I tow our 6,275 pound camper with our 2023 Nissan Armada SL. It does great. Keep in mind, the owners manual does say maximum towing is 5,000 pounds without a weight distribution hitch and 8,500 with a weight distribution hitch so they towed so much over the limit without a weight distribution hitch.
We bought a 2015 Yukon XL this year and considered a 2020 Armada. Safety rating is what really held me back. Now I'm quite happy cause I don't think the Armada would have worked for me with the storage. I have filled the Yukon XL to the brim several times this summer.
I had a rental Armada SL. When my Durango was in the body shop for 2 weeks and I loved it. The throttle response was better than my Durango. The two things I didn't like was the feel of the steering wheel and it didn't have cooled seats.
SL definitely only has half of what the Platinum has. I have the 22 Armada Platinum, and it is soo comfy, you can literally just sit on the driver seat and fall asleep while it's parked.
The 7 speed on this car is amazing. It is like it reads your mind and is always in the gear you would select manually. (I just bought one 2 weeks ago. The base, the "S", but with 4WD for much much less than the prices they were discussing)
I tow a 7,800 pound travel trailer with our 2017 Nissan Armada. The power is fantastic. My only complaint is the suspension struggles a bit as you approach the maximum 850 lb tongue weight. Our Armada is equipped with the factory air suspension. As others have stated, the Nissan Armada is a beast.
I am so close to get an Armada: It is Basically a Nissan Patrol Y62 sold around the world. Patrol had KDSS, Rear locker, 4 piston calipers in the front. I am thinking of S trim or SV, but white is my favorite color and S trim does not offer white. These are not second to a land cruiser and during my research, Armada's have clocked easy 200K miles without a single issue!
I have always liked the Armada over Sequoia, but I still feel more at home in GM’s full size SUV’s plus it is very hard to ignore the diesel option😎 Great little tow video 👍🤗
Tell me u know nothing about engines and only base your decisions off of feelings. Because the diesel option is garbage for Chevy and GMC! Toyota and Nissan comes in first with power and the Nissan is so underrated! U should drive one Nissan
My family has one, absolutely love it.. we switched to 275 70R18 and put firestone coil-rite kit on rear.. And now pulls/hauls like Godzilla.. Test it/try it..
with a good weight distribution hitch, that Armada makes an excellent tow vehicle. Not everyone wants to tow with a pick up, and it is nice to see vehicles like this (Sequoia and Yukon included) that can actually tow a 30 foot travel trailer safely and comfortably.
Great Video guys. I had a 2004 Infiniti QX56 and then traded that in for a 2021 Nissan Armada SL because of that great Endurance V8 engine and 7 speed transmission. Towing my 22 foot boat (with trailer was about 4000lbs) was never a problem with either vehicle. Towing the boat to Lake George, NY was very hilly on I87 thru the Catskill mountains and I averaged about 11.5 mpg. I would highly recommend to purchase this vehicle for the price, towing capacity and for the engine reliability. In 2025, the Nissan Armada will be re-designed with a twin Turbo V6 and who knows how reliable those engines will be. Toyota is going that route too because of fuel savings which isn't much compared to the V8 engines.
You guys forgot to mention that the Nissan armada is a carbon copy of the Nissan patrol sold around the world as a Land Cruiser competitor. There are some Middle Eastern car pages I’ve looked at, and they are reporting a bigger Armada with a TwinTurbo V6.
I agree, pretty ignorant not to acknowledge this cars heritage properly. It never moved production location, the Y62 has always been built in Japan. Its a Patrol.
I have a 2017 Armada SL and it tows beautifully. However, for that much weight, the owner's manual recommends you use a weight distribution hitch. It would've helped with the porpoising.
The JATCO CVTs Nissan uses has given the brand a name fore unreliability. I believe it was a major factor in the failure of the Titan. Their traditional automatics are some of the best. Right next to the V6 Tacoma, the Frontier is easily as reliable. Even the Titan forums on Reddit seem to indicate really good reliability. I can't imagine the Armada being any different.
@kevmitch6568 What AVI8ER is saying is the jatco CVT unreliability put a stain on Nissan's name and also word of mouth spreads. A lot of people say they are staying away from Nissan because of that even though we know that Nissan has vehicles with traditional transmission. One bad product can really damage a company's reputation.
The QX80 is a great used value. We bought a clean well cared for one owner 2016 and it IS an absolute tow beast. Very surprising to me. My only gripes are that the adaptive cruise control has terrible programming. It is not smooth at all. Full throttle to make up a few MPH or panic braking when someone slows down a little in front of you. Other than that, it has been very reliable after cutting the wire for the "smart battery charging" system that used to kill batteries every 2 years.
