About two hours after I stepped out of the Mini Cooper, I went back outside to get in the new car for the week, a Nissan Armada. “You could put the Mini into that thing if you wanted…” was the quote of the day coming from the PageOne courier. Big, boxy, high off the ground. It appeared as if would eat the mini, or at least throw it onto its roof and parade around with it like a giant toy on its roof rack. However, once I climbed into the car, settled down and took inventory of the giant expanse of the car, it became quite cozy. The way a small house is cozy.
It completely changes the way you think about driving through a city when you’re in something this big. You don’t merely pull into any parking lot and start looking for a spot, and you don’t merely dive down small, narrow neighborhood streets. You plan your moves and execute with confidence. You ignore even huge gaps in on-street parking while forging ahead to the parking garage and hoping for a straight-in spot. Also, when you’re coordinating going out with friends, you don’t hesitate to invite anyone in earshot, as there is enough legroom for even very tall people regardless of which seat they end up with. It’s just a different type of automobile than most people drive.
This particular truck came with the DVD entertainment center, complete with wireless headphones and a remote, all packed nicely into the center console, which itself seemed about a foot wide. The motor boasted 305 HP out of its 5.6 liter V8, which sucked down gas at a blazing rate of 13mpg in the city. Beside the uncomfortable reality of its gas consumption, this car made for possibly the best road trip vehicle I’ve ever driven. It was quite, smooth, fantastic visability, would hold enough with enough comfort that you ran out of friends before you ran out of space. On the freeway itself, the driving slipped seamlessly into the background as there were very few things that pulled at the driver’s attention. I seem to think that if I don’t notice the car, it’s doing a great job (on the freeway, not in the corners or city).
The interior is much the same as the other Nissan’s I’ve reviewed, but most resembles the Pathfinder, with which it shares much of its outside styling. Inside, the dash was slightly more refined and had the addition of a few more conveniences, including padded cubby holes which prevented items from sliding around when used to hold cell phones or sunglasses. There were ample temperature controls for both the front and rear passengers, as well as audio controls throughout for individual listening needs. Also abundant were power outlets and rear cargo tie downs.
The tag line for this car is “Larger than life Adventures,” and they may be on to something. While those adventures probably won’t be in the forest or up an old gravel hiking trail, it certainly will get you and the kids to a theme park faster and more conviently than any other SUV I can think of. If I could get over the gas usage, I would never regret driving this car. 4 Stars.
Album: 2006-Nissan-Armada
