Latest news with #ArmadaNismo
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Nissan Armada Nismo gets performance makeover
A family-moving SUV just got a performance makeover. The internet doesn't appear sold. Nissan is rolling out a sport-tuned version of its high-rolling, three-row Armada SUV, a near-luxury set of wheels that already starts at $60,000. The new trim is called the Armada Nismo — it's set to hit dealerships lots this fall. It's also hugely important for an automaker that recently posted flagging sales and a CEO change . The standard Armada got a full redesign for this year, swapping its aging V8 engine for a more efficient and powerful V6. The style reboot features a boxier look with width-spanning LED taillights, extra chrome, and a plush seven- or eight-seat interior. Now, Nissan is cranking up the attitude. The Nismo trim adds red interior and exterior accents, reworked lower body panels, and a squatter stance. Under the hood, the Nismo gets a 35-horsepower bump and tweaked valves that deepen the exhaust sounds — but only if you spring for premium fuel. 'Armada NISMO expands the Armada family to connect with drivers who share a passion for excitement, performance, and bold, sports-inspired design,' a product spokesperson told While Nissan hasn't revealed pricing yet, current Armada trims range from $59,000 to $82,000. That positions the Nismo squarely in the territory of premium family SUVs — a growing, lucrative market segment in the US, where large vehicles continue to dominate new car sales. But the launch comes at a tricky time for the automaker. Nissan has faced shrinking profits, leadership shakeups, and ongoing headwinds from President Donald Trump's 25 percent automotive tariffs — a policy that affects models like the Japan-produced Armada . Nissan has been in big trouble for months. In November, executives at the company warned the automaker only had '12 months' of cash on hand to survive . Its financial position comes after turmoil in the C-suite. Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO who helped revive the company in the 2000s, was arrested in 2018 by authorities in Tokyo. They believed the executive misused company assets. Ghosn was flown out of the country in a plane's cargo in 2019. He has remained in Lebanon since. In his absence, the company had an aging portfolio with old transmission technology. The cars were built at dozens of factories around the world, leaving the company extremely susceptible to global onshoring trends. A leadership vacuum appeared at the company after his legal turmoils. Makoto Uchida, a Japanese executive, took over, but was ousted after six years. Ivan Espinosa took over as top boss earlier this year. Despite selling the fifth-most cars in the US last year, Moody's, a credit agency, downranked Nissan to 'junk' status earlier this year .
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
America's fifth-largest car company slammed for 'hideous' sporty mom vehicle
A family-moving SUV just got a performance makeover. The internet doesn't appear sold. Nissan is rolling out a sport-tuned version of its high-rolling, three-row Armada SUV, a near-luxury set of wheels that already starts at $60,000. The new trim is called the Armada Nismo — it's set to hit dealerships lots this fall. It's also hugely important for an automaker that recently posted flagging sales and a CEO change. The standard Armada got a full redesign for this year, swapping its aging V8 engine for a more efficient and powerful V6. The style reboot features a boxier look with width-spanning LED taillights, extra chrome, and a plush seven- or eight-seat interior. Now, Nissan is cranking up the attitude. The Nismo trim adds red interior and exterior accents, reworked lower body panels, and a squatter stance. Under the hood, the Nismo gets a 35-horsepower bump and tweaked valves that deepen the exhaust sounds — but only if you spring for premium fuel. 'Armada NISMO expands the Armada family to connect with drivers who share a passion for excitement, performance, and bold, sports-inspired design,' a product spokesperson told Still, some car buyers aren't convinced. 'Marketing and research must be making up numbers,' a Redditor chimed about the design. 'Who is going to buy this? Another added: 'That grill is hideous.' While Nissan hasn't revealed pricing yet, current Armada trims range from $59,000 to $82,000. That positions the Nismo squarely in the territory of premium family SUVs — a growing, lucrative market segment in the US, where large vehicles continue to dominate new car sales. But the launch comes at a tricky time for the automaker. Nissan has faced shrinking profits, leadership shakeups, and ongoing headwinds from President Donald Trump's 25 percent automotive tariffs — a policy that affects models like the Japan-produced Armada. The Nismo's sporty vibe continues into the big car's interior, with red quilted seats in all three rows The V6 engine is smaller than last year's outgoing V8 - but it still delivers more horses Nissan has been in big trouble for months. In November, executives at the company warned the automaker only had '12 months' of cash on hand to survive. Its financial position comes after turmoil in the C-suite. Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO who helped revive the company in the 2000s, was arrested in 2018 by authorities in Tokyo. They believed the executive misused company assets. Ghosn was flown out of the country in a plane's cargo in 2019. He has remained in Lebanon since. In his absence, the company had an aging portfolio with old transmission technology. The cars were built at dozens of factories around the world, leaving the company extremely susceptible to global onshoring trends. A leadership vacuum appeared at the company after his legal turmoils. Makoto Uchida, a Japanese executive, took over, but was ousted after six years. Ivan Espinosa took over as top boss earlier this year. Despite selling the fifth-most cars in the US last year, Moody's, a credit agency, downranked Nissan to 'junk' status earlier this year.
