I’m just as sick of seeing news about cars that cost more than my annual salary as you are, and I’ve been trying to focus on reviewing more affordable and accessible cars, so you can’t really be mad at me. I say that because I recently had the chance to drive the 2026 Nissan Armada Nismo, which starts at $81,270 before any options, and I totally fell in love with it. I’ve said that the Volkswagen ID Buzz has the best vibes of any car on sale in the U.S., but now I think the Armada Nismo has the most in-your-face, conspicuous, and commanding vibes of any new today.
Full disclosure: Nissan flew me out to Tennessee, fed me, and put me up for a night so I could test out the 2026 Rogue Plug-In Hybrid and the facelifted 2026 Pathfinder. I also got to sample some of Nissan’s other offerings, including the 2026 Armada Nismo.
It doesn’t necessarily impress on paper
The Nismo isn’t that different from the rest of the 2026 Armada lineup, but it does gain 35 horsepower over all other Armada trim levels, so its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 sends 460 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. That sounds like a lot of power because it is, but don’t forget all that power is nestled under the extremely tall and upright grille of a full-sized, body-on-frame SUV that weighs 6,102 pounds, and can tow up to 8,500 pounds.
Nismo breathed on a handful of components for the Armada’s transformation into a performance-flavored SUV, including reprogramming the engine and revising valve clearances to give it those additional horses over the standard truck. It also reworked the exhaust, the steering, and the standard air suspension. The Nismo also gets Active Sound Enhancement, which sends fake engine noise through the speakers to liven things up inside, and it’s actually convincingly effective.
The in-your-face looks are what makes it stand out
So Nismo touched a couple of the powertrain components, that’s great. What really matters is the changes to the outside, where the Armada’s been given one hell of a bold makeover. Up front, Nismo increased the size of the Armada’s already large front grille, and extended it all the way down to the new front splitter. That splitter continues around the car as a full-width skirt with a contrasting red accent, all the way to the rear that features a Nismo-branded diffuser to cap off the bold vibe. The exterior renovation is completed by the 22-inch Nismo wheels, which might need some spacers to tuck under the body the way you really want them to.
The car I drove was painted Nismo-specific $450 Stealth Gray with the $1,450 Super Black two-tone upgrade, but it’s also offered in Black Diamond Pearl (the only standard no-cost color), and $750 Everest White, which can also be had as a two-tone paint job for $1,750. I don’t know about you, but I think the Armada Nismo looks totally badass.
Nissan
The interior is only available in Charcoal leather with red quilted Ultrasuede inserts on the seat bottoms and the seat back, topped off by Nismo-stitched headrests. There are other nice touches like a steering wheel with a red Ultrasuede straight-ahead marker and a red stripe on the center armrest. The interior comes together to provide a luxurious, sporty feel with supremely comfortable seats, and mostly ample room aside from headroom that’s a little tight in the second and third rows of seats due to the standard panoramic sunroof.
It may look sporty, but it doesn’t drive like it
Unfortunately, from behind the wheel the Armada Nismo isn’t as successful at being an SUV with sporty aspirations as its exterior styling convinces you it should be. It’s not bad, but it’s not going to come close to anything like the Cadillac Escalade V, It’s also about half the price, though. The Armada’s best asset is its straight-line performance; it’s not going to snap any necks, but it’s never wanting for power. The V6 offers good get-up-and-go, but when things start getting twisty, this 6,100-pound, body-on-frame SUV with no less than 8.9 inches of ground clearance doesn’t feel nimble. I know, stop the presses.
The Armada’s steering has a nice hefty weight to it, and the behemoth never feels like it’s going to surprise you with some impromptu somersaults, but in my very brief drive I wasn’t able to build enough confidence in the vehicle and the unfamiliar roads to really push its limits. It’s capable, just don’t expect to be blown away by its responsiveness.
Modern tech, but still plenty of physical controls
When the Armada was redesigned for 2025 it gained Nissan’s dual 14.3-inch digital displays with Google Built-In and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as the availability of Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2.1 hands-free, eyes-on Level 2 automated driver assistance system. There is plenty of tech inside the Armada Nismo to keep folks happy, including a good 600-watt Klipsch 12-speaker audio system.
Thankfully the Armada has fully physical controls for the climate control system, as well as for the 4WD system and some radio controls, so most daily interactions can be handled without much fuss at all. The steering wheel buttons are all touch capacitive and not super intuitively marked, though, so they caused me some confusion on my 30-minute test drive.
Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik
The 2026 Nissan Armada Nismo is, in the venerable words of Peter Griffin, freakin’ sweet. It makes no sense, but it looks cooler than a giant three-row body-on-frame family hauler has any right to. Beyond its distinctive looks lies ample power, a plush and user-friendly interior space, lots of desirable standard features, and it technically qualifies as a performance SUV, which is cool. Everything about the Armada Nismo is cool, and if you disagree, then you’re patently uncool.
