The Legendary Nissan Patrol Has Arrived: 2025 Armada PRO-4X Review

For the first time in over 35 years we’re getting the world market Nissan Patrol in North America, but here it will have the Armada badge. That’s right; the 2025 Nissan Armada is the exact same as the Patrol sold around the world, for the first time ever.

Why is this such a good thing? Because the Patrol is a stout, proven off-road machine ready for serious adventures.

Nissan invited me to Franklin, Tenn., to experience a few versions of the next-generation Armada. Of course, I was most excited to see what the first-ever Armada PRO-4X model is all about. I got to take it off-road in some very muddy conditions, as well as tow a big Airstream trailer with it. I also spent a few hours driving on-road in the top-luxury-spec 2025 Armada Platinum Reserve 4×4.

In short: The 2025 Nissan Armada is an impressive large SUV for hauling and towing. The first-ever PRO-4X version of the Armada is the properly stout off-road machine enthusiasts have been asking for. It’s also a very comfortable everyday driver, but could benefit from better suspension tuning and more cabin sound deadening.

2025 Nissan Armada PRO-4X Review

With eight-passenger/three-row people moving and up to 97.1 cubic-feet and 1,755 pounds of cargo capacity, the 2025 Armada is ready for big adventures. Add in 8,500 pounds of towing capacity and this large SUV is also ready to haul your big toys on your next adventure.

Styling

While styling is subjective, I think everyone will likely find the 2025 Armada more appealing, outside and in, than the outgoing model. The outside has a big presence and looks larger, even though it’s essentially the same size.

A lot of the old curves have been traded in for straight lines, which makes this large SUV look even wider and taller than it is. Black plastic over-fenders, roof rails, and running boards also help to visually give the PRO-4X more bulk.

Of course, like all auto manufacturers, Nissan continues to use lighting elements to make its vehicles stand out from the crowd. The 2025 Armada gets dual C-shaped front and rear lights, as well as a vehicle-wide rear light bar. These lights add to the visual height and width of the vehicle as well.

The 2025 Nissan Armada comes in eight colors, with five of those offered with a blacked-out roof option. There are seven interior looks, but the PRO-4X only comes in Charcoal with Lava Orange accents.

Like all the other off-road SUVs on the market with lengthy heritage — Wrangler, Bronco, Land Cruiser, etc — the 2025 Armada has some easter eggs paying tribute to its Nissan Patrol heritage. There are three “Since 1951” easter eggs in the vehicle. One in the lower center of the rear glass, one in the trim on the center console, and one in the puddle-lamp projection.

V6 Replaces V8

While the V8 is dead, its replacement is better in all ways — besides sound. Every 2025 Armada gets Nissan’s VR35 twin-turbo V6, backed by a nine-speed paddle shift automatic transmission. This engine is a derivative of the GT-R motor and puts out 425 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque — 25+ horsepower and 103 pound-feet more than the outgoing V8.

In the real world, this engine does very well, but does have noticeable turbo lag. Luckily, that lag doesn’t really detract from the driving experience or performance, as you’re never left wanting for more power. This is especially true when towing and/or passing on the highway, as this big SUV easily and quickly climbs to triple-digit speeds without issues.

No fuel economy numbers are out just yet, but it should far exceed the previous model year’s V8 — which has a combined rating of 16 mpg.

The shifter has been changed to a push-button setup. It’s a bit odd at first and pretty hidden in the center console, but it is easy to get used to.

Driven

For the first time in a Nissan, we get adaptive electronic air suspension. This height-adjusting air suspension setup offers a bit more than four inches of height adjustment. Of course, this makes the vehicle easier to get in and out of and load when low, provides a good ride when in the standard setting, and provides more clearance for avoiding off-road obstacles when fully raised.

I found the ride to be a bit harsh over broken pavement and medium-sized off-road obstacles, but the body roll was minimal when aggressively cornering and when tackling off-camber off-road terrain.

Nissan says the new frame under the Armada offers 25% greater torsional rigidity and 57% more lateral stiffness. That all rings true for me, as even when the vehicle is teetering on two wheels, it doesn’t creak or noticeably flex in any way.

Electric power steering with a quicker steering ratio is now standard on Armada. It felt a bit heavy, which helps give the illusion of feedback, but it also felt responsive and appropriate for such a big, heavy SUV. The throttle response is very good, and the brakes are fine but not super linear.

