2023 Nissan Armada Platinum | Better than Tahoe & Sequoia!

hey Gearheads and welcome to garage talk I'm Corey and that is Nissan's big body onframe SUV that is the 20123 Nissan Armada and in this video I'm going to take you on a quick tour of this one tell you why you may want to shop this against the segment leader Chevy Tahoe and even its equivalent comparison vehicle from another Japanese automaker Toyota with the brand new Sequoia stay tuned [Music] all right Gearheads before we get too far into this one I do want to thank my friends over at Nissan for delivering this one to us to test F full week for you here on this channel and on our premium second Channel GT premium reviews go find that on YouTube we also have our family review coming out later this week where Holly gives you her impressions from behind the wheel n install Tucker child seat not only in the second row in the third row as well definitely stick around to watch all of those but since I've got the hood popped on this one let's go ahead and talk about what lies under the hood so first we have gas struts that hold this up no prop rod on this one which is a huge win and the next thing that right there V8 naturally aspirated 5.6 L endurance V8 making 400 horsepower 413 lb feet of torque made it to a 7-speed automatic and in our model putting that power down to all four wheels because we do have a four-wheel drive uh version of the platform but you can get a two- wheeel drive as well in a segment where so many competitors are ditching a V8 for a turbocharged V6 we look at the Sequoia with its 3.5 L twin turbo V6 we look at Ford with it 3.5 L twin turbo V6 we look at Chevrolet with their 3 l turbo inline uh three or inline six turbo diesel and then yes two V8 options those are really the only other V8 options in this class are the 53 and the 62 from Chevy GMC and Cadillac this really is one of the last names in the game when it comes to a V8 powered body on frame big three row SC v s and for me well I really like it I'm going to go ahead and tell you one of its killer features just to get it out of the way there is zero engine start stop on this vehicle when you are in traffic so when you turn the vehicle on the engine is on until you push that off button there behind the steering wheel so this really is a good engine platform closing the hood we can talk about style of this so the Armada was heavily refreshed freshed for the 2021 model year and coming here into 2023 not a lot has changed most of uh what is new for 23 moving into 24 is the fact that they have partnered with Amazon and this has Amazon Alexa built in but we can talk more about that when we move inside otherwise this is the second generation of the Nissan Armada platform the previous version borrowed heavily from the Titan on which was based uh both styling inside and out this one is much more a rebadged Infiniti QX80 or a domestic market Nissan Patrol if you want to look at it this way so the family resemblance to the Titan pickup truck which sadly will come to an end at the end of the 24 model year uh is gone away here in the second generation and for 2021 and up we get this very cleaned up very refreshed look you get the LED headlights up front running lights turn signals a very clean modern look to the Nissan vmotion Grill the pre- refreshed version uh had a three segment Grill this has this big massive uh one giant uh opening here in the front for the grill every opening in the grill is actually open there is no fake Grill work on this vehicle that is a nice touch that you really don't see anymore the seoa has a lot of f fake Grill work on it uh not so here on the Armada I'm going to be talking a lot about the Sequoia because we recently tested a platinum trim seoa and this is a platinum trim of the Armada being that they are both uh imported Brands uh in the big three row segment they really are competing pretty closely against each other behind behind Chevy and Ford uh in those leader spots and I think Nissan does a lot right with this one this is proof that just because something is old doesn't mean it is not good this thing is the oldest platform in the bunch in the mix uh in the segment but I would have to beg that it is one of the best and we'll just keep getting into that the further into this review we go coming down here to the wheels and the tires we have 22in wheels they are a kind of dark graphite finish with a clear coat on them wrapped in Bridgestone Dueler HT tires uh I will say for a 22in uh Tire option there is actually quite a bit of sidewall on this I'll actually bring you in here to show you that they are 27550 R 22s so yes still quite a bit of sidewall but a very nice classy look especially against this gray paint this is a very subdued uh color combination option but it does work very well our Platinum tram also gets the standard fixed in place running boards that mold in nicely to the overall design of the side of this vehicle there's not a lot of styling going on on the side of this vehicle there aren't a lot of sculpting lines curves creases or anything like that the emphasis of less is more really applies here because if it's there it serves a function or a purpose if it's not there well it didn't need to be there like this right up here these Fender vents so many manufacturers are putting those on Just for glamour or just to have something here on this uh panel but on uh the Armada these are actually functional heat extractors for that 56 under the hood so again again if it's here it actually does something it means something and I really like that coming back to the back of the vehicle Chevys and tahos uh Chevy Taho Suburbans and the like I'll have that black removable panel here because it does double duty as a police patrol vehicle it also has to share a platform with Cadillac Escalade with its tall tailights and it just kind of gives a lesser design element back here on the back of and tahos where this is a much more cohesive built-in look here on the Armada is very nice I will say perhaps one downfall of the design is just how far that rear bumper sticks out we'll talk more about that when we open up the hatch here in just second by coming around