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2025 Nissan Sentra Review2023 Nissan Armada: Power & Comfort
The 2023 Nissan Armada offers plenty of power and comfort. We look at powertrain, interior options, trim levels, and more. Find out our thoughts here.
2023 Nissan Armada – nissanusa.com | Shop 2023 Nissan Armada on Carsforsale.com
What’s New for the 2023 Nissan Armada?
The 2023 Nissan Armada comes with a big powerful 5.6-liter V8 and the buyer’s choice of rear or four-wheel drive. All four trims come with comfortable seating, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, and towing capacity that maxes out at 8,500 pounds.
Nissan hasn’t added any big major features to the Armada for the 2023 model year. What it has done is shift some equipment down a notch in the trim lineup. That means that the SV now comes standard with LED fog lights, remote start, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The entire lineup gets Amazon Alexa integration.
The Breakdown
Great engine
Above-average towing
Comfortable interior
Very basic warranty
Underwhelming entertainment
Fuel thirsty
A solid competitor
2023 Armada Specs
- 400 horsepower from base engine
- 413 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 4 available trims
- 16.5 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- 95.4 cu-ft of cargo capacity with seats down
- Towing capacity of 8,500 lbs
- Integrated navigation
- Standard lane-keep assist
- Very basic 3-year warranty
2023 Nissan Armada Powertrain
Pop the hood on any 2023 Nissan Armada and you’ll find the same 5.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 that the 2022 model used. As such, it continues to make 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. That power is then sent to either the rear wheels or all four through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Those who go for the 4WD version of the Armada will benefit from a two-speed transfer case with selectable drive modes.
Power delivery is great and the V8 actually sounds fantastic too. Despite a lot of truck-like DNA under the skin of the Armada, it rides quite smoothly. The steering and braking feedback is slightly above average too though it’s worth noting that on the highway there’s more numbness in the steering than there is at slower speeds.
We’re impressed with how quiet the cabin is but surely the independent suspension and insulation has a bit to do with that. Still, the newer Chevrolet Tahoe drives even more sharply.
Towing & Payload
Across the Armada range most will tow up to 8,500 pounds. That’s a fantastic feature that puts it in the same sort of class as the Chevrolet Tahoe. On top of that, almost every trim comes with a trailer brake controller and some also come with trailer sway damping. As we’re about to discuss, there’s lots of cargo space in the Armada but it’s nice to have the freedom to pull weekend toys behind it.
2023 Nissan Armada Fuel Economy & MPG
The obvious downside of dropping a powerful V8 under the hood of the Armada is relatively poor fuel economy. The rear-wheel drive version gets at best 14 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway according to the EPA. Choose four-wheel drive and you’ll see both figures drop by one. That’s far from the best performers in the class but sometimes brute power matters more than fuel economy.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
Nissan’s approach to the interior of the Armada is a mixed bag in our eyes. The front seats are some of the most comfortable in the business. We also like the way Nissan integrates soft-touch surfaces with trim that wraps from the door panel to the dash. The center control stack is clean and elegant too.
At the same time, the gauge cluster looks a bit outdated. The second-row seating is fine but the available captain’s chairs are fixed in place which isn’t the case with some competitors. The third row sits very low to the ground and transforms from up to down very slowly.
Across all three rows buyers might find that they don’t have enough power ports either. What isn’t a concern is cargo space. Even with all three rows in place, there are almost 20 cubic feet of room behind it. Drop the seats and there’s almost 100 cubic feet of storage.
Entertainment & Technology
Each Armada comes with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that looks decent but could use updated graphics and processing speeds. The menu layout is easy to understand but we’re happy that Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are both standard as they offer a more modern interface.
It’s worth noting that the base Armada comes with only four speakers throughout the cabin. That’s pretty sparse for a vehicle with this much interior space and it’s obvious by the sound it produces. Thankfully, a 13-speaker Bose sound system is standard on the SL trim and it sounds great. That trim also gets a 360-degree camera system and the Platinum trim comes with a rear-seat infotainment system too.
Safety Features
Every Armada comes with a full complement of safety equipment including adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation, blind-spot warning, lane-departure mitigation, and parking sensors. That’s a fantastic package that we commend Nissan for including. Rivals from GM and Ford would do well to emulate this policy. As of the date of this writing, neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has released any conclusive safety data surrounding the Armada.
2023 Nissan Armada Trims & Pricing
S – $52,495
The base Armada comes with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, cloth upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, a powered tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, four speakers, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, satellite radio, and integrated navigation.
SV – $57,045
Stepping up to the SV adds a universal garage door opener, heated front seats, faux leather upholstery, roof rails, LED fog lights, a wireless smartphone charger, Amazon Alexa integration, remote start, and two more speakers for a total of six.
SL – $60,465
The SL gets real leather upholstery, trailer sway damping, a sunroof, a heated steering wheel, a surround-view camera system, and a 13-speaker sound system. Buyers can add a Midnight package too which adds black trim.
Platinum – $68,815
The top trim gets 22-inch wheels, open-pore wood trim, rain-sensing wipers, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, one-touch-power-folding third-row seats, quilted leather upholstery, and a rear-seat entertainment system with dual 8-inch infotainment screens.
Warranties
Nissan offers a very basic warranty package on the Armada. It includes three years or 36,000 miles of limited warranty coverage and five years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. That’s well short of others like Jeep, Ford, and Hyundai who offer longer coverage, complimentary maintenance, or both. Even Toyota with its Sequoia, a direct rival, offers complimentary maintenance
What we think
2023 Nissan Armada – nissanusa.com | Shop 2023 Nissan Armada on Carsforsale.com
The 2023 Nissan Armada isn’t so special that we’d suggest finding a great new car incentive and snatching one up immediately. Still, it’s a competent competitor in the three-row SUV space and it’s worthy of consideration for those who value comfort and brute passing power over most other features. It’s actually the one SUV we called out as a dark horse in our list of the best SUVs for large families.
