Nissan Armada owners

[Indus]

I've made up my mind and will be getting an Armada mostly for the cargo space and to be able to transport my dad around. He's a tall guy and he needs the leg room.

Any thing I should know of before I buy? Any problems or anything?

 

[bradly1101]

Unless you care about the whole minivan vs. SUV ego thing, the Sienna has tons of [leg] room. The second row can slide to the front a lot or to the back to easily fit a 12'8" grizzly bear. Toyota is a MUCH more reliable brand. It has a 296hp Miller/Atkinson cycle, port/direct injection engine. Just sayin'.

Armada: 14/19 MPG. Sienna: 19/27 MPG. Just sayin'.

Geez! $46K starting? My much loaded brand new Sienna (in 2017) was $29.1K. Just sayin'.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

It's a Nissan. Their cars have a reputation for being merely average in the reliability department, although that's still pretty good. It's not the '80s anymore.

Chevy Tahoe has the same cargo space and more passenger space. Gives up about 2,000 pounds of towing capacity. They sell a lot more of them for some reason. You should probably figure out what that reason is and if it applies to you.

 

[compcons]

We have a 2012 Platinum with 64k on the clock. I am not sure what the redesign brings in 2018 (?) other than it looks a lot nicer. My wife loves it (she is a truck fan) and plans to drive it forever. These came out in 2008 and had HORRIBLE reliability issues. Current version is a fresh redesign and I would not expect a flawless first year from Nissan. My thoughts below. Good luck.

For 2012 Platinum
Cons:
1) 14/19 mpg? My A$$!!! We see 11 mostly city. Highway-only road trips peaks at 16.
2) Nissan is a technology laggard. My 2012 had the same infotainment system as my old 2007 M35x. Again, 2018 might be better, but bluetooth streaming was not an option for quite some time.
3) At 64k miles, the air ride suspension runs once during each trip. i am expecting there is a leak in the system which is bound to get worse.
4) The factory hood deflector had to be removed when the center clip broke. It was not covered by the factory or extended warranty and the clip is not available unless you buy an entire deflector kit. Additionally, it caused some spots under the brackets. The dealer took care of it but it is still BS.
5) Factory installed moon roof wind deflector mounting hardware caused water to leak into the cabin. WTF?! Had to be removed. Absolute BS.
6) Rear load height is a little high for short people (my sister-in-law made my brother buy her a new car after a year because of this).
7) Fake wood looks fake (though I would expect the same for everything that is not a premium brand)

Pros:
1) No major mechanical issues other than the above mentioned items.
2) Rear seats fold flat and do not need to be removed. I am not sure about current GM cars, but we dropped them off our list immediately. Many people overlook this.
3) cargo area is useful especially when 2nd row center console is removed (we learned this after 4 years of ownership)
4) Sound system quality is good (poor features though)
5) Third row seat is adequate for short to average passengers on trips less than 3 hours. Tall people can extend their legs into second row armrest if necessary.
6) 2nd Row has plenty of room for tall folks (6'4 father in law has no issues at all)
7) Power is okay with plenty of torque (I drive a 425 hp/425 ft-lb sedan so I can say it is only okay)
8) fantastic parking lot performance. Turning radius is super tight but probably not the best out there. Be sure to check it when test driving vehicles.

 

[pauldun170]

Unless you care about the whole minivan vs. SUV ego thing, the Sienna has tons of [leg] room. The second row can slide to the front a lot or to the back to easily fit a 12'8" grizzly bear. Toyota is a MUCH more reliable brand. It has a 296hp Miller/Atkinson cycle, port/direct injection engine. Just sayin'.

Armada: 14/19 MPG. Sienna: 19/27 MPG. Just sayin'.

Geez! $46K starting? My much loaded brand new Sienna (in 2017) was $29.1K. Just sayin'.

While we had to skip it due to one stinking little thing I'd take a Sienna over an Armada without a second thought in OP's situation. I can't think of a single reason to buy an Armada.
While the driver might have opinions over the left foot rest area, everyone else in a Sienna is swimming in legroom.
Third row seats disappear into the floor. Toyota made it simple to remove the second row seats and now you have cargo truck.

 

[bradly1101]

While we had to skip it due to one stinking little thing I'd take a Sienna over an Armada without a second thought in OP's situation. I can't think of a single reason to buy an Armada.
While the driver might have opinions over the left foot rest area, everyone else in a Sienna is swimming in legroom.
Third row seats disappear into the floor. Toyota made it simple to remove the second row seats and now you have cargo truck.

And the ride is super composed and quiet. The stock stereo in the base model even sounds very good. What's not to like? Those sliding doors are convenient but they say soccer mom(?) weirdly because people are so tied to "impression." For them I say, get a Highlander, it's basically the same thing. 56 years old, needing 4 cars since high school. All Toyotas and driven very far. I have saved so much money, and save for the twenty-ish years they can last for the next one in cash. Too sweet.

 

[bradly1101]

I like the short nose on minivans, but that left wheel-well is right where a foot should go, I go a little right and it works.

I miss the days of the true minivan, my Previa was a lot smaller outside with that mid-engine and 8" narrower (I don't need that much width, and big is an American thing). Toyota sells "7/8" vans in Japan. That Estima/Previa of today looks nice and compact, and it comes in a hybrid.

http://www.hybridcars.com/three-high-mpg-hybrid-minivans-americans-would-love-but-cant-get/

 

[pauldun170]

And the ride is super composed and quiet. The stock stereo in the base model even sounds very good. What's not to like? Those sliding doors are convenient but they say soccer mom(?) weirdly because people are so tied to "impression." For them I say, get a Highlander, it's basically the same thing. 56 years old, needing 4 cars since high school. All Toyotas and driven very far. I have saved so much money, and save for the twenty-ish years they can last for the next one in cash. Too sweet.