I've had the Armada and the QX80. No option to get a higher Bose system. Nissan removed ALL of the door lights after 2020... why?? I don't get to see the ground when I open my doors anymore? Also the QX80 comes standard in the base model with most of what the platinum has plus you get the Infiniti dealership experience (Nissan is hit or miss for me) and a slightly higher ground clearance. Plus the interior is quieter plus if you wanted AFS lighting that is an option (nowhere on the Armada) I used to listen to the "get the Armada it's the same" reviewer speech line. Although I do still love the Armada to say it's the same as the QX80 is incorrect . At first glance maybe but spend a week in one and it's clear they are for two different crowds and have plenty of differences. Between them.
Hopefully the 2025 Armada offers more rear cargo room to compete with the big 3 in that aspect. Overall the fit and finish is leagues above anything the big 3 put out.
Yeah, but you can do a lot of driving with the 20k you save over not buying the others and you don't have to worry about Ford's turbos not spreading the oil around or the Chevy's stabilitrack shutting you down while your driving down the interstate at 75mph. The Armada feels like it has a higher center of gravity and tends to feel like it can flip if you go over overpasses in curves too fast.
Its a Nissan Patrol with an Armada badge, if only Nissan North America would learn how to market it properly and tap in to the Patrol's amazing heritage. Patrol has better suspension system, better traction control and rear axle diff lock, but essentially the same vehicle. Super capable off road.
9 mpg sucks, can't believe you said, that's not so bad. You couldn't take the time to do a 30 minute road/hwy tow? Puttering 30mph on city roads ain't no test.
Cool beans! I have a 2018 Armada and is my 4th tow vehicle for the same boat. The boat is 6000lbs and the Armada is Godard better than the previous vehicles. 1985 F250, 1997 Tahoe, 2006 Sequoia all barely towed my boat. 78k on Armada has not been perfect, but I knew that buying a Nissan 😂. Perfect towing suv vehicle for sure!
I had the Titan-based Armada. On flat roads, it could tow 8500 (if you don't mind 3mpg). The main problem was that the 6-speed transmission would hunt endlessly on even minor grades.
I'm going to tell y'all something if you didn't already know it this is a juggernaut this is one of the best full-size SUVs on the market today it has a great reputation and it is bad as hell when it comes to Towing
Use a level hitch. Brakes, air ride, transmission are in danger of failing. Nissan vehicle feedback system won't respond correctly with what you did....
@@HSstudio.Ytchnnl The Y62 Patrol is gas only with the 5.6 litre V8. Patrol does have AWD/4WD and a lot of off-road goodies (locker, HMBS suspension etc.) but it's the same platform.
It has everything to do with performance. Because the higher octane is better at resisting knock the armada can advance timing which results in more power.
I drive truck for a living. No matter how good it is. I would never tow anything in an suv no matter how big or small. They make trucks for a reason. For weight distribution and sway control. Those who tow all the time know. The place that sales the trailer and the internet ,dealership, ext. tells you you can tow X amount doesn’t mean you should. For suvs you should never tow anything that out weighs the suv ever!!! Trucks are different because of pivot for fifth wheel and gooseneck. Bumper pull is higher two because of weight distribution. ( there longer ) I’ve seen some crazy stuff in 17 years of driving semi’s
@shaunnightfire8269 watch other test with the armada, it tows great up the Ike and has no issues towing....its built on a truck chassis with truck components....badass suv
@jstitan2972 I did and even Andre said it has funky shifting issues. It couldn't even hold speed with 7k#. The problem is that there is a huge gap between 2nd and 3rd - even bigger than that of a 6r80.
The Armada has always been a beast. They're also insanely reliable. One of Nissan's OG best vehicles.
Simple setup no fancy gizmos
Nissan kinda went out of business but is now 50/50 partners with CCP as told in Wikipedia. Nissan is now a official police vehicles for China.
We had three titans as company trucks. THE Armada has the same drivetrain. We got 300k or more miles out of all of them. The fuel mileage sucked.
@@VARITHMS Yes, big V8s snort fuel like crack. Sadly, that has always been the case.
@@VARITHMS powerful, reliable, good mpg. Pick 2 😄
I tow our 6,275 pound camper with our 2023 Nissan Armada SL. It does great. Keep in mind, the owners manual does say maximum towing is 5,000 pounds without a weight distribution hitch and 8,500 with a weight distribution hitch so they towed so much over the limit without a weight distribution hitch.
