Nissan Armada Nismo Review: Is It Worth It?

Nismo isn’t just a badge; it actually stands for something. Mush the words “NISsan” and “MOtorsport” together, and that gets you to Nismo. But even with that historic tie to motorsport right there in its name, Nissan plays it pretty fast and loose with the Nismo badge these days.

Remember the Juke Nismo? What about the Sentra Nismo? Hell, in Japan, there are even Ariya and Note Nismo models. Point is: Nissan isn’t afraid to slap a Nismo badge, big wheels, and red accents onto almost everything it makes. Most recently, that thinking has extended to the three-row Armada.

It sounds ridiculous, yet somehow, it works.

Large And In Charge (Of The Track)

You certainly won’t have a hard time picking the Armada Nismo out of a lineup—just look at it. As Nissan is wont to do, the company went Nismo-crazy with a massive grille, red accents, fender flares, 22-inch wheels, and Nismo badges aplenty. But again, somehow it all just works. The Armada Nismo is genuinely one badass-looking rig.

The Nismo treatment carries over to the interior, with two-tone black leather and red suede insert sport bucket seats. Just in case you forget what you’re driving, the Nismo logo is stitched into every headrest in the first two rows, as well as plastered on the passenger side dash. But I’m not complaining; it all looks great. The seats are also super comfy.

At the center of it all is a pair of 14.3-inch displays—one for the digital instrument cluster and another for the central touchscreen. They certainly look pretty and modern, and Nissan’s newest infotainment setup is crisp. But as is my issue with Nissan’s technology as a whole, it’s a bit clunky.

There are one too many menus and a few too many options, especially when trying to dig into features while driving. The geometric background is also oddly distracting. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, at least, but even then, Nissan’s fixed menu bar at the base of the touchscreen means your phone projection doesn’t take up the whole screen. Mildly annoying.

Is It A True Nismo?

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

The big question on everybody’s mind, though: Does the Armada Nismo actually live up to its name? Yes and no.

The good news is that this SUV is genuinely punchy. Nissan reworked the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 to make 460 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel—35 more horsepower than the standard Armada. Racing to 60 miles per hour takes 6.2 seconds, which isn’t blistering, but it is quick enough. If anything, Nissan could have added more torque to quell some of the low-end laginess you get from the two turbos.

A piped-in soundtrack makes the Armada Nismo sound much meaner—which is what most customers expect when they see a Nismo badge. You can even hear the turbos spooling up when you really hammer it. The nine-speed automatic transmission is sharp at full tilt and totally fine around town.

Chuck the Armada into a corner, and you might be delightfully surprised with the results. Nissan upgraded the adaptive air suspension with stiffer compression and rebound, which is just enough to quash a good amount of the standard Armada’s body roll. It’s no GT-R, mind you, but the new setup inspires more confidence.

Unfortunately, that upgraded suspension is paired with a steering setup that isn’t so great. Nissan quickened the ratio, which makes it feel too light, too vague, and too anonymous for the otherwise nicely upgraded dynamics. Bringing the three-ton Armada Nismo back down to speed is also a big ask due to the 13.8-inch front and rear brakes—same as you get on the standard Armada.

Still An Armada

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

The good news is that for all the extra show and go the Armada Nismo offers, it’s still an Armada at its core. That means it’s a comfortable, highly capable family vehicle when you’re not going fast. And of course, it still has room for up to seven people.

As I mentioned earlier, the seats are wonderful. The front and second rows feature bucket seats that aren’t so aggressively bolstered that they’re uncomfortable, but offer just enough support to keep you in your place.

The third row is roomy enough for two adults over short drives, with 36.0 inches of headroom and 32.9 inches of legroom. It packs a relatively small 20.4 cubic feet of room behind the third row, but that number swells to 56.3 cubes with the third row folded flat, and 97.1 cubic feet with both rows down.

It does take a hit in the fuel economy department, though, getting just 16 miles per gallon city, 19 mpg highway, and 17 combined. Not that the standard Armada is a fuel sipper or anything, but it gets up to 20 mpg combined at its most efficient.

Verdict: Go With The Nismo

Photo by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

If you like the Armada but want something with a little more pizzaz, the Nismo is an excellent option. Unlike some other warmed-over SUVs, there’s just enough performance here to make things interesting—a better engine, improved handling, and aggressive looks.

At $82,225 to start, the Nismo model certainly isn’t cheap. That’s $21,000 more than the base Armada, and still $5,680 pricier than the Pro-4X. The Dodge Durango Hellcat is its nearest competitor at $82,985, but beyond that, the Armada Nismo’s unique proposition makes it feel like a reasonable buy.

Per usual, Nissan’s decision to slap a Nismo badge on something unexpected yields wacky, wonderful results.