Nissan Armada

clpurnell

Thanks! I am giving up VSC and Side curtains by going with the pilot. However without those it still got 5 stars in side impacts and had the highest rollover resistance rating (plus I got awd while the armada would have been 4x2). I think we will enjoy it. I already have one vehicle for my wild side now was the time to feed the practical side

hoppes11

There are plenty of forums in Edmunds that discuss the whole seller vs buyer thing, but I do think the process for purchasing a new car is broken and needs to be fixed, but I don't ever see things changing. One thing Edmunds gives the buyer is another source of information and for that I am extremely grateful.

Now back to talking about how much we like the gobs of power in the Armada.:)

twinbladesz

Why was there no 4x4 version of the Armada for you to purchase? Have to wait and see how the Armada tests. I'm hoping it will be included when the NHTSA begins its over the road rollover test for the 04 vehicles. The current test is actualy a mathematical formula. I'd rather see what the vehicle actually does with real world testing over a mathematical formula.

dawg23

Thanks for the input - it's the best so far on the ride of the 4WD.

Just one question - were the 4x4's you drove either SE's or LE's ?(without the Offroad Package). I ask becaus ethe Offroad package comes with smaller wheels and (presumably) would ride differently.

Thanks

clpurnell

I live in houston so we get very few 4x4 anything down here. My infiniti is RWD so I wanted one AWD vehicle for trips up north. Plus the 4wd Armada would have been close to 8k more than the pilot. The armada is a great vehicle and if things go my way over the next few years I will get it's big brother (QX56) when my lease is up

tidester

but I do think the process for purchasing a new car is broken and needs to be fixed

Please use the Feedback Form. They'd love to hear from you.

tidester, host

twinbladesz

I test drove an SE Offroad 4x4 which had 18 inch wheels and the autolevel suspension. It rides 30xs better then my Explorer lol.

edloeser

I test drove both SE and LE 4X4 models and noticed zero difference between them. All the SE models had the Tow Package, so unless Im mistaken I believe the engineering on the vehicles I test drove was identical. I did not test drive an SE Offroad, however, so I cant comment there. With only a 1" difference, any variation in ride due to tire/rim size would probably be pretty small though it might be noticeable. I bet it would be smaller than what you could do to adjust ride quality by tweaking your tire inflation pressures- even small adjustments in inflation pressures can have substantial effects on a vehicle's ride quality, tire wear, fuel consumption, etc. The only other factor would be the Rancho shocks in the Offroad package that really could have a strong effect on ride quality. But again, the Armada in both SE and LE is so damn smooth and firm that I would be surprised if a small loss in smoothness with the SE Offroad (if in fact there is a loss) resulted in anything other than a very nice ride.

rshe

According to Autospies the Tax Credit lives on

http://www.imakenews.com/autospies/e_article000203527.cfm?x=a2n7p- 4y,a14mpCtm

jwilli420

to the best of my knowledge the se off-road comes with 17's and thats it because you'll probably blow out your tire and bend your 18's if you take them off-road. Just curious

bowke28

the off-road doesnt offer 18" wheels.

twinbladesz

The Silver Lightning 4x4 SE Offraod i test Drove had 18 inch wheels on it. I think they put the 17s on it because of the Rancnho Suspension. This particular SE Offroad had the Auot Level Suspension.

pfarmada

Keep in mind that you will not get the Rancho shocks if you opt for the Tow Package. Mine has the Tow Pkg and has the 285/70R17OWL All Terain BF Goodrich's.

sysadmin1

Hi all,

Just finished reading through almost 1000 posts here, and don't see that many people cross-shopping the Expy with the Armada. It seems a perfect comparison, and the one I'm currently struggling with.

I test drove the Expy Eddie Bauer last night and the Armada today.