to the back we have updated tail lights that mimic the design of the headlights up front and we have LED turn signals on this one as well LED tail lights LED all the things on this one you can see we've got a wiper on the back the glass does not open independently of the hatch but there is a nice trick feature up here this houses the rear viiew camera mirror so there is actually if you look way up there in the front of the vehicle you can actually see Hello uh the image coming from the camera behind the glass here which uh is protected from the weather and elements I will say driving this home at night it did look like it was covered in a layer of Vaseline I don't know what it was it's just not a great night camera but it works exceptionally well during the day we get Armada spelled out very big back here on the back as well as platinum on the lower hatch down there this is a power opening hatch and it does a good job of opening up very wide for you but it is a little on the slow side I've noticed and that opens the backup to a rather decent rear cargo area even with the third row of seats up this falls short of the Tahoe's newly uh found 25 cubic feet of storage space but it does a really good job against the competitor from Toyota here we get 16 1 12 cubic feet of storage space and it's usable storage space if you go and watch our Sequoia video it is about half as deep back in the back here and they had to have a tray uh to really maximize the use of space back here and that gets 11 1/2 cubic feet it does have some trick sliding uh rear seats that give you a little bit of more more cargo space they say up to 22.3 behind the rear seats in that seoa but I really don't believe it we can come over here and push these two buttons right here to power fold that third row down again the story just like with the hatch they are a little on the slow side but when you do that you get 49 .9 cubic feet of storage space back here so you can see just how cous it is compared to the 49 even in the back of the second or in the back of the sequa fold that second row down and we get 95.4 cubic feet which uh definitely trumps the 869 in the seoa so this really is the storage monster between this and the competition from Toyota I'm going to go ahead and push the button for these to come out because I will go and call out the third row does have a top tether here on the passenger side only uh no lower latches down below so you are going to be using the seat belt method uh to install a CH seat here in the back row but it's nice to know that give you at least one top tether underneath my backpack here I'm actually going to go ahead pull that out of the way we do get a little additional storage underneath the cargo floor here so very interestingly we get like this flimsy little piece of belt uh that separates uh storage from more storage this is where you get all your tire changing gear I will say with the 22s on our Platinum model we do not get a full-size spare lower trims do but this Platinum model does not get a full-size spare so just want to call that out now I am 5' 10 in tall and you can see this hatch opens a fair amount up above me so I'm not worried about hitting my head there are some vehicles uh that don't have quite as big an opening but I really like it and then uh Nissan puts the buttons for opening and closing here on the hatch Li so if you are vertically challenged this can be slightly over 6ot uh to reach just know that you can also do it from the key fob before we hop into this one I do want to show you the key it is your typical Nissan key that they've had for decades yes plural decades I like it I think it is the best proximity key in the business just because they're able to do everything with this in a small cylinder package and it is very easy to slip into your pocket your purse wherever you keep uh your keys that well you don't need to actually start the vehicle you can see we've got lock unlock your hatch release a panic button and even remote start all here on the key fob huge plus but as I mentioned it is a proximity key so you don't need to actually have it out coming up to the vehicle you can see this little Chrome button right here that's what locks and unlocks the vehicle so uh no passive entry to speak of where you just put your hand on the back of the door but you can lock and unlock it from there you can see it is not here on the back door so if you want to get into the back you have to give it a double press to unlock and get into the back so if you've got kids just something to note there we'll talk more about the back seat here in just a moment but let's go ahead and open up the front doors and talk about what we've got in here in this Platinum trim we've got leather everywhere leather on the doors leather on the seats this nice chocolate brown and they've uh done a nice work just to make this feel like home on the inside uh with the way they Stitch and sew this all together we also get some um I've got to guess that that is fake wood accents throughout the interior of this one two person memory driver's seat here automatic windows all the way around on this your mirror controls you can power fold them your locks and your window lockouts all right there we do get a little extra storage down here but not multi-level like in the Chevys like in the sequa of the world coming around to the seats you can see we've got multi-position power seat with a two-way lumbar so no four-way lumbar on this one but nice to know that you have at least a little bit of lumbar support with these over stuffed oh yes oh yeah that's the stuff this really reminds me of Joey and Chandler's uh apartment they are very big they are very comfortable do we dare we dare a and again they are just a little old school in their approach it seems like modern vehicles are trying to slim down uh seats as much as possible but Nissan gives you nice big chunky seats that are rather comfortable to sit in uh when you climb inside getting inside I'm going to go ahead and push the engine start button here let that endurance V8 were to life and we'll go across the dash showing you everything that we've got on here so this comes standard with