The Nissan Armada is Nissan's full-size SUV. It shares its body-on-frame F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Titan pickup truck, Nissan Xterra SUV, Nissan Frontier pickup truck, and Nissan Pathfinder SUV. An upscale version of the Armada was sold as the Infiniti QX56 from 2004 to 2010, when it switched to a platform based on the Nissan Patrol. All Armadas are currently built in Canton, Mississippi.
The rear door handles are installed on the "C" pillar as a Nissan design tradition started with the 1986 Nissan Pathfinder. When the four-door Pathfinder was introduced, Nissan chose to conceal the door handles as a part of the "C" pillar trim to visually make it appear like a two-door truck with a camper shell, with conventional door handles on the front doors.
The Armada has a 5.6 L 317 hp (227 kW) & 385 lb-ft of torque VK56DE V8 engine, a 5-speed automatic transmission, and a choice of rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The Armada was designed for North America and introduced for the 2004 model year. The switch to the Armada name was made in 2005, where it got new badges. It was restyled for the 2008 model year.
The latest Nissan Armada Platinum edition features a 9.3GB hard drive for storing music, and a CF (Compact Flash) memory card reader. The Platinum edition also features a power liftgate, and 3rd row seats that fold electronically.
It has a towing capacity of up to 9,000 lbs.
There are some Armadas that are capable of using E85. It was the only Japanese vehicle sold in the U.S. other than the Nissan Titan that can use E85 until the introduction of the E85 capable Toyota UR engine powered Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia in 2009. The 2009 Armada has been updated with more standard features and options.
In 2010, new changes were made for the 2011 model year Armada, with two trim levels, SE and Off-Road, dropped from the lineup. The base trim is now known as SV, the middle trim is now SL, and the range topping trim is still Platinum. Prices range from $37,910 for the 2WD SV to $52,890 for the 4WD Platinum. In addition, while the Armada continues to be produced in the United States, it no longer shares the same platform as the Infiniti QX56, which is produced in Japan.
The 2013 changes include Bluetooth and satellite radio standard on all models. The platinum model will offer a new Platinum reserve package. A new navigation system that has a larger hard disk drive (40 GB), is NavWeather capable, has Zagat Survey, has the ability to stream audio from Bluetooth and a USB port. The Nissan DVD Entertainment System now uses screens mounted in the back of the front head restraints replacing the previous single-screen system.