Some thoughts:
I like the look the look of the Expy EB a little better, more luxurious/rich looking with a smoother finish to both exterior and interior. Two very different looking vehicles inside and out. I drove the 5.4 EB Expy, and while it did have plenty of power, the Armada blew it away with both the throaty sound and with the better gearing/more power. Def. like the Armada for that part. I did hear the low rumbling/throbbing noise that other have mentioned, and we only took a quick jaunt on the highway and a few sideroads. Like as if one of the back windows was cracked open. Not sure where it came from though.

Here's the real dilemma though. I priced out a fully loaded Expy Eddie Bauer, all options except NAV, and the price came to around 46K. That includes heated and cooled seats up front, DVD ent sys, and all the other toys it offered. The sales guy came back with a 38K rough price after rebates and options, which tells me there might be a little more wiggle room there. Since it was a rough 38K. Now to get the same options in an Armada, it seems like I'll be around the 42-43K or higher...I most likely will be leasing, so longevity of vehicle is nto an issue. 36K miles and its gone regardless, which means any problems will not be out of my pocket. Is anyone else maing this comparison? Although I do LOVE the new engine and 5sp auto, and agree it blows away the expy in that respect, why would I want to pay 4-6K more for just that...?

Help?

sysadmin1

So we go to the local Nissan dealer around here to drive the Armada. Like most of you, I know more about the vehicle than the sales guy. Drives me nuts. Almost all of the sales guys I have ever dealt with know less than me. Isn't it their job to know facts and figures about the vehicles they sell? Anyway.... I got there with my wife and two kids, and as anyone with kids knows, you like to keep things moving. Whether at a restraunt, or business, keeping kids standing around doesnt make the parents happy. So we go in, tell them we want to drive one. The SM calls over a sales guy tells him and he now proceeds to walk us out and sort of pick one..he actually picked it, and this one has no gas so he says he'll have to get a gas slip and put some in, then send us on our way. Fine. He pulls it out and tell us he needs to go over the features first. Tells me it has 375hp (wrong) points out other features, then finally gets in and tells us to so we can get gas. This truck has 8 miles on it, and when he starts it, he revs it like a stock car so I can hear the nice engine...hahaha nice break-in pal...then he proceeds to put it in 4-lo and then can't get the switch past 4-hi, so thats how we start off, then guns it a little in first and 4-hi so we can feel the accel. dumb again...trying to impress me? So.. We pick up the car seat from my Pathy so i can bolt the one of the kids in, and we're off down the street to the pumps. Before we left, he tells us that once we fill up a little, we can drop him off and we can go on our way to drive it. Fine. After gas, he decides he's gonaa pull over to this big empty lot so I can have a turn (umm thought we were gonna drop your butt off???) So I agree. We switch seats, he decides to stay in Pass seat while wife sits behind in second row. Hello? Then tells everyone to hold one and tells me to lay into it starting off so I can feel the power...see any trends here? We take a short jaunt, then I switch with wife. He stays in pass seat. ?? I just climb in back and we drive back to dlr. While i return seat to car, wife tells him we are on a time constraint, and when I get back, he says he has to bring plate inside and is gone for 5-10 mintes. I see him through window talking at SM desk and walking around. Finally comes out and makes a spiel about truck I tell him I have to go, and say his mgr would like for me to come and talk more about truck. Anyway...is this what most people see with sales guys?

BTW..the Ford sales guy was not pushy at all, nothing but helpfull, and pulled an EB Expy up to front door full tank already and gave me the keys said take it for a while let me know what you think. Thats it. We came back and gave back keys and he said thanks and we told him we'd call if were more interested. Much better experience.

Sorry for long post...

sysadmin1

Someone a few posts back mentioned that they just bought a Pilot. I currently have an 01 Pathy that has 70K miles on. The reasons for me looking are:
1. I get 13-16mpg with it and it doesn't hold anymore people than my 02 Maxima.
2. Little things are starting to go wrong with it and I hate the idea of still making payments on it, while going out-of-pocket with repairs.

