Images of the Next-Gen Armada Leak Online

Leaked 2017 Nissan Armada Image (Credit: © Nissan)

The Nissan Armada is one of the last of a dying breed as full-size SUVs with body-on-frame construction have dropped like flies in the past decade. According to a new report from AutoGuide.com, the Armada will continue with its body-on-frame system, but it will undergo a significant refresh that includes moving from the Titan’s platform to the Japan-spec Patrol’s platform—the same underpinnings as the QX80.

This news comes from an image that leaked onto TitanXDForum.com showing what looks to be a Nissan-badged and lightly massaged QX80. You can really make out its QX80 roots by closely examining the image from the A-pillar to the D-pillar. Here, you can see that the roofline, kink in the rear-quarter glass, and the doors are near mirror images of those found on the current QX80. The nose it all Nissan, and I suspect the rear will be much of the same.

Given this ends up being accurate, look for the new Armada to carry the same powertrain as the QX80. This would bump the Armada’s 5.6-liter V-8 from just 317 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque to a more acceptable 390 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. This engine should mate to a seven-sped auto transmission.

While the Armada will finally get some much-needed power to tug around its bulky body, this new version of the V-8 does not give much relief to the SUVs most glaring issue: fuel economy. The QX80 gets just 1 mpg more than the Armada in its base setup, so chances are the new Armada will mirror these numbers. On the positive side, this engine will keep the Armada’s towing capacity around the 8,500-pound range, and the new SUV will gain a lot of the QX80’s more premium feature.

I am curious if, at some point, Nissan will see it fit to use a retuned version of Infiniti’s new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 in the new Armada to help reduce fuel consumption. Something in the 325- to 350-horsepower range would seem good enough for most buyers, given the great torque that this engine delivers.

We’ll keep an eye on this story and bring you the latest once the new Armada finally becomes official. We should hear something around mid-2016.