2025 Nissan Armada: Flexing Muscles Without a V8

Nissan’s Armada sailed into the Japanese automaker’s fleet in 2003. This body-on-frame SUV has become a staple in the Nissan lineup and gave the United States a taste of Nissan’s off-road chops. While the Nissan Armada spent two generations with a V8 under its hood, the third-generation Armada showed its face last year with two fewer cylinders and a pair of turbocharges. The third-gen Nissan Armada sticks with body-on-frame construction,  but has pivoted to a 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 under the hood. The new engine might not have as many cylinders, but it does crank the output up to 425 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. That’s a 25 hp and 103 lb-ft of torque bump over the outgoing V8, for what it's worth. That V6 sends its power through a nine-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels or a four-wheel-drive system.

On this episode of Quick Spin, Autoweek executive editor Tom Murphy hops behind the wheel of the ’25 Nissan Armada and puts it through its paces. Murphy takes you on a guided tour of the 2025 Nissan Armada and highlights some of his favorite features. Later, Murphy takes you on a live drive review of this third-generation Armada. Joining these segments, Murphy chats with host Wesley Wren about the Nissan Armada, the state of large SUVs in the marketplace, and more. The two briefly discuss the Honda and Nissan Merger talks breaking down. Closing the show, the pair broke down what makes the ’25 Nissan Armada special.