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2025 Car Mileage with the Best Gas MileageHead-to-Head: 2022 Nissan Armada vs Toyota Sequoia
In this comparison, it’s the 2022 Nissan Armada vs. Toyota Sequoia, a pair of giant 8-passenger, V8-powered SUVs. However, only one can drive home the victor.
Nissan Armada vs Toyota Sequoia
In this head-to-head comparison of the 2022 Nissan Armada vs. Toyota Sequoia, these 3-ton, 4-wheeled luxo-barges square off to see who does a better job of carting around everybody and all the things. Both are solid options, which is why they make our list of Best Full-Size SUVs.
Nissan has a leg up given they released the second-gen Armada just a few years ago. Whereas Toyota has been selling effectively the same Sequoia, refreshes aside, for a very long 14 years. Keep in mind, there is a brand-new version coming shortly as we cover in this comparison, but the current model is no spring chicken. Both seat up to eight passengers, offer 4WD, and approach the luxury segment with their pricing. Read on to see which giant SUV we like best.
Nissan Armada vs Toyota Sequoia Specs
A common thread across this Nissan Armada vs Toyota Sequoia comparison is the naturally aspirated V8 engine. The Armada displaces 5.6 liters with Toyota coming in virtually identical at 5.7 liters. Nissan pairs their 400-horse mill with a 7-speed automatic versus Toyota that mates a 6-speed auto to their 381-horse motor. In both cases, these body-on-frame SUVs are rear-wheel-drive, with the option to add 4WD for about $3000.
Both vehicles are close in length at a whisker over 10 feet, and though the Armada is 4-inches longer it comes in far short of the Sequoia on leg room and cargo space as we’ll talk about later. Fuel economy stinks across the board with Nissan’s Armada rated from 14 mpg in city driving and 19 on the highway, figures that drop by one each on 4WD models.
However, that is actually better than the big Toyota with it’s 13/17 mpg rating in city/highway driving, regardless of drivetrain. Nissan and Toyota offer the same vehicle and powertrain warranty terms, but the Sequoia comes with two years or 25,000 miles of complimentary maintenance, something you won’t find with the Armada.
Driving and Performance
While Toyota and Nissan don’t pretend that their largest offerings are going to be nimbly carving up the narrow twisties, they do both fit these truck-framed heavies with fully independent suspension featuring double wishbones all around. With the Sequoia, higher-spec models come with rear air suspension and adaptive dampers, but they don’t impact road manners all that much.
The former is intended to raise and lower ride height as needed and the latter allows drivers to select from Comfort or Sport mode. These are not of the trick variety found in a Cadillac or Mercedes that read the road ahead to deliver a magic carpet-like ride.
Towing is certainly a consideration for anyone evaluating these two brutes and the Nissan Armada can handle quite a bit more load with its 8,500-pound capacity to the 7,400 pounds that the Sequoia can pull. Parking sonar, front and rear, is standard on both SUVS, a useful feature particularly when backing up.
Though Toyota offers a deep roster of standard advanced driver-aids like adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automated emergency braking, and blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, Nissan does better. The Nissan Armada comes with all those plus a rear door alert and driver alertness monitor.
One area the Armada can’t touch the Sequoia is off the beaten path. Yes, you can equip your Nissan with 4WD and enjoy 9-inches of ground clearance. But in TRD Pro trim, the Sequoia features a lifted suspension – with 10-inches of clearance – special Fox dampers with remote reservoirs, beefy tires, and a host of underbody skid plates.
Comfort & Interior
Three rows of seating, with room for up to eight, is the standard configuration in this Nissan Armada vs. Toyota Sequoia match up. Likewise, you can spec dual captain’s chairs in the second row on either vehicle. An interesting point of comparison here is Toyota’s superior packaging skills.
Though the Sequoia is 4-inches shorter than the Armada, there are an additional 7-inches of third row legroom available – first and second row space is identical. And when it comes to cargo, it’s no contest. There are as much as 120 cubic feet of space behind the first row in a Sequoia to the 95 found in the Armada. The disparity continues throughout, including behind the third row with 19 cubes in the Toyota to 16 in the Nissan.
Creature comfort-wise, it’s a dead heat. Cloth, faux-leather, and the real thing are all available as are ventilated and heated front seats, heated rear seats, multiple zones of climate control, and large glass moonroofs. A cool feature that Toyota has historically featured, and almost no other manufacturer has, is the power-operated rear glass window. It goes all the way down which is both nifty and helpful for ventilation.
Trims & Features
Nissan’s Armada starts at about $51,000 for a base S model that comes with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, and power-adjustable front seats. Infotainment consists of a huge 12-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple integration but hard-wired Android connection. You can find out more details on 2022 Armada features with this in-depth review.
Other standard features include a Wi-Fi hotspot and door-to-door navigation. As you move through the trim hierarchy, features like heated front seats, a wireless charging pad, 13-speaker Bose stereo, and 360-Degree monitor are unlocked. Top-spec Platinum models sticker at nearly $68,000 and come with 22-inch wheels, fancy quilted leather, a digital rearview mirror, and back seat entertainment system with dual 8-inch screens.
Toyota’s Sequoia covers about the same range on pricing but offers six trimlines to the Armada’s four. SR5, the entry-level model, features 18-inch wheels, heated side mirrors, a moonroof, Wi-Fi hotspot and triple-zone automatic climate control. A major differentiator in this Nissan Armada vs. Toyota Sequoia shoot out is when it comes to infotainment. Nissan fits every 2022 Armada with a 12.3-inch touchscreen. In the Toyota, a 7-inch screen is it.
Outside of that, it’s a similar level of content as you spend up on the Sequoia with leather seats, window sunshades, and a 12-speaker stereo system found on the Limited model. While the TRD Pro is the priciest Sequoia, at $68,000, it is a bit niche with its off-road focus. Just below it, pricewise, is the $66,000 Platinum model that comes with variable dampers, rear air suspension, perforated leather upholstery, a 9-inch rear entertainment screen, and climatized front seats.
Conclusions
This is a classic case of comparison caveats when we pit the Nissan Armada versus the Toyota Sequoia. Both full-size SUVs offer room for eight and lots of cargo room, but the Toyota offers quite a bit more of that valuable storage space. Both vehicles occupy the same price range of roughly between $51,000 and $68,000, but the Sequoia adds off-road focused models for those interested. You can mirror your Apple or Android smartphone in either option, but the screen is far larger in the Armada.
Powertrains are practically the same and both automakers are known for making long-lasting vehicles. For me, it comes down to the fact that Toyota has not overhauled the Sequoia in well over 10 years. That is going to have impacts on things like noise, vibration, and harshness metrics, and day-to-day livability. Though the all-new 2023 model is coming as we discuss here, the 2022 version is simply an old platform that will struggle to keep up with the fresher Armada, which is why I’d end up at the Nissan dealership.