Nissan safety Shield a 360 and you can control that right there heated steering wheel there is your hatch release and you can turn off the power function of it again going to the old school nature of this vehicle even the emergency brake on this no electronic parking brake on this is a push on push off I like it there's so much Simplicity to the design of this vehicle uh it hearkens back to a time that we are just so fast racing away from uh but just because it's old does not mean that it does not work well I I've liked this vehicle very much you can see we get analog gauges with a 7in helper screen there in the Middle with rear seat belt alert so you can tell what uh seats are latched which aren't this even has traffic sign recognition so you can see uh posted speed limit will be recorded right there in the middle and then then we can actually page through a lot of different screens here but that comes with one of my biggest complaints on the inside of this vehicle uh the tech just seems a little bit outdated and the information that you can pull up in front of you just it isn't my favorite uh this isn't the best layout but it is familiar to other Nissan products we just had the Pathfinder Rock Creek I just wish maybe Nissan would go the out of Chevrolet and admit that they don't know how to do infotainment and car uh technology as well as tech companies and reach out to Google and use Google built-in because uh as much as I am an apple Fanboy um General Motors products with Google built-in just work really well because Google knows how to build screens and interfaces and things like that otherwise here on the steering wheel we get uh our radio controls our cruise controls this does have a adaptive cruise control which is really nice I have put you can see almost 230 Mi on this one so far and it is done well for me all the way around coming up here do want to call out I showed you where the camera is back in the back but we do have a rear view camera mirror in this one so that helps eliminate all the headrests or heads or boxes whatever you might have back behind you in the third second row behind the third row it with a of a switch here you get a clear view out back uh from that back window it is a nice touch moving down we have a 12.3 in uh touchcreen infotainment here sadly though this kind of goes back to what I was saying hire out Google because in the General Motors products they too have this kind of dual element screen but you can just swipe here and pull through different options whereas here in the Nissan you have to dig through a few menus to change what is over here on this side uh we do have wireless Apple carplay and Android auto this screen is immaculate it's clear crisp and bright I have had no complaints with the screen it's just the technology behind it that I'm not a big fan of big volume and tuning knobs up here really like that the air vents do a great job of pumping out air and Nissan does a really cool thing with this button right here that you may be wondering what on Earth does it do I was wondering myself if you look back behind the screen here this is another air vent that helps Pump Air up and over the dash and bring it back to you so gives you a nice uh cool environment when you get into the Armada otherwise we get heated and ventilated seats up front but I can't tell from over here if this passenger seat is turned on at all CU all the buttons are hidden by the Dual Zone climate control is actually a trizone climate control because we can go to rear air controls we can control it from here or back in the back very nice I like the physical controls for it all works very nice got Armada spelled out here with more of that fake wood which hide a che wireless charger and some additional power back here I really like when Wireless carplay cars have wireless chargers both seem to work very well this is one that will get your phone a little warm uh but it it will at least hold the charge if not add to the charge uh while you're using ways or something that's kind of battery intensive uh with wireless carplay underneath it we have a built-in trailer brake control tow rating on this is 8,500 lb across the board usba and USBC both of those interface with the uh infotainment screen so you have your your choice right there we are uh equipped here with automatic four-wheel drive four high or four low there is no option for two wheel drive in this one we do have a snow mode and a toone mode and you can turn traction off this does have a SE seven-speed automatic with a actual mechanical gear selector here and when you put it in reverse that triggers the 360 cameras in this the cameras themselves are a little grainy which don't take full advantage of the crispness of the screen they also don't employ the entire screen again this area just seems to be underutilized I'm not quite sure what all that is about this does have rear emergency braking which for us with our steep driveway we have to turn it off every single time but I can tell you that every time you cycle the vehicle it turns that back on uh that may be a deal breaker or that may be a lifesaver for some I'll let you decide but you can go ahead and put it back in park there we do have some additional controls here including a physical button to access those cameras so I like that very much you can also go back to your menu and and dig through a bunch of different things here and you also have this rotary knob to control the screen as well back button pretty much an easy way to interface with that screen up there without having to get your fingerprints all over it under here we have a couple cup holders that do have adjustments for larger or smaller drinks that's a nice touch and then the center console here very nice center console with this uh Bin that can be pushed on either side we have controls for the household style power outlet on the back and it is all felt lined so if you put something hard plastic in there it won't rattle while we're talking about storage we get a decently wide glove box but not very tall or deep so not a lot of storage going on in there again I talked about just how comfortable these chairs are but coming around to