{"id":3734,"date":"2026-01-06T03:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/max2voyages.com\/?p=3734"},"modified":"2026-01-06T03:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T11:57:14","slug":"think-the-nissan-armada-nismo-is-a-joke-turns-out-its-hilariously-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/?p=3734","title":{"rendered":"Think the Nissan Armada NISMO Is a Joke? Turns Out, It\u2019s Hilariously Great"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You didn\u2019t really think Nissan was going to make an Armada<\/u> that could go toe to toe with a GT-R<\/u>, did you? Good, because if you keep your expectations realistic\u2014and by realistic, we mean within the context of a three-ton, seven-seat, air-sprung SUV\u2014the Armada NISMO is delightful in its over-the-top silliness. More than an appearance package, less than a full-on autobahn bruiser, the 2026 Nissan Armada NISMO<\/u> is an $82,000 reminder that the key to happiness is to not take yourself too seriously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For those unfamiliar, NISMO is Nissan\u2019s performance arm, and the NISMO badge is reserved for the top performers<\/u> in a given model range. That said, the first thing you\u2019ll notice about the NISMO Armada is the, uh, whimsical styling treatment, with deep skirts, air dams, fender flares, spoilers, and lots and lots of NISMO badges, most of which are trimmed in look-at-me red. While we\u2019re not sure whether it\u2019s intentional, the Armada NISMO\u2019s air suspension does, from time to time, adopt a tail-low stance, as if the nose is rising under full acceleration.<\/p>\n

But as we said earlier, the NISMO Armada is more than an appearance package. The NISMO-ized Armada gets a 35 hp boost for its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 (but no change to the 516-lb-ft torque rating). The adaptive air suspension and power steering are tuned for a sportier feel, and the 22-inch NISMO wheels wear performance-oriented all-season tires. There are functional changes inside, as well, including deeply bolstered front seats with quilted red inserts and a red mark on the leather-wrapped steering wheel to help you find the straight-ahead position. Nissan has also added a red-tinged tachometer and tuned the exhaust to sing a racier tune, which is amplified within the cabin.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s it like to drive? We\u2019re not sure if the extra 35 hp will make a measurable difference in acceleration (we\u2019ll get one in for testing as soon as we can, promise), but the Armada NISMO certainly moves with authority, though the piped-in engine sounds do sound a bit synthesized. Take your foot out of it, and the Armada NISMO is surprisingly serene. That extends to both the steering, which tracks straight and feels light to the touch, and the ride, which is soft and gentle on smooth pavement. Tug the steering wheel, though, and the NISMO responds promptly and crisply, and it clings to the road in sharp turns with a bit of lean but no real drama. The ride can get bumpy and busy on uneven pavement, but the Armada NISMO never strays too far from civility.<\/p>\n

We can understand why the Armada NISMO\u2019s engineers would err on the side of comfort; we imagine the potential buyer base is small enough as it is, and a luxury SUV that rides like a sports car is bound to alienate more buyers than it attracts. Maybe it can\u2019t go toe to toe with Germany\u2019s sportiest SUVs at Laguna Seca, but let\u2019s not forget that for the price of a Mercedes-AMG GLS63 or a Cayenne Turbo, you can buy two<\/em> Armada NISMOs and likely have change left over for gas.<\/p>\n

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For the price Nissan is charging, the Armada NISMO could have consisted purely of the appearance and interior upgrades, and that would have been good enough. Instead, Nissan has delivered something that is good, goofy fun, which is even more amazing when you consider the Armada is based on the Patrol, one of history\u2019s great off-roaders. (The NISMO model retains the Armada\u2019s height-adjustable suspension and off-road terrain modes, but it\u2019d be a shame to tear up that pretty bodywork.)<\/p>\n

Downsides? The brakes aren\u2019t optimized for hard driving, and fuel economy is rather abysmal. Also, if you don\u2019t like to be stared at, this isn\u2019t the SUV for you, as the Armada NISMO stands out like nudity in church. For those who aren\u2019t in the market but are trying to decide what to think of this thing, we say keep an open mind and appreciate it for what it is. If the Armada NISMO\u2019s appearance and driving manners don\u2019t make you grin, you might just need to lighten up a little.<\/p>\n

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You didn\u2019t really think Nissan was going to make an Armada that could go toe to toe with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first-drives"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/max2voyages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}