2024 Nissan Armada keeps V8, jettisons base S trim

Last month, Australian outlet Drive reported on quotes from Nissan’s Global Head of Product Strategy and Planning, Ivan Spinosa, confirming their Nissan Patrol SUV (our Armada) would drop the V8 engine in favor of a twin-turbo V6. Spinosa didn't give a timeline for the switch. For our market, all we know is that the switch won't come at the beginning of the 2024 model year. Nissan outed specs and prices for the 2024 Armada, and the big SUV is a carryover for the new year save for a trim change and resulting price increase.

The base S trim is no more, cranking up the entry-level Armada price by $4,750 compared to current 2023 Armada pricing. Once you digest that, the leftover price increase is a paltry $150 for the entire lineup in either two- or four-wheel drive. MSRPs for the two-wheel drive trims after the $1,895 destination fee are:

• SV: $55,450 
• SL: $59,270 
• Platinum: $67,520 

Buyers upgrading to four-wheel drive and the two-speed transfer case are looking at:

• SV: $58,450 
• SL: $62,270 
• Platinum: $70,520 

Nissan's long-lived and perfectly named Endurance V8 carries on, making 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque and ready to tow up to 8,500 pounds. 

The conversion to six-cylinder power is probably due for the 2025 model year. Spy photographers caught the next-gen Armada testing in Arizona last month, giving us a glimpse at what we expect to be a larger, fancier family-hauler. The downsized engine will power this grander interior with more power, the I6 maybe making around 430 hp in this application. Spinosa is confident that buyers won’t miss the V8, saying, "I think the customers, the moment they drive a twin-turbo V6, they discover a new universe. The capability, the performance, the acceleration, the power delivery – the customer will smile, I’m sure of it. It will outshine the V8 in all those metrics."

Expect more rugged looks that potentially inherit cues from the Patrol Warrior model offered overseas, something akin to a Ford Explorer Timberline.