We have the Highlander. Third row sucks for anyone out of elementary school and with that third row up you end up with the cargo space of an 80's Ferrari. That and the 2nd row seats are not designed to be removed. The only thing the Highlander has over the Sienna is ground clearance....I guess.


I am curious how the OP settled on an Armada.

 

[dasherHampton]

Hmmmm.

I click on this thread out of curiosity and now I'm getting Armada ads out the ying yang.

 

[bradly1101]

We have the Highlander. Third row sucks for anyone out of elementary school and with that third row up you end up with the cargo space of an 80's Ferrari. That and the 2nd row seats are not designed to be removed. The only thing the Highlander has over the Sienna is ground clearance....I guess.


I am curious how the OP settled on an Armada.

I'm surprised about that third row, I guess it's a smaller body. Since I don't have many passengers much my third row is down. It's like Carlsbad Caverns back there.

I've seen those Armadas on the road, they're presence is...substantial. I remember travel in other places where the same car cos. have very different, smaller, cool looking cars. I must have that sliding door for the wheelchair, and my car is too big for me, but is a good car. If it lasts (Indiana made) like my Previa (Japan made) I won't need another car for the rest of my life.

 

[pauldun170]

I'm surprised about that third row, I guess it's a smaller body. Since I don't have many passengers much my third row is down. It's like Carlsbad Caverns back there.

I've seen those Armadas on the road, they're presence is...substantial. I remember travel in other places where the same car cos. have very different, smaller, cool looking cars. I must have that sliding door for the wheelchair, and my car is too big for me, but is a good car. If it lasts (Indiana made) like my Previa (Japan made) I won't need another car for the rest of my life.

The problem with the Highlander's thrid row, at least in the 2nd generation one is the seat cushion is too close to the floor. You are sitting back there with your knees up. For kids its fine. For older kids and adults its strictly for short trips.
However, It is nice to have the option.

 

[compcons]

While we had to skip it due to one stinking little thing I'd take a Sienna over an Armada without a second thought in OP's situation. I can't think of a single reason to buy an Armada...

Not necessarily for the OP but "The reasons to get a gianormous SUV over a decent minivan":
1) 4x4/AWD. If you think for second that FWD is close to 4WD, you haven't driven though 8 inches of wet snow on a long trip. That said, the Sienna might be the only minivan available in AWD.
2) Ground clearance. Not necessary like 95% of the time, but when you need it, it is AWESOME!
3) Ability to pull really heavy stuff. Huge hauling capacity out of a big V8.
4) Not manly enough to drive around in a minivan (?)

My wife snaggd my trade-in a few years back and stuck me with the Town and Country. It was okay, since i was only going to the train station, but it hit 120k and started the chrysler death spiral. It was nice having it around though. So easy to get in and out, tons of storage etc. Seats had to be removed but new ones really don't. Solid choice over many other vehicles.

And the third row in the highland/MDX/every mid-sized SUV is good if you are under 4.5 feet tall. After that, people would rather take an uber than ride with you.

 

[pauldun170]

Not necessarily for the OP but "The reasons to get a gianormous SUV over a decent minivan":
1) 4x4/AWD. If you think for second that FWD is close to 4WD, you haven't driven though 8 inches of wet snow on a long trip. That said, the Sienna might be the only minivan available in AWD.
2) Ground clearance. Not necessary like 95% of the time, but when you need it, it is AWESOME!
3) Ability to pull really heavy stuff. Huge hauling capacity out of a big V8.
4) Not manly enough to drive around in a minivan (?)

My wife snaggd my trade-in a few years back and stuck me with the Town and Country. It was okay, since i was only going to the train station, but it hit 120k and started the chrysler death spiral. It was nice having it around though. So easy to get in and out, tons of storage etc. Seats had to be removed but new ones really don't. Solid choice over many other vehicles.

And the third row in the highland/MDX/every mid-sized SUV is good if you are under 4.5 feet tall. After that, people would rather take an uber than ride with you.

My comments about SUVs in general.
Just the Armada

 

[herm0016]

As a note: the new armada is not new. It is the patrol overseas and is well regarded almost as well as the land cruiser. They ditched the us only armada because it was a pos. The patrol is much much better.

 

[bradly1101]

"12. Nissan Armada

Nissan’s large and lumbering SUV is based on the Titan full-size truck and while it’s roomy and capable of towing a decent-sized boat, it’s a handful to drive with a bouncy ride and heavy handling. The Armada gets low marks from J.D. Power for initial quality and reliability, and garners among the lowest overall scores from Consumer Reports. According to CR, “its overall fuel economy of 13 mpg is abysmal, reliability is poor and ownership costs are the worst in the category.”

http://www3.forbes.com/business/15-new-cars-to-avoid/13/

 

[compcons]

As a note: the new armada is not new. It is the patrol overseas and is well regarded almost as well as the land cruiser. They ditched the us only armada because it was a pos. The patrol is much much better.

Good point. The "new" Armada is the 2013+ infinite q56x. Bugs should be worked out by now. Most stuff was sorted in our 2012 but still not the best option. I did really like the Infiniti though.

 

[slag]

Exhaust manifold problems plagued the 5.6 liter Nissan engine. Not sure when they finally fixed them if ever.