized rear seating area. Fair enough. Who am I to judge his reasoning? At five-foot eight and a hundred and sixty pounds, I certainly can't walk a mile in his shoes... his 15s would ruddy well fall off my feet.

When it comes right down to it, the Armada is a great SUV facing a massively challenged full-size market segment. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a full-size sport utility, mind you, especially considering the previous version already achieved J.D. Power's “Most Appealing Large Premium Multi-Activity Vehicle” and racked up top honors for overall quality in Strategic Vision's 2006 survey, all before its many 2008 improvements. Certainly Nissan has given the Armada what it needs in order to compete. How well it does is up to you.

Specifications (Nissan Armada LE 4X4):

Page:  1

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo