Nissan Armada test drive since 2003 SUV
Nissan Pathfinder Armada
In length, this hefty SUV with a menacing name Nissan Pathfinder Armada is superior to both Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition. But, as our test showed, Armada has other advantages.
XXXL Actually, the idea of \u200b\u200bArmada is simple and understandable. It is even surprising that he was born only in 2003. This car owes his appearance to the amazing situation that has developed in the American market. For more than one decade, Japanese manufacturers have sequentially tightened the pre-stages of a large three in almost all segments. Toyota Camry and Honda Accord led sales ratings among passenger models, specially created Lexus and Infiniti brands were able to select a significant part of the buyers from Lincoln and Cadillac, and even in the class of medium -sized SUVs, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4runer. But in the segment of full -sized, but in other words, giant SUVs and pickups, American companies continued to feel excellent. And only in Toyota did they decide to prepare their models Tundra and Sequoia to combat the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Tahoe. They made a good impression, but did not make a revolution alone.
Therefore, after the triumphal debut of the mid -size Nissan Murano and Infiniti FX, Nissan USA decided to go to the heavyweight class and, in some contrast with Toyota, tried to declare themselves loudly, presenting a bright and interesting product. For the first time officially, the Pathfinder Armada SUV was shown at the Motor Show in New York, and its serial production began in the fall. And in December, his fellow Pickup Titan became on the conveyor of the new Nissan factory in the state of Mississippi. Moreover, Titan shocked American journalists so much that it was honored to receive several prestigious awards at once, defeating authoritative automobile publications in annual competitions. Old and new
Armada and Titan were developed in accordance with traditional American standards that were formed due to the existence of Suburban and Silverado. The SUV and pickups use the common platform and most of the mechanical nodes. Frame design, large volume V8 under the huge
with a hood, an obligatory automatic gearbox, to choose from the rear or all -wheel drive. And Nissan experts tried to achieve maximum compliance with these requirements, no matter how strange they may seem, especially in contrast with the vanguard-cosmic crossover Infiniti FX. But the creators of Armada still did not deny themselves pleasure and laid in their brainchild several pleasant surprises for competitors. These, no doubt, include an advanced independent suspension of all wheels, a whole complex of auxiliary electronic systems and a high -class all -wheel drive system. Suppressing in size and character
Even at the site of the car dealership, caused by SUVs, Armada is striking. The car is huge not only in itself each of its decorative elements literally amazes with its size. Hefty
farah, bumpers, wheels and even mirrors here everything carries a proud stamp Full Size. And thanks to its styling, Armada looks even more menacing and aggressive than the same Suburban, although it loses to him in length. No wonder: Nissan designers made a lot of effort to create a bright and memorable image. It will be appropriate to compare with the compact European X-Trail. Indeed, the design of the front (headlights, bumpers and even a radiator grille) Armada slightly resembles X-TRIIL. All these elements in X-Trail are made in an emphasized friendly style, and in Armada good-naturedness gave way to brutality and massiveness. As you can see, the style that American hood tractors had created for decades finally adopted the SUVs of Japanese companies. And we will not hide, on the road it works: few people dare to cross the trajectory of this car.
The rear part of Armada turned out to be truly intriguing. Here, starting from the second pair of side doors, many stylistic solutions become inexplicable. So, the handles of these doors were moved high up to the side racks, the rear wheel arches are greatly expanded, the baggage compartment door, the rear bumper and headlights are completely composed of several bizarre cuts of the chopped shape. It is difficult to deny that thanks to this, the design of Armada is unique in its own way. Style and space
One can only be glad that Nissan decided to surpass all Armada classmates not only in the internal size of the cabin, but also on its decoration. It is not a secret that both Tahoe and Expedition precisely by their interior demonstrate all the signs of pick -up origin with casually, and in places and frankly cheaply executed by the front panel and not always justified ergonomic decisions. And here Armada is much more interesting than its rivals. The main thing is to feel the penetration of ideas from the world of cars. And this applies to decisions on the layout of the passenger salon, and the choice of decoration materials and design style.
The front panel pleasantly surprises with its restraint-business execution. Before the driver is a beautiful three -spoke steering wheel and a panel of instruments with neat dials. The central console is another sample of functionality. And although the audio system and air conditioning are not allocated into separate blocks, how to manage them, you understand at the level of intuition. Such simplicity can cause Europeans a condescending smirk, and even some kind of envy, because for the full management of all Armada systems, its owner is likely not to look into the user's management. The size of the cabin and its layout also remain in memory for a long time. And we must pay tribute to the Nissan specialists: they perfectly disposed of internal expanses. Armada width exceeds 2 m, and this is in the cabin
it is felt right away. The front seats are separated by an impressive central counter. It is on it, at a solid height in relation to the floor of the cabin, that the automatic transmission selector is located. This detail once again reminds us of an attempt to bring new solutions and technologies to the class of full -sized SUVs. Recall that both Tahoe and Expedition are still traditional steering wheel levers for gearboxes. The front seats themselves reasonable compromise between comfort and sports. It turned out what was needed for a car of this class, large, luxurious in appearance of the chair, in which, however, the presence of lateral support is felt. By the way, the driver will definitely like the possibility of adjusting the pedals: it will be even easier to get used to Armada, especially after a car. 