Auto Blog
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Nissan Patrol Nismo Revealed: Here's Why It Beats The Armada Nismo
Patrol Nismo Vs. Armada Nismo Mere days after Nissan USA revealed the Armada Nismo, the related Nissan Patrol Nismo has had its world premiere. The Armada is badged as the Patrol in other markets such as Australia and the Middle East; it's the latter region where Nissan chose to display the new Patrol Nismo, likely owing to that market's preference for large, off-road-capable SUVs. At first glance, the new Patrol Nismo looks identical to the Armada Nismo, but there is one major difference: Power. Yes, the Patrol Nismo gets even more grunt than the local Armada Nismo. High-Output V6 Highlights New Patrol Nismo The new Patrol Nismo produces 495 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque from its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6. By comparison, our own Armada Nismo makes 460 hp and the same amount of torque. As Nissan points out, this is the 'highest output for the VR35DDTT engine anywhere globally.' Looked at another way, the Patrol Nismo has a whole 75 more horsepower than the brand's dedicated sports car, the thrilling Z Nismo. Nissan says this higher output is based on feedback received from customers in the Middle East. A nine-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters helps to get the most out of that V6, and the Patrol also gets Nismo-tuned E-dampers that adjust the damping levels in real-time. Special tuning for the power steering and exhaust system also form part of the upgrades. Source: Nissan Looking at the spec sheets of the Armada Nismo and Patrol Nismo, we found one or two other differences. For instance, the Armada has a minimum ground clearance of 8.9 inches, while the Patrol comes in at 7.7 inches. And, while the Armada Nismo weighs 6,102 pounds, the Patrol Nismo is an even heftier 6,210 lbs. The Patrol boasts a slightly superior departure angle of 25.5 degrees, compared to the Armada's 24.5 degrees. In both cases, the Pro-4X is the Armada/Patrol model to get if you want a dedicated off-road SUV. Similar Styling, Inside And Out Like the Armada Nismo, Nissan went all-out with the styling of the Patrol Nismo. An exclusive Stealth Gray paint finish best complements the black 22-inch wheels and red accents around the body. It's not all about butch looks, though; for instance, the front bumper sides have air curtains that divide airflow and ultimately reduce lift, while also increasing downforce. Air diffusers and rear side air splitters, meanwhile, improve rear downforce and grip. The same black and red color scheme as the hottest Armada is found inside the Patrol Nismo. The combination of leather and suede evokes a sporty yet quality feel, and there are also carbon fiber elements. Source: Nissan The Patrol Nismo is also capable of seating eight occupants, so all your friends can come along on high-speed adventures and the occasional off-road jaunt. Nissan says the new Patrol Nismo will be available in the Middle East from July, and local fans will have to live with the fact that our own Armada Nismo isn't the best, most powerful SUV Nissan has to offer. About the Author Karl Furlong View Profile
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Nismo-nised new Nissan Patrol debuts as most powerful ever made
Confirmed to be sold in North America for the first time as the Armada Nismo, the Patrol Nismo will remain left-hand-drive only, thus ruling it out for South Africa. The Nismo version of the Nissan Patrol has been renewed for a second generation based on the all-new Y63. Image: Nissan Middle East A topic of speculation since the debut of the all-new Y63 Patrol last year, Nissan has officially unveiled the second generation Nismo version in the Middle East as the most powerful production Patrol ever made. Muscled-up twin-turbo V6 One of the brand's key models in said market, where the previous generation accounted for a fair share of sales, the Nismo's main difference, once again, resides up front where Nissan has extracted an additional 52 kW from the new VR35DDTT 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine. ALSO READ: All-new Nissan Patrol makes world premiere in Abu Dhabi Eclipsing the 320kW/560Nm made by the previous Nismo's normally aspirated 5.6-litre V8, the twin-blown bent-six develops 369 kW and the same 700 Nm as the regular Patrol. While no performance figures were again revealed, Nissan did disclose a significant ground clearance drop from 244 mm to 195 mm, as well as an extensively recalibrated version of the new button-operated nine-speed automatic gearbox. Nismo outside Externally, the Patrol Nismo's unique touches comprise Rays Engineering 22-inch nine-spoke alloy