Nissan recently presented The Arc, a business plan split between fiscal years 2024 through 2026 and mid-long-term actions to be carried out through 2030. During fiscal year 2024, the Japanese automaker has confirmed four debuts, including the recently unveiled Nissan Kicks and Infiniti QX80.
The other two come in the form of the all-new Murano and Armada. Better known as Patrol in most parts of the world, the body-on-frame Armada is joined at the hip to the QX80. The Murano is a unibody, and chances are that Nissan will update its D-segment platform for the fourth gen.
The latest applications of the D platform are the 2022 model year Infiniti QX60 and mechanically similar Nissan Pathfinder, which employ a direct-injected V6. Their nine-speed automatic transmission is a different animal from that of the QX80 and Nissan's pickup trucks, for the ZF 9HP was designed for transverse powerplants.
Slightly pricier than the $36,080 Pathfinder, the $38,190 Murano is one of Nissan's worst-selling vehicles in the United States of America. Only 31,137 units were moved in 2023, whereas the Pathfinder and Rogue sold 71,710 and 271,458 examples, respectively. The automaker's least popular SUV is the Armada.
A meager 21,185 units were delivered last year in the US market, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the Ford Motor Company's Expedition (73,396 sales) and GM's Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban (110,328 and 52,820 sales). Similar to the F-150-based Expedition, the all-new Armada will get a twin-turbocharged V6 rather than an updated version of the 5.7-liter Endurance V8.
Photo: Nissan
Codenamed VR35DDTT, the 3.5-liter six produces 450 horsepower at 5,600 revolutions per minute and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque at 3,600 revolutions per minute in the Z63 Infiniti QX80. The numbers for the Y63 Nissan Armada should be pretty close to the aforementioned. Both of them use the Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic-based JATCO JR913E, a nine-speed automatic that currently equips the Frontier, Titan, and Z.
Just like the QX80, the Armada is expected with better design, materials, and fit & finish for the interior. Prospective customers should also look forward to a dual-screen layout comprising the instrument cluster and infotainment system, as well as Google built-in and a head-up display. In the QX80's case, the HUD is an optional extra.
Regarding the Murano, the five-seat layout of the current generation will be retained for the 2025 model because three rows would spell trouble for the Pathfinder. Assembly will take place in Smyrna, Tennessee at the production facility where Nissan makes the current Murano and Pathfinder.
In related news, the Yokohama-based automaker will debut no fewer than six models during fiscal year 2025. Come fiscal year 2026, the company will bolster its lineup with five models. Of the 11 vehicles to be revealed, only two are all-new.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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