So my first choice was actually the Pilot, since it has more seats and gets better mileage. I probably would use the 3rd row all that often, and mostly with kids, so going for the larger trucks seemed crazy. The Honda seems plain and boring but the right vehicle. But once I drove both the Expy and the Armada....you know what happened. The Pilot seemed way too small for me...hahaha. Funny how that happens. The dlr quoted the pilot EX-L with DVD ent for 30.5K. Good price and much less than the 38K Expy or 42K Armada...

One other thing...the biggest thing that held me back today was that the Armada does not have a limed slip diff. yet. The dlr told me today that it is a late-availability item. Did this not matter to people with a truck that has almost 400lbs of torque going to just one wheel? I bought my 01 Pathy without the limited slip and I kick myself everytime I pull out in the rain or snow and need to get going fast...the right or left whel just spins while the other sits still and laughs. I would not buy the Armada without it.

clpurnell

It was me who bought the pilot. I started out the opposite and looked at all the full size utes. However i just could not justify the extra $$$ when I don't tow, go off road and just needed to seat extra people once in a while but did not want to go the way of the minivans. The Armada was just overkill and the resale of the ford scared me so i went with the honda and saved 8k in the process.

bowke28

wow...you gave me something to do today! lol.

first, if you are leasing, the residuals are so much different, that the actual payments arent going to be much different between the expy and armada. (we have both ford and nissan franchises here)

so if you like the armada better, get it...it shouldnt hurt your pocketbook any more than the expy.

second...you got a lazy person for a salesman on the armada. nothing more, nothing less. when someone doesnt know their product, they always revert top engine power/stereo system. if I were YOU, i would consider this:

the armada is the only vehicle you are considering that has airbags for all 3 rows of seats (side curtains). the pilot only protects the front occupants, and the ford only has the side canopy for the 1st 2 rows. the question would be this:

do you really want to take chances with the lives of the people in the backseat...over MONEY? not me, man.

good luck in your decision.

ronshan

Regarding the post stating late availability of a limited slip differential on the Armada, doesn't Nissan's Traction Control do the same thing?

bowke28

the braking system in the titan and armada, in combination with the traction control and VDC, is what is used for the LSD. not better or worse...just different, with the same function.

ronshan

So a limited slip differential will not be offered, correct?

sysadmin1

The Pilot just seems the smarter financial choice...but as most do, I fell in love with the engine/tranny of the Armada. The Expy seems more luxurious inside with heated and cooled seats, interior just seems less industrial, and rear seats def. more comfortable.

bowke28:You think the payments should be about the same for a vehicle that costs 37K (Expy, if I can get it for that) and 42K(which I'm guessing I'll have to pay for a similar loaded LE Armada)? I've never leased and not sure how it works. I've read a lot about it but have also read people can get lost in the numbers and pay more than they should. I know that you pre-determ9ine things like residual value and stuff but not sure about it all. I do have a friend who has been selling cars for a long time and was going to talk to him about it first. WHo knows, maybe he'll go with me and help with the numbers so I don't get taken....

sysadmin1

Found this quote from another site someone reviewed the Armada at "Aside from the chassis issues, noise levels in the Armada are higher than in most competitors. Worse, with all windows up a boomy resonance pervaded the interior of the truck at roughly 40 miles-per-hour. The salesperson claimed this was because of the newness of the door seals, and cracked a window to eliminate it. This of course made the interior even noisier, and should not be necessary. I’ve driven many vehicles with new door seals, but the only one I’ve noted similar boominess in is Pontiac’s Aztek. I find it hard to believe that these two vehicles lead in the industry in the performance of their door seals. At any rate, how long will it take them to be not so tight?"

Seems everyone notices it. Just different excuses as to why it is occuring.

Back to reviewing...

rshe

I've driven several Armadas and have only heard it on a 4x2 SE.. Others here and on other groups have heard it on the LE, SE, and SE offroad both 4x2 and 4x4. I belong to another Nissan forum and if you mention it there you get verbally drawn and quartered. It is an issuer and I have heard fixes from moving the luggage rack, lowering the tire inflation, but I really like the door seal one, that original...So I guess when it's 30 below and freezing rain we need to leave a window open. LOL I have one on order and have told them if it comes in with this problem, it will be in their inventory. I just wish someone could come up with a reasonable cause for this issue.

cding

> At any rate, how long will it take them to be not so tight?"