The turn signals take a bit of getting used to, as if you push them all the way down they likely won’t self-cancel, unless making at least a 90-degree turn. But, just tap them and they’ll blink three times and stop. Takes a lighter touch than I’m used to, but this is something you’ll discover on many modern new vehicles.

2025 Armada PRO-4X Off-Road

If you like to drive off-road, or in a performance manner, this vehicle is for you. It doesn’t have some of the auto off-road driving features like crawl control that competitors have, but it has a very good traction control system — and the computers don’t override your manual controls.

That’s super-refreshing from a skilled driver perspective, as it allows you to drive the vehicle with two feet and control it with your inputs, versus having the computers do most of the work and thinking for you.

With that said, the 2025 Armada PRO-4X does have Hill Descent control standard and a quality, smooth traction control system that isn’t intrusive. And, it has eight drive modes; Standard, Eco, Sport, Tow, Snow, Sand, Rock, and Mud/Rut.

When you put it in any of the three off-road drive modes, the vehicle automatically rises to the top suspension setting. While this provides about 2.1 inches more clearance over the standard ride height, it also provides a harsh ride. This is true of any vehicle with air ride suspension, as when it’s fully maxed out, the airbags are rock-hard and provide little articulation.

Hot Tip: In a normal drive mode, hold down the auto air ride height adjustment button for a few seconds. It will turn off the automatic height adjustment mode. Then, switch to an off-road drive mode and the vehicle will stay in the normal ride height. This provides a much smoother ride, and still allows you to selectively raise the vehicle when needing to get over an obstacle.

While the PRO-4X does come with 33-inch (275/60R20) all-terrain tires, they are very street-oriented and not great off-road. Add in that the vehicle comes with 20-inch wheels, and you only get 6.5 inches of tire sidewall to work with. I personally don’t think that is enough to confidently air down much and not damage the wheels or get a pinch flat.

But, the Armada PRO-4X does get an impressive 9.6 inches of ground clearance at normal ride height, which is bumped up to 11.7 at off-road ride height. The vehicle also gets a few skid plates and relative approach and departure angles of 33 and 24.5 degrees, respectively, in the highest suspension setting.

The front bumper helps with that approach angle, and houses two red tow hooks. While the two hooks don’t reduce the approach angle, they are likely the first thing to hit when tackling a lot of obstacles off-road.

The rear recovery point on the Armada PRO-4X is the tow hitch receiver, which is hidden under a plastic cover.

To top off this new off-road-focused model’s capability is an easy button — a selectable rear e-locker.

Armada PRO-4X Tech

Of course, the new Armada is also full of the latest safety, convenience, and comfort tech. It gets standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as NissanConnect services with Google and Alexa built-in. All of that is shown and controlled through dual 14.3-inch screens on the PRO-4X.

Also on trend, the new Armada gets a ton of new camera views and tech. This includes HD Enhanced Intelligent 3D Around View with invisible hood view, front wide view, and moving object detection. The camera system even lets you geo-tag locations where you want specific camera views to automatically display on screen.

One of the coolest new features is an ultra-wide view, which allows you to span a few camera views across both screens.

While automakers are all throwing brand names at their vehicle audio, Nissan has done so with a truly impressive sound system. The Armada PRO-4X (and SL and above trims) gets a Klipsch 12-channel, 12-speaker, 600W amplified system.

It creates a great sound stage and spatial audio with good instrument separation. I was particularly impressed with the low distortion and heavy bass it can produce. This system is missing headrest and ceiling speakers but is otherwise the same as found in the 2025 Infinity QX80.

A digital rear-view mirror allows you to see “through” passengers and cargo to always get a clear view out the back of the vehicle. And, unlike some competitors, the camera is high resolution, the screen high resolution, and overall the system works well without being distracting.

ProPILOT Assist 1.1 is standard on SL trim and above, with 2.1 as an option, except PRO-4X where it’s not available. So, no hands-free driver assistance for PRO-4X buyers.

No modern vehicle, especially a people mover like this, would be complete without a host of charging options for portable electronics. The 2025 Armada gets 6 USB-C, two 12V outlets, a cargo area 120V outlet, and a wireless charging pad in the center console.