It's strange they typically use a weight distribution hitch too lol
Agree. They should have used a WDH for safety reasons.
We bought a 2015 Yukon XL this year and considered a 2020 Armada. Safety rating is what really held me back. Now I'm quite happy cause I don't think the Armada would have worked for me with the storage. I have filled the Yukon XL to the brim several times this summer.
I had a rental Armada SL. When my Durango was in the body shop for 2 weeks and I loved it. The throttle response was better than my Durango. The two things I didn't like was the feel of the steering wheel and it didn't have cooled seats.
I think that's because you didn't have the Platinum version
SL definitely only has half of what the Platinum has. I have the 22 Armada Platinum, and it is soo comfy, you can literally just sit on the driver seat and fall asleep while it's parked.
@@kuvyoghmoobamelica6883do you still like it? I’m considering one.
The 7 speed on this car is amazing. It is like it reads your mind and is always in the gear you would select manually. (I just bought one 2 weeks ago. The base, the "S", but with 4WD for much much less than the prices they were discussing)
I tow a 7,800 pound travel trailer with our 2017 Nissan Armada. The power is fantastic. My only complaint is the suspension struggles a bit as you approach the maximum 850 lb tongue weight. Our Armada is equipped with the factory air suspension. As others have stated, the Nissan Armada is a beast.
I am so close to get an Armada: It is Basically a Nissan Patrol Y62 sold around the world. Patrol had KDSS, Rear locker, 4 piston calipers in the front. I am thinking of S trim or SV, but white is my favorite color and S trim does not offer white. These are not second to a land cruiser and during my research, Armada's have clocked easy 200K miles without a single issue!
I just bought an "S" base trim with 4WD, got crazy money off the already reasonable MSRP, for end of year discounts.
I have always liked the Armada over Sequoia, but I still feel more at home in GM’s full size SUV’s plus it is very hard to ignore the diesel option😎
Great little tow video 👍🤗
Tell me u know nothing about engines and only base your decisions off of feelings.
Because the diesel option is garbage for Chevy and GMC!
Toyota and Nissan comes in first with power and the Nissan is so underrated!
U should drive one Nissan
I had a 2010 armada and I've wished I had it back for 8yrs now haha. Great in snow and very comfortable
My family has one, absolutely love it..
we switched to 275 70R18 and put firestone coil-rite kit on rear..
And now pulls/hauls like Godzilla..
Test it/try it..
with a good weight distribution hitch, that Armada makes an excellent tow vehicle. Not everyone wants to tow with a pick up, and it is nice to see vehicles like this (Sequoia and Yukon included) that can actually tow a 30 foot travel trailer safely and comfortably.
Great Video guys. I had a 2004 Infiniti QX56 and then traded that in for a 2021 Nissan Armada SL because of that great Endurance V8 engine and 7 speed transmission. Towing my 22 foot boat (with trailer was about 4000lbs) was never a problem with either vehicle. Towing the boat to Lake George, NY was very hilly on I87 thru the Catskill mountains and I averaged about 11.5 mpg. I would highly recommend to purchase this vehicle for the price, towing capacity and for the engine reliability. In 2025, the Nissan Armada will be re-designed with a twin Turbo V6 and who knows how reliable those engines will be. Toyota is going that route too because of fuel savings which isn't much compared to the V8 engines.
Let's see a camper towing test with 1/2 ton SUVs
You guys forgot to mention that the Nissan armada is a carbon copy of the Nissan patrol sold around the world as a Land Cruiser competitor. There are some Middle Eastern car pages I’ve looked at, and they are reporting a bigger Armada with a TwinTurbo V6.
That will be the Y63 that is due to replace the current Y62 Patrol/Armada in a year or two.
Thats is why you can get so much money off for end of year discounts on these, I snagged one since it finally made one affordable to me.
I agree, pretty ignorant not to acknowledge this cars heritage properly. It never moved production location, the Y62 has always been built in Japan. Its a Patrol.
Curious if you went over the payload capacity, I think you did. You more than likely went over the GCVW.
One of the best full size Utes out there.
the Nissan Armada is an SUV & not a Ute, are you talking about the Ford that's on the trailer?
I have a 2017 Armada SL and it tows beautifully. However, for that much weight, the owner's manual recommends you use a weight distribution hitch. It would've helped with the porpoising.
