New Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve Suggests Premium-Level Luxury

The 2018 Nissan Armada is big, can haul people, cargo and will get you to your destination in style. Add the Platinum Reserve trim level, and you’ll get there with premium-level luxury. Armada competes with the GMC Yukon Denali, Chevrolet Tahoe Premier, and Ford Expedition MAX Platinum.

What’s new for 2018?

A new top-end Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve trim level joins the eight-passenger flagship SUV’s lineup for the 2018 model year. NissanConnect services are newly standard, along with an 8-inch touchscreen, HD radio, and SiriusXM Travel Link. 2018 Armada Platinum Reserve trim includes an intelligent rearview mirror that displays a video view of the road behind.

This week we drive the top-of-the-line 2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve that made its debut at the Texas State Fair.

Features and options

The 2018 Nissan Armada Platinum 4WD ($62,090) comes with seven-passenger seating, a rearview camera, 8-way power front seats, LED headlights, front/rear parking sensors, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an 8.0-inch screen with navigation.

Other Platinum features include fog lamps, a surround-view monitor, power liftgate, power-folding third-row seats, driver-seat memory, 20-inch wheels, and a power-adjustable steering column.

Armada Platinum includes Premium Package equipment plus active lane control, a video-based rearview mirror, and heated/cooled front seats and second-row captain’s chairs ($450) for seven-passenger capacity.

Platinum Reserve added ($3,000) special dark chrome exterior trim, dark chrome 20-inch wheels, two-tone leather-appointed seats, and premium wood-tone trim. Total MSRP including destination: $67,1455.

Interior highlights

The cabin of the Armada is big, comfortable and as curvaceous like the outside dimensions suggest. The SUV offers up abundant space in both the first and second rows. The Platinum Reserve front seats are heated and cooled, abundantly padded for long-distance comfort, offer a broad range of adjustments, and gets a padded center console with the Reserve badge. The new trim offers up premium luxury not seen on Armada before now.

The curved dashboard appears to steal some passenger space, but front occupants still have ample stretch-out room. Numerous controls can be confusing at first, but we figured out controls as the week went on. Platinum Reserve comes with ample wood trim along with plenty of soft-touch surfaces adding to the luxury feel.

Big comfortable individual captain’s chairs reduce passenger capacity to seven, but second-row passengers ride in extra comfort with heated comfort and an attractive center console with padded armrest. The third row is perfect for the kids but reaching the back row can be somewhat challenging. Armada excels in cargo carrying ability with 16.5 cubic feet behind the third row. Folding the power-folding 60/40 third row expands volume close to 50 cubic feet. A power lift-gate made it easy to load cargo we hauling this week.

Engine and fuel mileage specs

The Nissan Armada is powered by a 5.6-liter V8 producing 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque. A seven-speed automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels in this 4WD tester.

It takes lots of fuel to get this 4WD Armada SUV down the road. Four-wheel drive models get an EPA estimated 13/18 city/highway mpg and 15 combined mpg using regular unleaded fuel.

Driving dynamics

The Armada gives the driver a feeling of security and safety you won’t find in most SUV/Crossovers on the market. Its stature gives the driver a commanding view of the road, and the big side view mirrors allowed us to see all around without issue as we commuted in heavy traffic this week. The downside of Armada’s size is, you need to be careful where you park. The surround-view monitor was a big help as it helped tell us how close we were to other cars in the parking lot.

The new Platinum Reserve trim also includes a camera at the rear sending live video to an LCD display built into the outside mirror. This real-time rearview mirror presents an unimpeded view, eliminating visual obstructions caused by cargo, headrests, or passenger heads.

On the highway, Armada offers up a smooth comfortable ride even with the larger 20-inch Reserve wheels. The suspension soaked up the bumps and rough pavement and handled the dirt roads this week. Armada even copes well with the tight mountain curves west of Denver and even though the body leans during quick corners, the big SUV never feels unsafe.

Nissan’s big, strong 5.6-liter V8 offers lively acceleration for such a big vehicle, but the downside is it likes to guzzle gasoline. Even with a full load of people, Armada has the power to get you to your destination in comfort and it won’t doddle in the process. Inside it’s quiet but the V8 engine emits a subdued growl as it gets rolling.

This Armada tester came with 4WD offering all-weather capability. It’s not a vehicle for off-road, but the big SUV will plow through snow drifts and icy roads without issue.

Conclusion

The 2018 Nissan Armada Platinum Reserve provides good value and offers premium-level luxury for families. You and the kids will travel in comfort and you’ll feel an extra level of safety wrapped in the big SUVs skin. Cargo and people carrying ability is where this SUV shines and if you live in a cold climate, 4WD is available for all-weather safety.