The word Armada immediately makes me think of maritime warfare, with the Spanish Armada leading the charge. All-in-all, it’s not a bad metaphor for an SUV so big it easily holds a fleet of adults with room to spare. However, there in lies the problem. This vehicle is so big that it’s closer to compare it to the Post-Panamax vessels, which are too big to fit through the Panama Canal, and are one of the causes of the recently approved Canal expansion. In a word, this thing is big. Really big.
If straight lines on open prairies make up your daily commute, then I couldn’t think of a better ride. I like it’s style, it’s incredibly comfortable, tons of features, and creature comforts galore. It’s a little on the tall side, making climbing in and out a bit difficult for even someone 6′ 1″, but that’s bearable. The problems with this car come if you actually have to drive it in the city. Narrow double lane roads become single lane cruisers (much to the chagrin of everyone else trying to use one of those lanes), and on-street parking pretty much means your demise. You can however, see above even small buildings as you drive through urban areas watching children and pets run for cover. It’s sort of like Godzilla rolling through Tokyo, just without the tail and the fire.
When it came to parking, I didn’t even bother going into garages, and only attempted large-space parallel parking. And holy mother, am I thankful for the incessant, and annoying beeping of the rear back-up sensors. You can’t see anything out the rear-view mirror that tells you what’s behind you at all, so if not for the slowly increasing beeps, I’d probably taken out three small children, two fire hydrants, and a Chevy Cavalier or two. When my wife was behind me in her car, I couldn’t even see it in my mirror. It completely was hidden from view. An entire car. But, an Armada does not worry about such things. It’s the symbol of Spain’s power and naval dominance. Why worry about insignificant things like other cars, or even, people.
Nissan does a good job with it’s in-car DVD player, giving wireless headphones and front-seat controllable units (read: parents). It’s also got the whole mess dialed in with spacial temp controls. And there’s no way your kids are going to be fighting over who gets to set the temp, as I’m not sure they’re even in the same time-zone let alone climate.
In the end, I liked the car but hated driving it. It was just too big for what I need a car for, and my commute is on small in-city streets that simply had me constantly nervous about smashing into something. Not that I could get injured, but that something might dent the car. 3 stars.