For me, it is 6 month:-) I have pretty good ears though.

thylantyr

I've been spending the past 3 weeks getting
familiar with these SUV's and the Armada seems
to win in many categories of need.

**********************************************
Drove all these 2004's models;
Chevy Tahoe/Suburan, 4.8 & 5.3L
Armada SE Sport 2WD, LE 4WD
Dodge Durango w/Hemi
Ford - I'm not buying a Ford.
**********************************************
My criteria is simple;

1. Comfort, 1st, 2nd, 3rd row.
2. Easy access to the 3rd row.
3. Must hold 4x8 sheets of plywood easily.
4. Power and drivetrain reliability.

Issue #1 - Armada has plenty of 2nd row leg room,
much better than the Suburban. The Suburban's
3 bench seat is pretty cool, but the Armada is
big enough. Durango fells smallest.

Issue #2 - The Armada wins. Large second door
entrance, push a lever on top and tumble the 2nd
row seat. Enter/exiting the 3rd row easy. Access
on both side.

Suburban has a lever on the bottom and you
require more strength to shove the seat forward
to enter the back, not sweet for a kid to perform
this function. Access from only one side unless
you want to step over the large seat.

Durango involves more steps, lever, fold, tumble.

Issue #3 - Armada wins. Fold down seats, I can
insert plywood sheets with the majority inside
the vehicle.

The big loser is the Suburban, you must remove
the 3rd row seats otherwise only 5 feet of the
plywood is inside, this is silly considering this
SUV is 12.4" longer than the Armada. The
Suburban seems to sacrifice utility and people
comfort to allow massive cargo storage, that is
what the Suburban does best. The Armada excels in
comfort and utility while sacrificing cargo area.

The Durango is somewhere in the middle, it's good but it still seems small.

Issue #4 - The Armada and Durango win this crown.
GM eats dust, plus all the bad press about GM
generation III engine problems I hear all over
the internet. yikes for GM.

Cabin noises - The Armada and Durango have
similar cabin noises, the roar of the mighty
engine. /hehe.. Sounds like a hot rod..

Toyota Sequoia is a nice overall vehicle, but
the engine is way too weak to even consider.

drich2

thanks to everyone for all the info on the armada. I have one ordered with eta about Dec. 10, LE 4x2 loaded. just wandered (since I have not found it otherwise) does the armada have a trip computer and daytime running lights?
 I also have driven most of the other SUVs and to me the Armada wins out across the boared.Not only can I get in and out of the armada w/o using the running boards but the wife can do the same. I am going from a LS400 to the armada and really like the interior even though some of the posts say it is "cheap", I like the difference in the lexus. Too many SUVs try to be lexus-like but don't get there which IMO is cheaper that just going a different direction like Nissan did.

I have driven a SE off road and did not hear any noise as described before.

bowke28

no, not in the traditional sense. they accomplish the task a different way, and it works just as good. dont let that deter you.

hoppes11

We have now put about 400 miles on our SE 4x4 Armada and I still haven't heard the resonance issue and I have a 98PF that has the issue when the back windows are rolled down and the fronts are closed.

More initial impressions -

The one thing I definitely notice is a low speed rumble from the exhaust when traveling at 20-30mph. When you step on the gas, the exhaust note gets louder, but when I am cruising along at 45+ I don't notice it.

We had snow and extremely cold temps this weekend so the Armada got its first taste of 4wd Auto. I set the button to auto and didn't have any slippage issues at all on very icy roads. It felt very confident and surefooted in the bad weather. The ABS worked like I expected it to and the tires bit down into the snow just fine.