wheels, a Nismo specific mesh pattern honeycomb V-Motion grille, a new front bumper and splitter with red accents, functioning side vents on the flanks of the bumper, and black mirror caps. Rear and side profile have undergone significant changes from the standard Patrol. Image: Nissan Not stopping there, it also gets red accented extended door sills, a supposed aerodynamically optimised bootlid spoiler, and a new bumper with squared-off side flanks as a result of the rear diffuser fitted below. Aside from body-coloured wheel arches, Nissan has availed five colours options; White Pearl, Black Pearl, Grey Metallic, Blue Metallic and specifically devised hue called Stealth Grey. As option, all of the hues can be contrasted with a black roof. Changed underneath Underneath, and beside its lowered ride height, the Patrol Nismo measures 90 mm longer and 40 mm wider than the standard Patrol, while also being five kilograms heavier at 2 817 kg. Adding to this is a claimed 23% improvement in structural rigidity, new electronically controlled adaptive dampers, revised suspension and power steering, and a recalibrated Vehicle Dynamic Control module. As well as retuned driving modes, the Nismo further gets uprated brakes with improved cooling, and a new exhaust system that uses the audio system's speakers to pump the engine's soundtrack into cabin as part of what Nissan calls Active Sound Enhancement. Compared to its sibling, the mechanical changes has seen the Nismo's approach angle drop from 27.5-degrees to 23-degrees, its breakover from 27-degrees to 26-degrees, and its departure from 27-degrees to 25.5-degrees. Racy inside Inside, the Patrol Nismo retains the eight-seat layout of the regular model, but with Nismo specific additions in the form of alloy pedals, real carbon fibre inserts, black-and-red stitch work, red 12 o'clock marking on the Nismo-branded steering wheel, a red starter button, leather and suede-trimmed seats and red decorative inserts. More than a number of small changes have taken place inside. Image: Nissan Middle East A special honeycomb quilted pattern for the seats, together with Nismo embroidery work on the front headrests, round the interior off, along with red seatbelts and Nismo badges. Yes for US, not for us Approved for the Middle East from July, with pricing being listed at 449 900 dirham in the United Arab Emirates – which equates to a directly converted R2 174 408 – the Patrol Nismo has, for the first time, also been approved for its other key market, the United States, where it will be sold as the Armada Nismo. For the first time, the Patrol Nismo will be sold in North America as the Armada Nismo. Image: Nissan North America Revealed at the same time as in the Middle East, the Armada Nismo comes with reduced power of 343 kW with no change in torque having taken place. The same applies to the interior and exterior, which carries over bar a red leather finish on the seats. Interior of the Armada Nismo sports a red leather finish. Image: Nissan North America Locally, sales of Patrol have been approved for 2026, the same as Australia, however, this is not expected to include the Nismo which will remain a left-hand-drive only model. NOW READ: Nissan Patrol dons Nismo suit
Edmunds
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Edmunds
The Nissan Armada Nismo Takes Performance Up a (Small) Notch
The Armada Nismo is a higher-performance version of the brand's largest and toughest SUV. This is more than just an appearance package; the Nismo team has made a few meaningful changes that should make the Armada genuinely sportier to drive, if only just. What's new? The first thing you'll notice about the Armada Nismo is that body kit. The Nismo team redesigned the front and rear fascias, plus added fender flares (that look just a little too wide), exclusive side steps, a rear spoiler, and a positively massive grille. There are also red accents around the exterior, as well as unique 22-inch wheels. The look won't be for everyone, but it certainly plays into the performance image Nissan is going for, and supposedly enhances the chunky SUV's aerodynamics too. Under the hood is the same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 you'll find in other Armadas, but it's been retuned to make 460 horsepower — 35 more ponies than other trims, and even 10 more than the Armada's more luxurious cousin, the Infiniti QX80. Nissan says the extra power was achieved through revised engine programming and fine-tuning of valve clearances. Additionally, and unlike other Armadas, the Nismo requires premium fuel to unlock maximum power. The extra 35 horsepower in a vehicle that weighs 6,102 pounds is unlikely to yield much in the way of quicker acceleration, but at least it's something.
