Nissan's 2026 Armada Is Big In All The Best Ways (And The Worst, Too)

Within the Nissan lineup, the Armada sits right at the top. With the demise of the GT-R, the big and bold SUV is the most expensive Nissan you can buy in North America, at least when you check all the boxes. This generation of Armada, first unveiled for the 2025 model year, is a bit of a departure from the relatively humdrum family hauler of the past generations. It's a big and bold proper full-size SUV that can double as an off-roader.

The 2026 Nissan Armada Pro-4X takes that off-roadiness even further, with big knobby tires, a grimacing grille, and roughly enough mass to challenge a few navies when it comes to tonnage. Within the Nissan Armada lineup, the Pro-4X sits at the third highest trim behind the positively goofy Armada Nismo, and the luxury Platinum Reserve trim. Either way, you are spending over $70,000. 

Such heft requires a beefy powerplant. The Armada is powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 that puts out 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Power goes to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. As for the Pro-4X treatment, it does gain a bit of hardware and the overall look is different enough to justify a different trim level entirely. You get an electronic-locking differential, skid plates over all the important parts, adaptive air suspension if you want to get really off the pavement, and of course accent stitching everywhere inside.

It might sound like I'm being dismissive of the Pro-4X, but you shouldn't think that is the case. A locking differential and skid plates give you tangible benefits when going off-road, there's no doubt around that. It's more of a case that it has finally reached Nissan at an appreciable level, after other big 4x4 SUVs have had features like that for years. Nissan is finally in a position to compete with the likes of Toyota's TRD models. Whether or not it will be meaningful competition is up to whether or not Nissan actually sells any of them.

As far as actually driving the Armada Pro-4X in concerned, the biggest and beefiest Nissan is actually quite pleasant, even with all of the off-road bits and baubles. Like the more luxury-oriented Armada Platinum I drove earlier, it's rather comfy to command and pretty easy to drive in spite of its heft (you'll still have issues squeezing into parking spaces to be sure). I even drove it to downtown Baltimore City without any real issue. 

Now, living with a full-size SUV in a city as old and sometimes cramped as Baltimore is just asking for headaches, but I didn't have any real qualms to note with parking and navigating. I will say, however, that the Armada Platinum Reserve that I reviewed last year was a quieter and slightly smoother ride, a price you pay for the Pro-4X's knobby tires.

Regardless of rubber, the big engine and pair of turbochargers are compliant as well if/when you want to stomp on the accelerator. It's pretty quick when it tries, and can in fact "get out of its own way" should the need arise. Aerodynamically, it's a little bit like driving an apartment building, but that's not a feature unique to the Armada. That lack of grace and big tires translates to pretty awful fuel economy. Nissan estimates 16 combined miles per gallon when gallivanting around, but I saw that number drop to 13 and 14 miles per gallon occasionally. It's not even a little bit efficient.

That brash and inefficient attitude doesn't give you an entirely accurate representation of what the Armada is like on the inside, at least when it comes to passenger comfort. Given that it is the size of a studio apartment, it's roomy and comfortable on the inside. Nissan, thankfully, opted for plenty of physical buttons as well, so it's ergonomically very straightforward and logical. 

Apart from the various ethical concerns of driving a full-size SUV with exactly zero practical need to do so, I quite enjoyed being the captain of this particular Armada. It's actually thoughtful on the interior, the red stitching and "PRO-4X" logos everywhere are the only indication from the inside that you're driving a proper 4x4.

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Just the fact that the Armada has three rows and isn't a minivan means that it's already in a coveted space in the market. The third row gets 34.5 inches of legroom. With all the seats in place, you get 20.5 cubic feet of storage space; it's 97.1 with all of the seats folded down. Comparing it to the very steep competition, the Armada Pro-4X has to butt heads with SUVs like the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro and the Ford Expedition Tremor. The Toyota has a maximum of 33.7 inches of legroom in the third row, with a maximum of 86.9 cubic feet of storage space. The Expedition measures in at a maximum of 43.5 inches of rear leg room and a maximum storage capacity of 108.5 cubic feet. Those numbers put the Armada firmly in the middle of the pack.

Price-wise, all that comfort and off-roadworthiness comes at `a cost, and it's a pretty big one. The 2026 Nissan Armada Pro-4X starts at $74,300, up from the base model's $58,840. You do get leather seats, those three rows, a two-speed high/low transfer case, USB ports all over the SUV, and a 12-speaker Klipsch sound system. This specific Armada was fitted with the $2,780 "Pro-4X Premium Package" which adds 12-way power front ventilated/heated seats, a panoramic moonroof, a dashcam, and a motion-activated tailgate. 

Pro-4X branded carpeted floor mats are a $565 extra, illuminated kickplates add $465, and lastly — and the only actual change for the 2026 model year — the standard second row bench was swapped for two captain's chairs, for $750. The $2,190 destination charge brings the total to $81,050 for the biggest Nissan on the market.

Functionally, the Armada Pro-4X, Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro, and Ford Expedition Tremor can do more or less the same thing, that is climb over rocks and rough terrain with a lot of people and/or things inside. However, the Armada just doesn't quite match the competition in a few key ways.

The Sequoia's hybrid drivetrain allows it to get much better fuel economy at 19 city and 22 highway. The Ford's a little better too, at 16 city and 24 highway. Additionally, both can tow more than the Armada's 8,500 pounds, with the Expedition rated to tow upwards of 9,600 pounds when optioned correctly, and the Sequoia hauling up to 9,500 pounds when you play around with options (the TRD Pro is a little less, to be fair, at 9,020 pounds).

The 2026 Nissan Armada Pro-4X is a very good SUV, it's even leaning towards being a great one. The power, comfort, and style make it a convincing option for those with some cash to spend: if you are a Nissan diehard fan, it's a no brainer. But, if you're shopping with a spreadsheet and numbers in mind, there are better options out there. That's not really the Armada's fault, a good car is still a good car no matter the context. Nissan just needs to do more to make it stand out in the crowded sea of big, expensive SUVs.