Optional on the 2025 Nissan Armada PRO-4X, with the Premium Package, is a head-up display (HUD) and a very cool dash cam system. The dash cam has both inside and outside cameras. It auto-records accident events and comes with an 8GB SD card. Another cool feature is that through the vehicle app, you can look inside the vehicle when you’re not in it and see if you left anything or if someone is trying to break in.

Comfort

There is more wind noise in the cabin of the 2025 Armada than I’d prefer. But, it is a massive vehicle trying to punch a big hole in the air as it goes down the road. Sadly, the Armada doesn’t get the active noise canceling that its sibling the 2025 Infinity QX80 gets.

While the heated, ventilated, and massaging, zero gravity seats in the 2025 Armada Platinum Reserve trim are amazing, the PRO-4X doesn’t get the massage feature. Standard front seats on the PRO-4X are 10-way power with two-way lumbar with heat. The PRO-4X Premium Package comes with 12-way power with four-way lumbar and ventilation and heat. No matter how you spec these seats, they are very comfortable.

The second-row seats are a bit low for my 32-inch-inseam legs, which causes high knees and little leg support. But, there is loads of leg and headroom in the second row.

A great feature for car camping, and hauling cargo, is the fold-flat floor all the way to the back of the first row.

And, as with all vehicles designed with the North American market in mind, there are loads of cupholders. Specifically, the 2025 Armada PRO-4X gets eight cupholders and four additional bottle holders.

Towing

The twin-turbo V6-powered 2025 Armada retains the same tow rating the 2024 V8-powered Armada offered — 8,500 pounds. This is true across all grades, so with both standard and air suspension setups.

The PRO-4X trim comes standard with an integrated trailer brake controller and has a cool trailer light check function from the remote, allowing one person to confirm the trailer lights function properly. Also, the rear zoom view in the camera system has a centerline on it, making hitching up a trailer much easier for one person.

Overall, the new Armada is an impressive tow machine. But, it does need extended tow mirrors, which are not available, and the air suspension in the rear of the vehicle does have a bit of bounce to it when hooked up to a heavy trailer.

2025 Armada: Pricing & Availability

(Note: All prices here include the mandatory $2,010 destination and handling charges.)

While pricing for the 2025 Armada starts at $58,530 for 2WD and $61,530 for 4WD SV models, the PRO-4X starts at $75,750. A top-spec 4WD Platinum Reserve starts at $81,910.

The PRO-4X Premium Package adds $2,780. It includes 12-way ventilated front seats, a panoramic moonroof, an intelligent dash cam, heated second-row, a hands-free power liftgate, and Biometric cooling.

The new 2025 Armada is hitting dealers in the next few weeks, just before 2024 comes to an end.

2025 Armada PRO-4X Review Wrap-Up

There is little to really complain about with the new Armada. It checks all the boxes of a big people/gear mover SUV that can tow and handle real off-road terrain with ease. The touch points inside are all very nice, there is loads of passenger space, and the electronics allow for quality entertainment and comfort. Maybe best of all, the vehicle lets you drive it, versus it always wanting to drive itself like many modern SUVs.

I will complain that it doesn’t wear the Patrol name, but does play off that nameplate’s heritage and is, finally, the same vehicle. Apparently, the equity of the Armada name was deemed more important than the Patrol badge to North American consumers by the marketing team at Nissan.

If you do decide to buy a 2025 Nissan Armada PRO-4X, I have a few suggestions. First, take the running boards off. Then, put a more aggressive all-terrain tire and possibly a smaller wheel — if one will fit over the brakes. I’d also skip the premium package, as you don’t really need the glass roof, and while ventilated seats are nice, they’re not a huge addition and have perforations that retain dust and dirt.

Note that no NISMO parts will be available for the 2025 Armada at launch. But, I’m assured many are coming to your local Nissan dealer soon. Being able to finance quality parts like upgraded skid plates, rock slider/steps, smaller wheels, better tires, and roof racks will be a great addition to the buying experience of this exciting new vehicle.

The only real large off-road oriented SUVs on the U.S. market that compete with the 2025 Armada PRO-4X are the GMC Yukon AT4, Ford Expedition Timberline, Toyota Sequoia TRD-Pro, and Lexus LX 700h Overtrail. Each has its pros and cons, but the new Armada holds its own in terms of off-road capability, towing, tech, comfort, and price. More soon as we get behind the wheel of some of these new 2025 models.