2020 Nissan Armada: 7 Things to Know

The Nissan Armada went from a blocky, old-school SUV to a smooth and curved old-school SUV once it took design cues from the Infiniti. The Armada is about 20 grand cheaper than its luxury cousin, which makes it a good deal. We drove the Platinum trim, which starts at about $64K and with options is $71,335.

The Armada is only offered with Nissan's 5.6-liter V8 engine that also sees work in the Titan pickup. The direct-injection engine makes 390 hp at 5,200 rpm and 394 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. A couple years ago Nissan installed a seven-speed automatic, replacing the old six-speed. Base trims are rear-wheel drive; four-wheel drive is optional. It's quiet at idle, but that "Endurance" engine roars when provoked. That could be good or bad, depending on how you feel about a quiet cabin/neighborhood.

The Armada is body-on-frame, which means on the road it'll feel more like a pickup truck, comfort and handling-wise. It features a double-wishbone suspension in both front and back with nonadjustable Hitachi shocks. The 2020 Nissan Armada can tow an impressive 8,500 pounds.

In this class of vehicle, nothing is going to be nimble. From the driver's seat, the Nissan Armada soaks up bumps easily, but like the last one I drove, it feels like the suspension is doing a ton of work (loudly) to keep things that way. It doesn't feel slower than its competition, nor faster. If you're looking for an SUV this size you're probably more worried about features.

The 2020 Armada comes standard with a Bose audio system with 13 speakers and a subwoofer. Navigation is standard as is an 8-inch touchscreen display with satellite radio and a CD player. It features nine cupholders, keyless entry and ignition and a rearview monitor.

Upgraded Platinum and Platinum Reserve 2020 Armadas come with leather seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel and a rear-seat entertainment setup with dual 8-inch DVD monitors, USB and HDMI ports, VTR jacks (two), two wireless headphones and remote controller. If you're bringing the kids, you might want to spec one of the higher trims.

Forward collision warning, radar cruise control and distance control are standard. Automatic emergency braking, lane intervention, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, blind spot intervention and Nissan Around View Monitor are optional, as is the rearview mirror camera that allows you to see what's behind you even if the cargo area is full to the brim.