FULLY ARMED AND READY FOR BATTLE
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Published on Sun, Jun 13, 2004
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
FULLY
ARMED AND READY FOR BATTLE
Competing against the Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe, GMC
Yukon and Toyota Sequoia, the aptly named Nissan Armada comes ready to battle
these four models by offering bold styling, plenty of power, smooth and agile
performance, comfortable seating for up to eight, and the latest in safety
features - with all of the versatility that makes a full-size sport utility
vehicle such a hot item in today's market.
© All photos by Harvey Schwartz With
sales of the Expedition, Tahoe, Yukon and Sequoia doing well, why should anyone
purchase an all-new model from Nissan? The reason is that the Armada
offers a fresh new look, borrowing the front-end styling from the new Titan, and
a silhouette featuring a stepped-up roofline with a two-piece roof rack.
The Armada also borrows the Titan's body-on-frame architecture, sitting on a
hydro-formed, fully boxed ladder-type frame for extra strength and rigidity.
All body panels on the Armada are two-sided galvanized steel sheet metal for
strength and durability. The Armada is powered by the Endurance 5.6-liter
dual overhead cam V8 engine, and mated to a five-speed automatic transmission
(which also powers the Titan). After driving the Armada for a seven-day
road test, I was impressed with Nissan's ability to bring all aspects of the
fun of owning a full-size sport utility vehicle so well together. It's all
here in the Armada.
Lets take a closer look at what makes the all-new Nissan Pathfinder Armada so
unique.
The Endurance 5.6-liter all-aluminum, DOHC V8 engine pumps out 305 horsepower at
4,900 rpm and 385 pounds feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. That is plenty of
power and torque to accelerate quickly from stoplights and when merging into
fast-moving freeway traffic. That is also plenty of torque to power you
through almost any type of off-road obstacle that may lie ahead on the trail.
And enough torque to safely tow up to 9,100 pounds. The strong and smooth-shifting
five-speed automatic transmission quickly shifts up or down, depending on the
need. The optional four-wheel drive (4X4) two-speed electronic transfer
case comes with part-time 4X4, two-wheel high, full-time 4X4 and 4X4 low.
Just turn a big dash-mounted rotary dial to easily change from 2WH to 4X4 and
back, shifting on the fly. The console mounted and gated 5-speed stick is
placed perfectly for ease of use. There is also a dash mounted button for
a tow/haul mode that helps you when driving up or down a steep hill, delaying
upshifts, and gaining easier downshifts for hauling the 9,100 pounds.
The Armada's independent double-wishbone front and rear suspension is tight,
yet gives a compliant ride over rough pavement and washboard off-road trails.
It's designed to match the Armada's power and weight. This unique
double-wishbone suspension utilizes big gas-charged shocks, strong front steel
coil springs/rear air springs for self-leveling, and thick front/rear stabilizer
bar to keep the front end flat when heading into a tight curve.
A precise and more communicative power rack & pinion steering system along
with short front and rear overhangs make for even better handling on the road at
speed. Stability is further enhanced with both traction control and a
vehicle stability program that keeps unwanted wheel-spin to a minimum, keeping
you on track. You can shut the system off if you want.
Quickly slowing the big Armada down from speed are power-assisted four-wheel
disc brakes - 12.6 inches at each wheel. Braking speed and control are
enhanced with ABS, Brake Assist, and Electronic Brake Force Distribution.
The all-new 2004 Nissan Pathfinder Armada rides on big 18X8 cast aluminum wheels
that are wrapped around by big Goodyear P265/70R18 all-season radial tires for a
comfortable ride - on or off the road.
All four-doors open wide for easy entry and exit. Also helping with easy
entry and exit are standard running boards and grab handles at each door.
The rear liftgate is easy to use and comes with an optional power
'open-close' feature. The interior is very roomy - room for up to eight adults. And when the second
and third rows are folded flat, there is 96.9 cubic feet of cargo space.
The front bucket seats are very comfortable and supportive with leather trim and
an eight-way powered adjustments on the driver-side. My model also came
with a power six-way front passenger seat. All buttons, dials and levers are within easy reach. The big instrument
cluster is easy to see and understand. The center console is very large
and storage space can also be found in each door bottom, in the dual-cupholders,
and big open bin just in front. You have a choice of seating for the second row - either a split 60/40 bench
or captains chairs with another large center console for storage. Other
standard equipment in the Armada includes power-heated, power-remote side
mirrors, big chrome finished front door handles, privacy glass, puddle lamps
under the outside mirrors, Bose Audio AM-FM six-disc in-dash CD with 10
speakers, independent front & rear audio and climate control, leather
wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise-control buttons, heated front
seats, power-adjustable pedals, fold-down front passenger seat back, overhead
console for all three rows with six-dome lights, 28-gallon fuel tank,
10-cupholders, and two-bottle holders, six-cargo area tie-down points, four
12-volt power outlets, remote keyless entry, power door locks/windows,
electro-chromic rearview mirror with compass heading and outside temperature
readout, variable intermittent front and rear wipers/washers, theater lighting
map lamps and thick-pile carpeting with floor mats at each door. Standard safety features include supplemental roof-mounted curtain airbags
with side impact & rollover protection for all three rows, Nissan advanced
airbag system, front row supplemental side impact airbags, three-point safety
belts for all passengers, LATCH system for children, tire pressure monitoring
system, rear-sonar parking warning chimes, and vehicle security and immobilizer
systems. The Armada is very formidable and very assuring on safety.
The all-new Nissan Armada SUV comes to the battle fully loaded and ready to take
on any of the competition. It probably will come down to brand loyalty.
Full-size SUV owners are similar to full-size pickup truck owners, very loyal to
the brand. Nissan has come up with a very good product to compete in this
very lucrative yet very competitive segment of the automotive marketplace.
With a starting price of $37,800.00, my fully loaded model came equipped with
the optional DVD navigation, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning system, micro
filter, sunroof and power liftgate, and was priced at $42,350.00. Only
time will tell. A DVD Entertainment system is also optional. .
© All text and photos by Harvey Schwartz For more information on Nissan products, go to www.nissanusa.com.
More photos from Harvey Schwartz can be found at www.autofotos.com
SPECIFICATIONS
Name of vehicle:
Nissan Armada
Price: $41,350.00
Engine type:
5.6 liters, DOHC, 23-valve V8 with aluminum block/heads
Horsepower:
305 at 4,900 rpm
Torque:
385 at 3,600 rpm
Drive configuration:
front engine/rear wheel drive/all-wheel drive
Transmission type:
Five-speed electronically controlled automatic/OD with haul/tow mode
Front suspension:
independent double-wishbones with gas-charged shocks, steel coil springs,
stabilizer bar
Rear suspension:
independent double-wishbones with gas-charged shocks, self-leveling air springs,
stabilizer bar
Wheels/tires:
18x8 inch alloy wheels/265/70R18 all-season radial tires
Brakes:
front 12.6-inch discs
rear: 12.6-inch discs
ABS, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake Force Distribution
Overall length:
206.9 inches
Overall width:
78.8 inches
Overall height: 77.8
Curb weight:
5,051 pounds
EPA mileage estimates: city/highway
13mpg/city, 19mpg/highway
0.60 mph:
8.2 seconds