A pleasant surprise: the car provided to us for the test has unusual seats of the second row. In the Nissan specification, they are called captain and are a couple of seats with a convenient armrest between them. In our realities, such a solution is much more convenient than the traditional sofa for the entire width of the cabin, and for the transportation of three more passengers there is a third row of seats. But if, according to the reserve of the legs for the leg of passengers of the second row of Armada seats, it simply has no equal in its class, then it will be cramped behind torn people. As is now customary in the United States, the third row of seats was somewhat lifted, providing a good view forward and for passengers far from behind. About trim levels
As for any SUV developed for the American market, Armada offers a fairly wide list of options. And although gray importers import such cars, as a rule, in maximum trim levels, we will spend several minutes studying them for several minutes. Two basic performance has been prepared for the US market
SE and le. In the LE version, we just find everything you need, for which we would have to pay extra to SE: the captain’s seats of the second row, heating seats, the function of memorizing various positions of seats, mirrors and pedals, as well as an advanced Bose audio system with ten speakers. But in addition, you can purchase a Technology package, which includes additional systems. Among them, we have a navigation system with a monitor in the upper part of the central console, a two-zone automatic climate control, an electric drive and a trunk door with an electric motor. It is curious that the DVD player with a liquid crystal screen, leaning from the console on the ceiling behind the front seats, will have to look separately in the list of options: for some reason, it is not included in the Technology package. Assuming space
On the road, Armada demonstrates behavior worthy of the novelty of 2003. As it turned out, if desired, automobile companies are able to choose interesting chassis settings even on full -sized SUVs. In the case of ARMADA, the correct recipe was surprisingly simple: an independent rear suspension, a rack steering mechanism with clear reactions, a modern brake system. It was they who turned the stay behind the wheel of this huge one from work into pleasure. Full -sized wheels with tires with a dimension of 265/70 R18 and an incredible road clearance of 270 mm allowed not to worry about choosing the desired trajectory when driving along broken roads and overcoming tram tracks. With pits, bumps and other city troubles, the car coped with ease, worthy of admiration. As our suburban maneuvers later showed, Armada moves with enviable perseverance and crossed terrain. 
It should only be remembered that if a heavy SUV gets stuck somewhere, then you will have to pull it out with a tractor. There is no doubt that Armada will appreciate all lovers of various techniques for outdoor activities. There are few SUVs in the world who are equally easy to tow a trailer in not the best road conditions, providing passengers with decent comfort. And as soon as we got out onto the suburban highway, we began to rejoice at the clarity and predictability of reactions when moving at high speeds. This car can really be felt by maintaining high speed. The rear suspension works wonders, allowing it to be rebuilt from a row without fears. Of course, the high center of gravity here imposes its restrictions, but Nissan designers were able to neutralize them somewhat. Separately, we note the correct operation of the developed complex of active security systems. The ABS with auxiliary systems Brake Assist and the EBD brake force, as well as the VDC stabilization system with a built -in anti -wings module, are without fail.
The car also received a full-wheel drive system with an algorithm of work, reminiscent of the cult Nissan Skyline GT-R. In Auto mode, under ordinary conditions, all torque is transmitted to the rear wheels. At the beginning of slipping, the system throws up to 50% torque to the front axle. In addition, the driver can independently select the transmission mode (only rear or permanent all -wheel drive), as well as connect a reducing series of gearboxes. However, even when driving around the field with a mixed snow-clogging coating, we have enough opportunities for Auto. Reliable feedback with the machine also allowed a little fucking, provoking spectacular drifts. Armada temperament will also like gambling. This mighty 8-cylinder unit with an aluminum block received a modern filling with 32 valves. There is no doubt that for Europeans 305 hp, removed from a 5.6-liter engine, are not represented by something outstanding. Unless, of course, it is a maximum torque of 520 nm, 90% of which the motor gives at 2500 rpm. All this allows you to call Pathfinder Armada the most powerful serial Nissan SUV in the history of the company. The car proudly demonstrates its dynamic abilities at the first attempt to set speed.
A machine weighing more than 2.5 tons breaks from a place with enviable ease, without special delays in switching and not annoying passengers with unpleasant sounds from the motor compartment. According to the subjective sensations, Armada is much faster than Tahoe, and in terms of acceleration at speeds exceeding 100 km/h, this car is a worthy opponent with a magnificent Cadillac Escalade with a 6-liter engine. King-Size SUV
Following Murano and FX, the new Pathfinder Armada is already the third American Nissan SUV, having very good prospects in our market. Potential customers definitely taste impressive Armada dimensions, unusual design and technical components of a very high level. Obviously, the price of about 90 thousand dollars will also not become a serious obstacle for many of them. And only one thing can make them refuse to buy Armada news about the imminent beginning of the production of Infiniti QX56. In fact, it will be Armada with a slightly modified appearance and a more luxurious interior decoration. Look forward to...
Some technical characteristics of Nissan Armada
(manufacturer data)
Dimensions, mm: 5255x2001x1999
Base, mm: 3129
Front/behind, mm: 1715/1715
Clearance, mm: 270
Equipped mass, kg: 2417
Trunk volume, l: 566/2750
Engine type: gasoline V-shaped 8-cylinder
Working volume, cubic meter. See: 4572
Max. Power, L.S./rpm: 305/4900
Max. moment, nm/rpm: 520/3600
Drive: complete
Transmission: automatic 5-band
Tires: 265/70 R18
Max. Speed, km/h: no data
Acceleration time 0-100 km, s: less than 8.0
Fuel consumption (city/highway), l/100 km: 24/16
Top volume, l: 106
Fedor Oldin
Source: Avtopanorama magazine