me showing you my seating position in this at 510 this does have a Power Tilt telescoping steering wheel so that's a nice touch I've got plenty of Headroom plenty of room all the way around in in this and that is partly due because we only have a standard size sunroof in this we don't have a large panoramic sunroof which that really benefits the second row passengers more than the front row so let's go ahead and hop back there see what the second and third rows are like all right coming back to the back doors on the Armada you open it up pretty much exactly what you would expect based on the front seat same seat style here that overy over stuffed Comfort home furn type chair I can't believe two cows made the ultimate sacrifice so you guys could watch TV with your feet up other chair shaped cows they never would have survived in a while with the same uh style upholstery here on the door so you are not a second class citizen back here in the second row we'll note just how thin these doors are there's not a lot of heft to them which really means Nissan is making the most of the interior package packaging of this very large vehicle it is a big vehicle but you actually feel like you're getting use of all the space on the inside one downside to just how thin these doors are are there are no sun shades back here so that uh Platinum trim of the sequa we had did have sun shades back here it also had a very wide ledge for laying your arm but this is a very narrow uh door panel here on this one I'm going to go ahead hop in and close the door just because it is quite warm and show you that we have map pockets on both of the front seats up here and in our model we do have 8 in uh color DVD player screens back here you can mirror them to each other there are HDMI inputs USB inputs even an SD card slot uh there's a power button up here it does come with a wireless remote and two wireless headphones so that your rear passengers can take full advantage of that uh Tucker has not gotten to use these screens so I really can't talk too much to them uh but I know again just like the infotainment stuff up front what little I've used them it just feels a little dated on the tech side the interface uh using them and Nissan really could use a partnership like what General Motors has with Google I do love the placement of the air vents here on the side on the ceiling give you a nice air flow back here to the passengers Chevy puts them up here I think Toyota does as well it get that's a little more in yourr face uh when it comes to air flow but I really like them here on the side and that is true all the way back to the third row you cannot completely turn those third row vents off but you can point them to the back of your head here in the second row so that's a nice touch as well again we talked about the door panels being the same as the front we do get trizone climate controls in this vehicle as well so everything is back here on the back heated outboard Captain's chairs I'm going do my best to show you way down low here we do have uh some power including a household style plug here and a cigarette style plug here with some USB ports down low they're really hard to see from the seating position up front if there's something in the center console that you want as a rear seat passenger Nissan builds in this forward hinge so that you can get into the center console yourself and get whatever you might need from the center console and close it it does make opening it from the front a little difficult just because there is that hinge mechanism on the front that you have to take into account here on our Platinum trim we get a full center console more of that wood trim two cup holders here a very deep center console here uh that is felt lined as well and this is where the headphones and remote were when we got this vehicle if you want to see me install Tucker's child safety seat absolutely subscribe so you see our family review when it drops later this week coming to me you can see I'm quite comfortable these seats do recline I'm in the upright position right now I I've got no complaints but it's nice to know you can get really comfortable back here in the second row a very very comfortable seats I just wish these were also ventilated that's another one that Sequoia gets up on this so if that is a deal breaker for you maybe look at sequa but now let's check out that third row and for that we're going to pop out and I'm actually going to show you right over my shoulder here is the latch to tilt and Tumble the second row seat forward which gives you a massive access to the third row seat unfortunately does not work with the child seat in place with that center console it's not like you can go around found it but we do have a three across third row here in the Armada if you're going to sit back here I highly recommend putting these massive headrests up into place because the seat back is very low so these are very tall can see just like I showed you when we were in the back they are 60/40 split there are no no lower latch points back here for child seats but one of the trick features back here go ahead and get behind the Tucker seat over here is they are power recline so that's nice not only do they power fold forward but they power recline and I'll go ahead and show you here my knees are not touching the seat in front of me as it is right now the these don't slide so if the person here wants to recline then he's definitely going to be in my knees which is a little bit of a deal breaker I wish there were some sort of sliding mechanism on these so that you can really do those negotiations but otherwise it is a nice uh second third row combination my knees are up a little bit but not a whole lot I would say perhaps the Wagoner and Grand Wagoner are the best body onf frame three row SUV that you can get because the seating position in those is very chairlike that's enough of the Interior tour let's hop out now and see what this thing is like to drive getting in and driving the Armada this thing really is an easy vehicle to Pilot first thing that I want to call out above anything else is visibility so the first thing you notice getting into the vehicle