2025 Nissan Armada Review and Test Drive

The 2025 Armada provides big power, big capabilities, and big luxury.

Tim Stevens | 

Apr 2, 2025 | 7 min read

Tim Stevens

With the redesigned 2025 Armada, Nissan issues a new full-size SUV that is just short of a total reinvention. With greater power, added efficiency, and a significant boost in luxury, the new Armada is more advanced without giving up its tried-and-true capabilities. To say I was surprised and delighted would be an understatement.

Five versions of the 2025 Nissan Armada are available: the base SV, step-up SL, rugged Pro-4X, upscale Platinum, and luxurious Platinum Reserve. Prices range from the high $50,000s to the high $70,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Kyushu, Japan, factory that assembles it to your local dealership.

For this Armada review, I tested a Platinum Reserve in upstate New York. Optional equipment highlights included four-wheel drive (4WD), a ProPilot Assist 2.1 package, and premium paint, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $86,840, including the $2,010 destination charge. Nissan provided the vehicle for this review.

Tim Stevens

Is the 2025 Nissan Armada a Good SUV?

The 2025 Armada wears a fresh face and sheetmetal, and the redesigned interior is also a significant step forward. While some may bemoan Nissan's switch from a V8 engine to a twin-turbocharged V6, there's no reason to fret. The new engine feels more powerful and responsive, delivering the same towing capability and better fuel efficiency.

Tim Stevens

The 2025 Armada Platinum Reserve Provides Plenty of Luxury

The 2025 Armada has a new look that's far more modern and technical than the outgoing model. While I've found the design of many other SUVs is slipping into rugged territory, the new Armada's look is clean and borderline sophisticated. Overall, it projects a distinctly different personality from the outgoing model, previewing the new look and feel inside the seven- or eight-passenger cabin.

Slide into any of the Armada Platinum Reserve's three rows of seats, and you'll enjoy far more creature comforts and luxury touches than I experienced in previous Armadas. The materials in front are a touch above those in the second and third rows, where you'll find more hard plastic. But up front, it's mostly soft leather and pliable surfaces with a quality look and feel. The test vehicle's two-tone tan motif paired wonderfully with the Coulis Red exterior.

The Armada's front seats are, as usual, the best in the house. Equipped with 12-way power adjustment, they provide good comfort and look great — thanks to a geometric pattern to the leather upholstery. In addition, they're heated and ventilated, and, during winter testing, the heated seats and heated steering wheel made life much more pleasant. The front seat massagers helped, too.

Tim Stevens

My test vehicle's second-row captain's chairs were nearly as comfortable as those in front and had heated cushions. Triple-zone automatic climate control allows passengers in this row to adjust their temperature, and four USB-C charging ports ensure everyone is powered up. The captain's chairs slide and tilt forward, allowing easier access to the third row.

The third-row seats are tight for three people, but two will be no problem for most passengers. As I found firsthand, there's decent legroom, USB-C charging ports, and power-reclining seatbacks. The only thing missing is a center folding armrest to keep kids sitting in the wayback suitably separated.

The creature comforts extend to the cargo area, too, where there's a three-prong, 120-volt outlet and buttons for folding the second and third-row seats to maximize cargo space. In Armadas with the available air suspension, there's even a button that quickly lowers the SUV for easier loading. The cargo space measures 20.4 cubic-feet behind the third row, 56.3 cu-ft if you fold that row down, and 97.1 cubes with both rows folded flat.

Tim Stevens

The 2025 Armada's Tech Gets a Significant Upgrade

It's not just the interior's design, materials, and features that get a considerable boost with this redesign. The technology receives a significant upgrade, too.

The Armada's primary interface is a dual-screen panel housing a 12.3-inch (SV and SL trim) or 14.3-inch digital driver display and a similarly sized infotainment touchscreen. The panel perches atop the dashboard, mimicking a modern approach used in everything from the Hyundai Kona to the BMW XM.

The infotainment screen's slightly offset positioning makes it a bit of a reach for the passenger. From the driving position, I found it easy to tap through the responsive, if somewhat aesthetically challenged, user interface. In all trim levels above the base SV, NissanConnect provides Google Assistant and Google Maps, in addition to Amazon Alexa Built-in.

The good news is that Google Assistant is excellent for finding destinations, responding quickly and without fuss to nuanced requests like "I need some coffee" or "I'm hungry." The bad news is that the voice assistant can't help with the SUV's climate system. Statements like "I'm cold" or "Turn on my seat heater" resulted in apologies for being unable to take action.

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration is standard, and no matter which form of media you choose, it plays through a 600-watt, 12-speaker Klipsch sound system that's standard in all but the base SV trim level. It offers rich, powerful sound but, sadly, I found it lacks the bright clarity and response the brand is known for with its home systems.

Tim Stevens

Every 2025 Armada includes a comprehensive collection of active safety features. The model I tested also had ProPilot Assist 2.1, which gives the SUV a hands-off semi-autonomous driver-assistance system pairing adaptive cruise control with lane-centering capability.

ProPilot Assist 2.1 works only on specific highways and performed well in my testing. To ensure drivers pay attention, an infrared driver-monitoring system watches your face, and it was quick to notice when my eyes wandered. Located on top of the steering column, it could always see me regardless of how I had the wheel adjusted.

The only issue I had with ProPilot Assist 2.1 was inconsistent engagement. When traveling the same highways multiple times during my week with the Armada, the system would sometimes enable and sometimes not, for no reason I could determine.

Tim Stevens

Twin Turbos Don't Dampen the Armada's Capability

The shift to a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 hasn't affected the Armada's capabilities or its fun factor. In my experience, turbochargers can sometimes result in poor throttle response and an underwhelming sound, but the Armada's twin-turbo V6 suffers neither of those maladies.

Pick any driving mode other than Eco or Snow, and the Armada is happy to put its power down. The nine-speed automatic slips between gears smoothly and quickly, and the big SUV picks up speed readily, making a surprisingly good sound while doing it.

That engine makes a healthy 425 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, and in the Platinum Reserve 4WD I tested, Nissan estimates it will get 17 mpg in combined city/highway driving. On my testing loop, driving in frigid winter weather, I saw 16.9 mpg.

That power earns this SUV an 8,500-pound tow rating, and this is clearly a machine designed for trailering. There's a dedicated Tow mode just a few clicks away from Normal on the rotary driving mode knob, along with a trailer-brake controller embedded in the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel.

The ride comfort is quite good for a full-size 4WD SUV, and the Platinum Reserve's air suspension keeps the big rig level while absorbing major road imperfections. The only complaint I can lodge relates to some incredibly muddy steering feel, making parking this thing a chore.

Tim Stevens

Reboots don't always stand up to the originals, but the redesigned 2025 Nissan Armada is a winner. With new looks on the outside, far more comfort on the inside, and a good selection of tech, there's not much missing here, especially given the pricing. If you need to haul a lot of people, carry a lot of cargo, or tow a lot of trailer weight, this redesigned Nissan is a likable SUV.

Tim Stevens

Tim is a freelance automotive and technology journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He is a frequent contributor to major domestic and international online, print, and broadcast news outlets, sharing his insights and perspectives on everything from cybersecurity to supercars. Tim also serves as a juror for the World Car Awards and regularly acts as speaker and moderator at major industry events such as CES, Web Summit, SXSW, NAIAS, and AutoMobility LA. He formerly served as editor-at-large and vice president of content at CNET. Before that he was editor-in-chief of Engadget and editorial director at AOL Tech.