2010 Nissan Armada Platinum Edition

By Ted Orme

There’s a little “bad boy” in most car nuts, even those of us drawing Social Security. And in this era of economic recession and environmental correctness, what could be badder than spending a surf-fishing vacation in a monster SUV that costs more than my first house, tips the scales just shy of three tons, and is powered by a 317 horsepower V-8 that leaves a heavy carbon footprint? That’s the top-of-the-line Nissan Armada Platinum Edition 4, and like most sinful extravagances, it was wonderful.

No, I wouldn’t recommend this beast as a single driver commuter vehicle that you can’t stuff into many underground urban parking lots. But as a versatile, ultra-luxurious, feature laden people and cargo hauler, top rated tow vehicle and adventure ready off-roader, the aptly named Armada is tough to beat..

Times have changed since the Armada was introduced in 2004, and so have sales – dropping by more than half in just the past year to a paltry 6, 257 units sold through the first nine months of 2009, according to Automotive News. Still, like brick and plaster built homes of old, there is much to love about these dated dinosaurs.

That’s not to infer that the Armada is low tech. In addition to inside/outside trim changes since its introduction, Nissan has made multiple techno refinements and added a ton of new comfort and convenience features. This is personified in the major changes for 2010, which include the addition of two new models at the top of the line, the Titanium Edition Armada, which goes for $42,140 for the 4x2 model and $44,940 for the 4x4, and the Platinum Edition priced at $49,390 and $52,190 for the 4x2 and 4x4 models respectively.

As soon as delivered, my wife and fishing mate, Cathy, and photographer daughter, Katy, loaded up the Platinum 4 with a week’s worth of clothes, food, fishing and photography gear. The first tip of how pampered we would be in a vehicle that lists 40 lines of comfort and convenience items on the price sticker in the window was the power-folding 60/40 split third row bench seat. It flips down at the touch of a switch to increase cargo space that proved more than enough to swallow up all our goods. If you need to haul more, the second row also goes flat to offer up a whopping 97 cubic feet of space.

Then it was off to North Carolina’s Outer Banks and into the teeth of perpetually clogged I-95 construction zones just south of Washington, D.C.

We had Nissan’s Navigation system with 7.0-inch LCD screen and XM NavTraffic to alert us to snarls ahead. And to sooth our savage souls as we crawled along there was a killer, 12-speaker Bose Premium Audio system to play some soft ballads through our iPod until we could finally break loose of the traffic.

Right away I liked the big, round, easy to read analog gauges and easy to understand and operate instrument switches and center controller for the multiple computer info readouts. No, it’s not essential to know your latitude, longitude and altitude, but it brought a smile to my face.

Of course there’s also a Bluetooth hands-free phone system, trip computer with maintenance, DVD Family Entertainment System, and a rear view monitor and front and rear sonar to warn of impending confrontations with immovable objects, very helpful in an imposing vehicle measuring just over 17 feet (207.7 inches).

Safety? Not to worry. With your seat belt on you are well protected by the Big A’s pure bulk, 5,850 pounds. But there’s also air bags mounted in the front, in the front seats and in the roof to protect you in front, side and rollover crashes. Not to mention big four-wheel disc brakes and vehicle dynamic control that kicks in with wheel spin or when the Big A wants to hit the skids.

But what road manners to expect from a SUV that shares its conventional heavy-duty steel ladder frame with the equally massive Titan pickup and upscale twin, the Infinity QX56? Forget the “truck” reference. The Big A delivers an exceptionally smooth, quiet and comfortable ride for a vehicle this size, with surprisingly agile handling thanks to four-wheel independent double-wishbone suspension with auto-leveling.The steering is tight and responsive, and with no discernible wallow or sway..

The beauty in this beast is its 5.6-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 engine rated at 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque and mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with tow mode. Interstate cruising and passing on two lane roads was effortless. Plus, the V-8 is tuned to provide nearly 90 percent of the engine's torque below 2,500 rpm – where it's needed for hauling, towing (up to 9,100 pounds) or slow-speed off-road driving.

The Big A is EPA rated at 12 mpg city and 18 mph highway, and cruising at about 10 over on mostly 65 mph roads we got close, 17.8 mph according to the onboard computer. Actual mileage for the over 800 miles we logged came in at just about 15 mph, but that included a lot of crawling through deep sand on grossly under inflated tires and some stop-and-go shopping trips. That’s nothing to brag about, but still pretty decent for a sand yacht using regular gas. And if you’re feeling guilt and need to be at least a little green, the Titanium and Platinum models feature FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) technology that allows drivers to use ethanol alternative fuel such as E85, if you can find it.

On the Outer Banks’ beautiful beaches, where there is still no fee for off-road vehicles, the Big A was a stand out. The Platinum Edition comes equipped with huge P275/60R20 Michelin tires mounted on nine-spoke 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels. Dropping the tire pressure from the recommended 35 pounds to about 20 pounds turns these excellent all-purpose tires into tank treads. We got right to where the fish were through deep sands and heavy ruts.

If you can stand living without all the goodies the Platinum Editions offers, which are highly seductive, you can get all of the same performance in the $42,810 Armada 4x4 SE. And if you’re not interested in off-road adventure, there is the base Armada 4x2 SE for $37,210. But if you have a hankering for any of these brawny SUVs, which the times have seemingly declared endangered, I would get it soon. With sales falling off the cliff and Nissan making news with its new electrics coming soon, the company is already planning to convert some of its Mississippi facility to light duty commercial vehicles.

While they last, however, the Nissan Armada it truly a decadent delight.