is well yes it may be a very big body on frame SUV is you can see up and over like visibility out of this is excellent I am sitting above the hood I can see all corners of the vehicle vcle in front of me I can see all around the windows are big they don't come up too high visibility in this thing is really really good and I was in a crossover SUV before this that didn't have nearly this level of visibility again you just feel like you're sitting up above everything including the rest of this vehicle so some might complain about that but I would say this really does help you see everything and if you do intend to take this Offroad it's even better because you can see all the obstacles around you though I wouldn't really recommend it with these 22in wheels and tires there's quite a bit of sidewall for a 22 but still those aren't the off-road tires I would choose if I plan to take it off-road otherwise it is a very comfortable vehicle to get in and drive another thing I will note perhaps the killer feature of this vehicle that we are experiencing right now is is there is no engine start stop on this 56 uh endurance V8 when it is on it is on it does not power off in traffic to save you fuel economy because it is an older style V8 engine and it just works the way Vehicles should work you don't have to wait for it to come back on after lifting your foot off the brake it's just there and this sspeed is really ready to keep you in the power band right where you need it to be to make the most of those 400 ponies and that 413 lb feet of torque I have never felt power starved in this vehicle it is big it is heavy but it does not starve you for power it does not feel like the giant lug that it is in the power Department this thing is pey and fun to drive it's no race car but it'll move it'll move when you need it to and and that's really good merging onto traffic um trying to get around slow traffic trying to avoid situations around you uh that is really good in this to the detriment of no engine start stop though the fuel economies fuel economy numbers are a little on the L side so we have uh 13 City 18 Highway 15 combined we are seeing over that across the board uh on my trip home from Dallas in this I saw over 18 MPG on the highway at Texas highway speeds if you know what that is you know um and here in city traffic we are seeing over the EPA estimated 13 MPG so it is getting better fuel economy numbers than the window sticker it is very easy to get into a comparison number on paper uh between this and the Tahoe or this and the Sequoia because those are the obvious choices that you would pair this up against and this undercuts both of them in price and while it has less power again it feels more readily available than either of those Vehicles I've driven well every powertrain in the Chevy lineup from the 53 the 62 and that 3 l durmax Diesel and I've tested that twin turbo V6 in the seoa this really is my preference it it's everything you would expect in a package uh that is a big body on frame three row SUV it just works as expected it is a good Tri and true honest to goodness the way they used to make them yes I know I'm getting old in Cy V8 I'm elderly and infirm I really like it it works hands down again visibility as you get out with this rear view camera mirror even with it in rear view mirror mode Road uh is really good you've got a big wide window back behind you with those back headrests down you can see out very nicely the slenderness of the sides mean you have full visibility out over both of your shoulders uh looking through the back windows it really is just a good SUV all the way around and then this has something that Chevy didn't even have until its most recent redesign and that is four-wheel independent suspension the ride on this is surprisingly good it is not Cadillac Supple no um with its magnar ride or anything like that but we do have load leveling rear suspension for towing for hauling and a rather smooth four-wheel independent suspension the ride on this is Head and Shoulders above what we experienced in the uh Toyota sequa Platinum this is definitely a better overall living with driving it with experience than that Toyota seoa really the only thing the seoa has over that over this in my book uh rear sun shades in the rear doors ventilated second row Captain's chairs and slightly better fuel economy but I would take that hit for this V8 it really is that good this vehicle proves that just because something's old doesn't mean it's not any good order now you get the camera you get the printer 4X optical zoom Snider lens photo Nissan really has a gem with this vehicle and I I have come to love it more than I expected uh when this one showed up for us to test it it really has been a blast I'm actually going to be really sad to see this one go if you want to see more from us including Holly's review behind the steering wheel coming up later where I put Tucker's child seat not only in the second row but in the third row and I also test its rear-facing fit for the front seat passenger be sure and hit that subscribe button down below ring the bell so you're notified when that video drops later this week go find our second Channel GT premium reviews on YouTube because we have a full cinematic quality video of this uh where I am actually riding in the back I am being chauffeured in this big boat uh and truly get to experience what it's like in all positions uh in this vehicle because it is I'll face it it's a it's a floaty vehicle it really goes in well with that Armada name which an armada is a fleet of Warships this very much feels like a warship so gather a bunch of your friends with armadas and uh intimidate the rest but as for us go find us on all social media platforms Facebook Instagram Twitter TI talk YouTube everything is at GT garag talk or you can go to GT garag talk.com but as for me behind the wheel of the 2023 Nissan Armada in the Platinum trim until next time get your heads [Music] bye that

Channel: GT: Garage Talk

Views: 20,102

Keywords: GT Garage Talk, GTGarageTalk, Garage Talk, GT

Id: mNOiFQE3qks

Length: 36min 41sec (2201 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 13 2023