There must be something about the Chicago Auto Show that brings out Nissan’s creativity. Two years ago, the Japanese automaker unveiled the Winter Warrior Concepts, a collection of outrageously engineered Pathfinder, Murano, and Rogue SUVs that featured snow tracks instead of actual wheels. This year, Nissan is returning to the Windy City with a pair of concepts that might as well be spiritual successors of the Winter Warriors. One of these concepts is a fresh take on the Nissan Armada, called the Snow Patrol. It’s not as outlandish as the Winter Warriors or its present counterpart, the Nissan 370Zki, but the Armada Snow Patrol is unique in its own right for a variety of reasons.
There’s no going around Nissan’s objective with the Armada Snow Patrol. Billy Hayes, the vice president of Nissan North America’s Commercial Vehicles and Trucks, called it a “return to roots” concept for the Armada model. “(The Armada) has a long off-road heritage as the Nissan Patrol, a global expedition vehicle,” he said. "As part of our celebration of winter at the Chicago Auto Show, we wanted to remind our growing family of Armada owners and enthusiasts that this full-size SUV stands ready to take you to the mountains, or at least safely through Chicago streets covered in lake effect snow."
One look at the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol and you’ll see exactly what Hayes is talking about.
2018 Nissan Armada Snow Patrol
- Make: Array
- Model: 2018 Nissan Armada Snow Patrol
- Engine/Motor: V8
- Horsepower: 390
- Torque: 394
- Transmission: seven speed automatic
- [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
What makes the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol special
Unlike the Nissan 370Zki, the Nissan Armada Snow Patrol retains most of its standard features. The wheels, for example, are still there. That said, the wheels and tires do come in different forms, specifically as a set of 20-inch Cognito Series 61 satin black wheels wrapped in Pro Comp MT2 off-road tires. This new wheel-and-tire combo is one of many changes fitted into the SUV.
Up front, the Armada’s standard bumper was also taken out and replaced by an off-road M1A2 bumper with a grille protector bar and a 12,000-pound winch. Five-inch LED fog lights and a double-row LED light bar are also welcome additions to the Armada Snow Patrol, supplied to Nissan by Pro Comp, the same company that provided the wheels, tires, and suspension kit for the Armada. The roof rack, side steps, and rock sliders are also new to the concept, all of which were sourced from supplier Smittybilt. Finishing off the exterior upgrades is a custom Geometric body wrap that comes courtesy of Icon Image Graphics.
Move inside the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol, and the changes are minimal compared to what we expected. The seats are now wrapped in premium leather that's dressed in a fancy shade of Pearl to go along with not-so-fancy cement-colorer perforated inserts and cobalt contrast stitching. An Armada Snow Patrol logo — yes, this concept has a logo of its own — is stitched into the seatbacks. All-weather floor liners are the only other additions to the interior of the Armada Snow Patrol.
On the engine front, the Armada Snow Patrol is still powered by the 5.8-liter V-8 engine as the standard Armada. It’s still good for 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, which, in turn, sends all the engine’s power to all four wheels. When properly equipped, Nissan says that the Armada Snow Patrol has a maximum towing capacity of 8,500 pounds.
The last and arguably most important modification given to the Armada Snow Patrol is in the suspension. In order for the SUV to turn the vehicle Nissan is presenting in Chicago, the automaker used a suspension lift kit to raise the SUV’s height by two inches in the front and one inch in the back. The result is an Armada that can justify its label as a true winter wonder ride.
References
Nissan Armada
Read our full review on the 2017 Nissan Armada.
Read more Chicago Auto Show news.
Read more Nissan news.