I have a qx80. It's a monster of an SUV the v8 sound never gets old
The JATCO CVTs Nissan uses has given the brand a name fore unreliability. I believe it was a major factor in the failure of the Titan. Their traditional automatics are some of the best. Right next to the V6 Tacoma, the Frontier is easily as reliable. Even the Titan forums on Reddit seem to indicate really good reliability. I can't imagine the Armada being any different.
The Titan has a normal gear transmission, not the continuous variable transmission (CVT)
@kevmitch6568
What AVI8ER is saying is the jatco CVT unreliability put a stain on Nissan's name and also word of mouth spreads. A lot of people say they are staying away from Nissan because of that even though we know that Nissan has vehicles with traditional transmission. One bad product can really damage a company's reputation.
Agree. Unfortunately the good things get looked over because of the bad things in different vehicles from the same manufacturer.
The QX80 is a great used value. We bought a clean well cared for one owner 2016 and it IS an absolute tow beast. Very surprising to me. My only gripes are that the adaptive cruise control has terrible programming. It is not smooth at all. Full throttle to make up a few MPH or panic braking when someone slows down a little in front of you. Other than that, it has been very reliable after cutting the wire for the "smart battery charging" system that used to kill batteries every 2 years.
I've had the Armada and the QX80. No option to get a higher Bose system. Nissan removed ALL of the door lights after 2020... why?? I don't get to see the ground when I open my doors anymore?
Also the QX80 comes standard in the base model with most of what the platinum has plus you get the Infiniti dealership experience (Nissan is hit or miss for me) and a slightly higher ground clearance. Plus the interior is quieter plus if you wanted AFS lighting that is an option (nowhere on the Armada)
I used to listen to the "get the Armada it's the same" reviewer speech line. Although I do still love the Armada to say it's the same as the QX80 is incorrect . At first glance maybe but spend a week in one and it's clear they are for two different crowds and have plenty of differences. Between them.
The Nissan Armada has a ton of power
Titan 7 speed do a great job too AFTER reprogramation
I hate to hear that the Titan is going away, in the next 2 or 3 years that was gonna be my next truck.
Why wait? Nissan currently is offering 0% financing for 60 months on ALL Titans and Titan XDs. Screaming deal.
Imagine having an in in north American truck market and then quitting....kia/hyundai should/would love to buy the line
That OBS really only weighs 6000 lbs? I feel like it would be heavier lol
Yeah me too. My 2500 dodge weighs damn near 7000
This is a beautiful truck
Hopefully the 2025 Armada offers more rear cargo room to compete with the big 3 in that aspect. Overall the fit and finish is leagues above anything the big 3 put out.
They should slap this V8 into the Frontier! 😮
why not get a base Titan, it's bigger than Frontier & 2024 is Nissan Titan's last year of existence
@@HSstudio.Ytchnnl The Frontier is a far better looking pickup...
Made in Japan the way it should be
I love them but the worst gas mileage out of all the SUVs
Yeah, but you can do a lot of driving with the 20k you save over not buying the others and you don't have to worry about Ford's turbos not spreading the oil around or the Chevy's stabilitrack shutting you down while your driving down the interstate at 75mph. The Armada feels like it has a higher center of gravity and tends to feel like it can flip if you go over overpasses in curves too fast.
no it’s not. the Escalade, Yukon have similar MPG figures. it’s not as bad as you might think
Your mileage may vary.
have you taken it on the ike yet?
Its a Nissan Patrol with an Armada badge, if only Nissan North America would learn how to market it properly and tap in to the Patrol's amazing heritage. Patrol has better suspension system, better traction control and rear axle diff lock, but essentially the same vehicle. Super capable off road.
So they have a japanese built VK?
nah the vehicle is built in Japan, the engine is built here in Tennessee
9 mpg sucks, can't believe you said, that's not so bad. You couldn't take the time to do a 30 minute road/hwy tow? Puttering 30mph on city roads ain't no test.
Cool beans! I have a 2018 Armada and is my 4th tow vehicle for the same boat. The boat is 6000lbs and the Armada is Godard better than the previous vehicles. 1985 F250, 1997 Tahoe, 2006 Sequoia all barely towed my boat. 78k on Armada has not been perfect, but I knew that buying a Nissan 😂. Perfect towing suv vehicle for sure!
Considering the Armada is based on the Titan platform (or it used to be), I would sure hope it could tow at least 8500 pounds.
used to be now it is on an international platform Patrol
I had the Titan-based Armada. On flat roads, it could tow 8500 (if you don't mind 3mpg). The main problem was that the 6-speed transmission would hunt endlessly on even minor grades.
Never realized how "beastly" the Armada was.