One small issue I am finding is that at night it is hard to find the homelink button on the mirror because it isn't lit at all and isn't visible at night. I would like to see some kind of backlighting or a different place for the homelink button. My wife's accord has the homelink buttons on the roof above the mirror and it is much easier to see or feel at night. So far I seem to just have minor nitpicky issues that you only notice once you put a feww hundred miles on it.

teddybear3

Passenger side windshield washer hose kinked. Thirty minute service visit. 850 miles and love it.

bowke28

our service dept. told my customer that the resonance has to do with the exhaust noise at a certain RPM...since a resonance is a vibration, it would make sense.

rshe

Did they say if it could be remedied. Also, why is it a sporadic issue on some and not others?

bowke28

that hears it...different sounds are more apparent to different people. the only way would be to change the muffler to an ultra-quiet one. i THINK this is a possible solution, but since its not a driveability issue, it wont be covered under warranty. im not sure that this is an actual fix for it, but its the next logical step.

the exhaust note in most nissans is purposefully tuned that way. i think this is the issue. give it time, and nissan may correct it.

rshe

not in another, so there has to be something else to it. Is the exhaust system different on each vehicle? And to me it is a driveability issue, since I was ready to drive off a cliff after about 3 minutes of test driving one with the resonance.

bowke28

has to do with powertrain or safety issues. the exhaust system wont make it stop going...just makes it loud. the resonance, i think, is somehow connected to the exhaust...maybe if they extended the tailpipe PAST the rear bumper...heck, i dont know....just thinking out loud. :-)

twinbladesz

If anyone has purchased an Armada with the Navigation System? If so how is it working?

jwilli420

i had a couple purchase a pathfinder armada with the nav unit from me about a month ago, and they love it. Have not had any complaints or problems with nav system

berisimus

I never thanked you for the info on the XM radio. I have contacted the Infiniti dealer in Texas and will be ordering the kit for my Armada. Also, thanks for your posts regarding the Section 179 depreciation write off. I too would like to take advantage this year....which brings me to my question. I think we have ordered the same vehicle: LE 4 by 2, smoke, graphite interior, technology package and second row bench seat. I could swear the other day when I performed an inventory search of my own I did find a few LE's with the bench seat (of course, none had all my other requirements). Now when I did my search I find no LE's with the second row bench seat. I called Nissan corporate to find out if the factory is even producing the LE with the bench seat option or whether it must be specially ordered. Predictably, the customer sales representative had no idea and said she would have to "research the issue" which could take about a "week". It is a legitimate question because last time I called Nissan corporate on this topic they told me that special orders are rare and (maybe Bowke can shed some light on this) what usually happens is that the dealer locates the vehicle out of existing inventory in the pipeline If the factory is cranking out LE's with the bench seat the dealer stands a reasonable chance of locating one (I might accept a different color if that was the only change) and having it delivered before 12/31/03. On the other hand, if asking for a bench seat in an LE is tantamount to blasphemy, my chances are bleak as I just ordered my vehicle last week and you have indicated in previous posts that the normal delivery time on a "special order" is 6-8 weeks. What have you heard on this issue?

h20ski

Why would you spend all of that money on an expensive, great vehicle like an Armada and put in XM when Sirius is the premium satellite radio service? You can opt for that instead. Sirius has totally commercial free music and 3 satellites not just two and they orbit overhead not blocked like XM's. Sirius is in MErcedes, BMS, Lincoln, etc... Plus Sirius gives you a password for their website so you or the family can listen via the computer for free! The other guys charge for equipment to do that. We all have Sirius and absolutely love it!!

drich2

talked to a independent dealer I have bought from in the past. He said Nissans don't have a very good resale value (except for 350Z). He said he would be worried about an unproven SUV like armada from a company that has a lower than usual resale value.
He felt like if we purchased not leased I would take a big hit due to the questionable body style, etc on armada compared to other SUVs and likely lower resale vaule.
Bowke and others what is your opinion?

armada2

Last month my brand new LE with Tec had an electral malfunction which the dealer and Nissan could not fix, so with many calls to Nissan HQ and the dealers owner, I got them to replace the lemon with a new one. And I am happy to say that this one is working great!

dklanecky

"We all have Sirius and absolutely love it!!"

