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AUTO REVIEW
2018 NISSAN ARMADA
By Steve Schutz, MD
Elsewhere in the world, which mostly Armada because their previous full-size stable mates. Like the Land Cruiser, the Ar-
means Japan, the Middle East, Africa, New SUV had that name. Come on guys, it’s the mada was created for customers who legit-
Zealand/Australia, and South America, the Patrol everywhere else, why not here? What- imately use it off-road—think ranchers
Toyota Land Cruiser vs Nissan Patrol battle ever, they didn’t ask me, so Armada it is. doing chores deep in the Australian Out-
is a thing. They’ve been competing head-to- back or Saudi Bedouins searching the
head for for decades, but most American As you might imagine for a vehicle that’s desert for a lost camel—so a more robust
consumers, even enthusiasts, have been un- now almost eight years old, the Patrol, cabin is expected.
aware because only the Land Cruiser has whoops...Armada, doesn’t look particularly
been sold in this country. Nissan has never fresh or modern. Ordinarily that would be a By the way, the Armada’s significant off
offered the Patrol for sale here until now. problem, but since the current Land Cruiser road credibility means that it can handle
Sort of... launched three years earlier in 2007, the big anything South Texas weather can throw at
Nissan can’t be accused of looking more it and that it will age well.
Regular readers may recall that in 2010, dated than the competition. Let’s just say the
Nissan introduced a new Infiniti QX56 SUV Armada looks like a fairly generic full-size It’s still comfortable though. Presumably
that was based on the Nissan Patrol and SUV with lots of Nissan-esque styling cues because it was conceived with an Infiniti
built in Japan. That vehicle is still for sale and leave it at that. version in mind, the Armada is more lux-
today, badged as the QX80. Last year, Nis- urious than, say, a Pathfinder. While the
san decided to sell a Nissan version of the Naturally, the interior the Armada is also materials aren’t quite up to QX80 stan-
Patrol as well, but they chose to name it the Nissan-esque, but with beefier knobs and dards everywhere, in many places such as
switchgear than its less off-road capable the polished wood console and the main
44 San Antonio Medicine • December 2017
