From the ArcaMax Publishing, Automotive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/automotive/s-250204-367895
If traditional large SUV selling points - lots of power, beefy
capability - continue to be high on potential buyers' shopping lists,
then the updated '08 Nissan Armada shouldn't have any trouble enticing
folks to take a look. This full-size, full-frame SUV comes standard
with a 317 horsepower 5.6 liter V-8 and a 9,100-lb. tow rating.
These are better numbers than most competitor SUVs offer - at least
when equipped with their standard powertrains. Or even their optional
ones, for that matter.
The Chevy Tahoe, for example, comes standard with a 4.8 liter, 290
horsepower V-8. Its optional 5.3 liter V-8 only just barely edges out
the Pathfinder's V-8 in terms of on-paper power with its 320 hp
rating. However, the Tahoe's max tow rating, even then, is only 7,700
lbs. - considerably less than the Nissan's.
Ford's '08 Expedition does offer a slightly higher max tow rating
(9,200 lbs.) but its 5.4 liter engine comes up 17 hp shy (300 vs. 317)
compared with the Nissan. Though smooth, it lacks the authoritative
off-the-line and part- throttle/passing gear pull of the Nissan's
bigger mill - which produces considerably more torque (385 lbs.-ft.
vs. 365 lbs.-ft.) several hundred RPM earlier (3,400 RPM vs. 3,750 RPM
for the Ford).
Toyota's aging Sequoia lags behind all three - with just 273 horses
available from its smallish 4.7 liter V-8 - and a max tow rating of
only 6,500 lbs.
In addition to its admirable grunt, the big Nissan also offers glam -
including new-for-'08 features such as keyless ignition, a 9GB hard
drive for storing audio files (packaged with the optional GPS system)
and Bluetooth wireless capabiity.
The interior's been made over for '08, too - with an entirely new
dash layout, center stack and different trim/materials, including
(notably) softer dash and panel padding offset by attractive wood
inserts and a 7-inch LCD display.
Nissan's clear intent here was to soften some of the rough edges (and
rough plastics) used before, in order to keep pace with the luxury
car-like interiors now available in several competitor models,
including the current Chevy Tahoe (and its upmarket GMC cousin, the
Yukon). While the standard engines/towing ratings of GM's large SUVs
may not be as mighty as the Armada's, their handsome new interiors
raised the bar several notches at least. Capability and class need
not be mutually exclusive.
The GM SUVs are still the class leaders (on the inside at least) but
the new Armada's updated cabin narrows the gap considerably - and is
certainly just as nice as what you'll find in the '08 Expedition and
several other large SUVs currently on the market.
Trim levels and equipment combos are pretty simple, too. The '08
Armada comes in sport-themed SE (base price $35,250) or
luxury-oriented LE versions (base price $41,750) with either 2WD or
4WD.
No extra charge E-85/flex fuel (FFE) versions of both the SE and the
LE are available.
Eight passenger/three-row seating is standard and buyers can choose as
a no-cost option second-row captain's chairs. That cuts total seating
capacity down to seven but gives the second row occupants Business
Class accommodations. Buyers can also order power folding third row
seats - even on base SE models. With the second and third row seats
down, the Armada offers nearly 100 cubic feet of cargo space. This is
less cargo capacity than the Expedition and Tahoe - but not much less.
The Tahoe's got 109 cubic feet of cargo space; the Expedition 108
cubic feet. You'll have to balance what matters more to you - the
extra 10 or so cubic feet of storage space or the extra 1,400 lbs. of
towing capability (Pathinder vs. Tahoe). Or the extra 17 horses
underhood (Pathfinder vs. Expedition).
If there's a downside to Armada ownership, it's a function of the very
things that have made large and powerful heavy-duty SUVs like it so
appealing for so many years: Its sheer size, for one (nearly 208
inches long, 77.2 inches high and 79.3 inches wide) may intimidate
some potential buyers. Though it doesn't feel so huge on the road (the
Armada's turning circle is actually pretty tight at 40.8 feet vs. the
Expedition's 43.9 feet - although not quite as tight as the Tahoe's,
at 40.8 feet) you do have to reckon with its outsized proportions when
trying to parallel park on a city street or fit it into a typical
suburban garage.
And its appetite for fuel (12 city/17 highway for 4WD models) may
scare off some more. Filling up this six-thousand-pound beast's 28
gallon tank at $3 per is an $84 proposition; you could end up spending
more each month on fuel than you are on the payment itself. If gas
prices shoot to $4 or even $5per, may the Motor Gods have mercy on
you.
On the other hand, the Armada's the real deal. Its 4WD system (with
locking differentials and 4WD Low range gearing) is fully capable of
tackling just about any type of terrain and laughs at unplowed roads
that would be the end of lighter-duty AWD crossover SUVs. It also has
one of the strongest V-8s of any large SUV - and that includes the
optional V-8s offered by several of its direct competitors. Few have
more towing capability or interior room - and if they do, it's not by
very much and usually entails a compromise in some other category of
functionality or capability.
Bottom line: If you want something that's still unapologetically
He-Manish in a world gone crossover and fuel conscious, the Armada
makes its own case. It may not speak to everyone - and is probably
more than most of us will ever need. But if you do need the level of
capability this big galoot offers, lesser vehicles just won't cut it -
no matter how nice their interiors may be.
========
www.ericpetersautos.com (or EPeters952@aol.com) for comments