The 2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve 4WD. |
That's both bad and good. Bad because it looks and feels like something from an earlier era of SUV, one before the double-whammy of the recession and high gas prices ten years ago prompted redesigns of full-size SUVs that emphasized (relative) lightness and efficiency. Good, because, in this era of car-based crossovers, anyone who longs for the good old days of a truck-based full-sized rig will likely have the Armada on his or her short list.
2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve 4WD. |
Those eight different models (SV, SL, Platinum and Platinum Reserve in two-or-four-wheel drive) have widely varying pricing. The two-wheel drive SV's base price is $46,090. Our tester, the top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve 4WD starts at $65,090. Not only is that a chunk of change, but it puts the Armada right up against its upscale cousin, the Infiniti QX80, which starts, in four-wheel-drive form, at $67,850.
2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve 4WD. |
Nissan Intelligent Rear View Mirror. |
Cool mirror. But what about the SUV around it?
Well, TireKicker was founded ten years ago on the principle that every vehicle is the right vehicle for someone. We can think of a lot of full-size SUVs that handle better, and are more space and fuel-efficient. But, the Armada had its best sales month in its 13-year history...and by a large margin...last month (June, 2018). And the sales figures have been, with the exception of one or two months, the best in a decade since the current generation hit showroom floors in the fall of 2016. It sells only about a third as many copies as the best-selling Chevy Tahoe, but there's clearly a market for Armadas.