Heritage, like experience, can’t be bought. So carmakers with models that deserve the heritage tag never make a secret of it, except in the case of the Chevrolet Suburban, which few realize is the oldest continuous nameplate in the U.S., having debuted in 1935. Few in the U.S. would also realize that our Nissan Armada is based on a hardcore off-roader known as the Nissan Patrol in other markets, sold continuously since 1951. Even fewer know that Nissan sold the second-gen Patrol through Datsun dealerships in the U.S. from 1962 to 1969, hiring Roy Rogers to the the brand’s first celebrity spokesperson here. The automaker’s re-establishing the connection as we get closer to the arrival of the 2025 Armada. The teaser above pictures a section of the coming grille with a 1967 Patrol in the background. That Patrol, by the way, was an Iowa barn find that now lives in the Nissan Heritage Collection in Tennessee.
About the only thing we can be certain of from the Armada’s new grille is that there’s either a Rock Creek or Pro-4X trim inbound. The Rogue and Pathfinder offer Rock Creek versions, picked out by their chunky black grilles headlined by a trio of narrow vents along the top edge. The 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X pickup adopted the same hallmark. We think it makes more sense for the Armada to go full Pro-4X, not only because of its Patrol associations and being built on a ladder-frame chassis capable of real trail action, but also because that’s the trim to challenge the likes of the Chevrolet Tahoe Z71, GMC Yukon AT4 and Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro.
Otherwise, we’re mostly expecting a toned-down take on the new Infiniti Q80. The old 5.6-liter Endurance V8 is a goner, sure to be replaced by a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 making around 450 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Look for electric power steering and heaps more driving tech. We won’t be surprised to find the dual 14.3-inch gauge and infotainment displays, joined by a 9-inch screen ahead of the center armrest for climate controls. We also won’t be surprised if Nissan gets rid of that last screen to give the Infiniti more breathing room as the conglomerate’s luxury offering. None of the Armada’s U.S. competition is anywhere near that fancy, and in international markets, the Patrol’s primary nemesis is the 300-Series Land Cruiser that’s also not near as fancy as the Infiniti.
Price increases are a given, although we couldn’t guess the amount because Nissan might have been inching us into the new MSRP structure over the past year. Nissan eliminated the Armada’s previous base trim for the 2024 model year, resulting in a de facto $4,750 price jump. When the new Armada arrives, then, its price will be compared to today’s Armada SV price, which has also gone up since debut last year. When the automaker announced pricing in November 2023, the 2024 Armada SV started at $55,450. Now, at the time of writing, that same SUV costs $58,530 after destination. If the coming Armada starts at just over $60,000, for instance, that won’t seem like a big deal compared to the most recent MSRPs, but it will be about $10,000 more than the entry-level 2023 Armada.
Back to the Patrol, we’ve included teaser images of the Aussie variant as well, because who knows. Nissan product planning chief Ivan Espinoza told Australian outlet Car Sales that the Patrol would be “much better” than that Land Cruiser. “The overall performance, driving dynamics, you will see big, big improvements. The dynamic performance is very well executed on the road when you’re driving at high speed, the response, the chassis, the dynamics, the steering have also been greatly improved.” We don’t know how much of that capability will come our way, but every extra perk would help the Armada assert itself again. Remember, the overseas Land Cruiser is the real big-boy deal, not the plainer Lexus GX reboot we get here.
Nissan’s debuting the Armada/Patrol for global audiences on September 3. Stay tuned, and for any Patrol-heads out there, Nissan Middle East is rolling out a YouTube series on what’s already come and what’s ahead.