Hey you guys, have you heard of the 2024 Nissan Xterra coming back to the states
Wish they kept it more of a tank than a mega luxury truck.
Hey Nathan and Andre!!
I'm going to tell y'all something if you didn't already know it this is a juggernaut this is one of the best full-size SUVs on the market today it has a great reputation and it is bad as hell when it comes to Towing
They love these in dubai very durable whe they doing dune bashing Tahoe or expedition can not do what the armada can do much stronger suv
Well it wont have the v8 next year, they are replacing it with a v6 turbo
sadly
it is made in japan. only the engine is made in the usa. it is the legendary nissan patrol.
I don’t know if it’s got better, but Nissans always had awful gas mileage, maybe they updated their engines !
Vehicles have a max towing capacity for a reason...to max out!😂
Should have just used the ranger again.
I wish the Gen 2 Titan got the Armada interior.
Maybe an Super Ike for the Armada...
It ain’t age I hate when they say that it’s a simple not complicated like all the other trucks
Use a level hitch. Brakes, air ride, transmission are in danger of failing. Nissan vehicle feedback system won't respond correctly with what you did....
Do some off road stuff with the Armada please
Watch Nissan patrol it’s the same vehicle it’s a weapon off road
@@wax333Nissan Patrol is a diesel, Armada is not diesel
@@HSstudio.Ytchnnl The Y62 Patrol is gas only with the 5.6 litre V8. Patrol does have AWD/4WD and a lot of off-road goodies (locker, HMBS suspension etc.) but it's the same platform.
Should have towed it up the Ike while you were at it.
Seems like they only tow max weight with the Nissans . Why
They discontinue the Titan, which this is based on, but are still making the Armada???
It’s really a almost totally different vehicle. Look up Nissan Patrol.
Maybe in reality, the titan was based off the Armada
The second gen Nissan Titan came out a year prior to the second gen Armada. They only share a motor and front differential.
2 completely different vehicles bro. this is based off the Patrol, they only share the engine, that’s bout it
It would have been better if they used a first get first few years. I’ve got an o6 with a 9100 capacity lol.
That was prior to SAE standardization.
@@ALMX5DP I’ve never had any issue towing that much not to mention I do about 8 thousand at least once a month when I get a bunch of shingles.
@@michaelashleyii7942 maybe not, I’m just saying the ratings back then can’t be compare to the ratings of today due to SAE standardization.
Octane is an anti-Knock index, has nothing to do with BTU availability or performance
3:53 seemed like Andre was just stating the specs and wasn’t saying 91+ necessarily has more energy.
Some modern ECUs will adjust engine output based on the octane of the fuel being used.
@@deepspeed84 yup and the Armada is one such vehicle. Think it’s rated for 390hp on 87 and 400hp if using 91+.
It has everything to do with performance. Because the higher octane is better at resisting knock the armada can advance timing which results in more power.
I drive truck for a living. No matter how good it is. I would never tow anything in an suv no matter how big or small. They make trucks for a reason. For weight distribution and sway control. Those who tow all the time know. The place that sales the trailer and the internet ,dealership, ext. tells you you can tow X amount doesn’t mean you should. For suvs you should never tow anything that out weighs the suv ever!!! Trucks are different because of pivot for fifth wheel and gooseneck. Bumper pull is higher two because of weight distribution. ( there longer ) I’ve seen some crazy stuff in 17 years of driving semi’s
Will sell like hotcakes
Needs to be run up the Ike
Convenient you didn't talk payload or hitch weight, sure you are over considerably.
Its pronounced "patrol" not armada....
Did TFL move Down Under or something?
Funny, pretty sure it says Armada on the vehicle
Its Nissan Patrol Y62 (like Landcruiser for toyota) for the rest of the world.
Sad to see a Nissan towing a Ford.
Why are your videos always so jittery?
Ugh.. people buy these?
Armada handles like shit even for a full size suv
Trash 7-speed
umm no it is NOT, the 9 speed is
Not sure about the 9 speed but that Armada will struggle on the Ike or other tough grades. The gear ratio spacing is AWFUL.
The 9 speed has so many issues , i have a 7 speed truck and have non-issue, my buddy has 2020 sl and he has had a new trans already...9 speed is junk.
@shaunnightfire8269 watch other test with the armada, it tows great up the Ike and has no issues towing....its built on a truck chassis with truck components....badass suv
@jstitan2972 I did and even Andre said it has funky shifting issues. It couldn't even hold speed with 7k#. The problem is that there is a huge gap between 2nd and 3rd - even bigger than that of a 6r80.