The Nissan Next plan is in full swing, and we’ve already gotten a glimpse of it through the launch of the all-new Z and the refreshed Navara. Now, the Japanese carmaker has unveiled two more redesigned vehicles to revamp its roster: the Armada and the Kicks.
The Armada debuts with a more refined design than before, highlighted by its stylish front fascia. The new V-Motion grille is more pronounced, the headlights flanking it are much sleeker, and the bumper and foglamp housings underneath complete the burly look of the exterior.
Out back, the new Armada’s taillights have been slightly tweaked along with the rear bumper. Meanwhile, the 22-inch alloy wheels remain untouched. But apart from these, arguably the most important update to this SUV is the new Nissan logo—the Armada is the first in the Japanese carmaker’s lineup to sport the brand’s redesigned badge.
More changes can be found inside, where the Armada boasts a new 12.3-inch infotainment display with a customizable home screen and smartphone connectivity. Yes, Apple CarPlay (wireless) and Android Auto (wired) are available. There’s also a new seven-inch full-color and high-res advanced driver assist display up front.
Higher variants get an intelligent rearview mirror with a 360-degree-view monitor and a family entertainment system. The latter features two eight-inch head-restraint monitors with HDMI input and two pairs of wireless headphones.
Another addition to the Armada range is the Midnight Edition Package, which is available on the midlevel trim. As for what’s under the hood, this full-size SUV still packs a 5.6-liter Endurance V8 engine across the range. This generates 400hp and is mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox.
The Armada also boasts Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 features, including intelligent lane intervention, intelligent forward-collision warning, and blind-spot intervention.
Now, for the Kicks. This might be a familiar nameplate to some of you, as the Kicks e-Power was just launched in Thailand back in May.
The new model for the US market, however, packs a 122hp 1.6-liter in-line-four gasoline engine and not the e-Power system. That said, the crossover looks basically the same in both markets—same exterior design, similar interior details. Only the wheels look significantly different from each other.
Other key features of the US-spec Kicks include a new customizable eight-inch infotainment system with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. A Bose audio system comes as an added option. Higher trims also get a 360-degree-view monitor.
So, Internet—your thoughts on Nissan’s new-look vehicles? You can check out more photos of these two below.