Well not quite all.

XM has over 1 million subscribers now and I believe Sirius has a little under 150,000.

http://sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPag- e&c=PresReleAsset&cid=1066857394387

Both services allow you to listen to the programming streams over the internet to check them out before deciding. XM also charges 9.99 a month (but you do have to listen to some advertising on some channels, nothing like the FM channels though) and if you add a second receiver, XM charges you 6.99 a month for that one.

It's a personal choice that each potential listener should make. One is clearly not the "premium" choice between the two.

(I'm an XM subscriber (two receivers and I also own stock in both companies.)

h20ski

SIRIUS was delayed to market due to much more sophisticated chipset so XM has more subscribers- big deal- means nothing! XM had commercials on their music and then changed some to compete with SIRIUS and XM has consistently added more and more commercials plus SIRIUS does S-PLEX so all the channels sound great- since their more advanced chipset can do this. PLUS customers get free internet service, which is like a second subscription for free. SIRIUS is without a doubt the premium service and more and more people are learning that and making the switch.

twinbladesz

I have been reading about the nav system on the VW Touareg and a few have said not to get it. So I was wondering how trhe Nav on the Armada was doing.

As far as Satellite Radio. I have an XM ready Alpine MP3/CD Receiver. I will finish installing my XM radio componets by March. Have to see how well it does. Then keep reading the reviews. Wioth over a million customers lol I think XM seems to be the winner so far. Kinda like Directv and Cable here in NY. More satellite dishes are popping up on homes all over the place here. With cable beging for people to come back. LOL

h20ski

so why buy a Nissan if Ford or Chrysler has more customers? With that logic you would purchase something else. Number of current customers means nothing! They expect both companies to share 25 miliion customers in five years. SIRIUS is commercial free, 3 sats and free internet streaming. Why buy a Ford when you can get a Lincoln? Try SIRIUS live at www. sirius.com and see for yourself.

rshe

Glad I could help. You are right, the bench seat in the LE is few and far between. I have been playing around on the Nissan Site and have found only 2 or 3 in my area with the bench.. I talked with my dealer today and he said they were only allotted 1 Armada for the month, when they ordered mine. I guess I got in under the wire. He said they are making space in the production line to crank out Titans. I think that is where Nissan is placing their bets. He did a check on mine (which was ordered the first week of Nov.) and it is not even on the system yet. So getting it this year, might be tight...

h20ski--you wouldn't be a Sirius salesperson would you? Keep in mind, Betamax was a much better format but in the end it lost out to VHS.. Sometimes it's who gets out there first and strongest.

drich2

could a few of you please respond to #984,

thanks

blockislandguy

Bowke28, you've been a real friend to this board and others. If you wouldn't mind, let me ask you a question. I always ask myself why a dealer whould employ the bozos I meet on dealer lots. Please comment on the following explanation.

While sales pros like you sell rings around the Nissan sales guy mentioned above, doesn't the average dealership have every incentive to hire as many "sales" guys as they can? What really is the cost? Sure they turn some people off and lose some sales, but given the present sales structure at most dealerships, isn't the usual sales guy just merely beating the brush to drive the prey into the gun sights of the sales managers who control the "deal"? Once the prospect is inside at a table the "sales" guy then functions as a runner back and forth from the prospect to the (usually elevated) front desk? (I have to confess I find the elevated podium so blantantly tacky and offensive that I have to chuckle. What other industry thinks demeans their customers like this?) So, given the format of most dealerships, do they simply conclude that they'll flood the zone and put as many people on board as they can find?

h20ski

rshe

I can't really respond. I buy what I like, not what I will get a good resale on.. My 96 4Runner is pushing 200K miles, so I will probably donate it right before the wheels fall off.. The Armada will probably meet the same fate. If resale is important to you, buy a Toyota Landcruiser for $10K more with the same features as the Armada, they have the best resale going.. Personally the Armada met my needs and had all of the safety features the wife wanted. Win, win!!