• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, Yesterday

The whimsical TV spot featuring the three-row full-size Nissan Armada shows a family following a bear up a serious off-road trail. 

Thankfully they have features like a locking rear differential and intelligent around view monitor with invisible hood view to help them handle the wild terrain. 

At the end of the spot, “Adventure Bigger” from TBWA/Chiat/Day, the family is shown fishing in the river not far from the bear. The daughter delivers the punchline: “Told you he’d know the best spot.” 

It seems impossible that any vehicle could handle a road best traveled by a bear, but having driven the Armada through the pot-holed streets of Detroit for the past few days, I can confirm that there is truth in this advertising. 

While most drivers won’t actually take their vehicles off-road, there’s a reason automakers keep offering the capability. Studies have shown that off-road-capable vehicles are perceived as being more durable. Owners like the idea that they can be adventurous, even if they don’t ever get around to playing in the mud. 

An Armada driver might be more likely to want to tow — perhaps a boat or RV — and this vehicle is ready to do so. It has a Trailer Brake Controller that allows drivers to adjust brake bias deepening on the load. You can also add additional brake force on the fly by simply pinching the controllers on the console. 

The new twin-turbo V6 engine, 9-speed automatic improves acceleration and fuel efficiency. It’s a huge and heavy vehicle, so that ends up being 16 mpg city and 19 mpg highway for a combined 17 mpg. 

That’s about par for the course for large gas-powered vehicles. Competitors include Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon and Toyota Sequoia. 

The Armada shares almost everything with its Infiniti sibling (Nissan’s luxury brand), the Infiniti QX80. But the Armada is definitely less expensive.

The base SV Armada starts at $59,530 and goes up to $79,990, while the QX80 starts at $84,445 and goes up to $112,590. The Armada I test drove was a top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve Intelligent 4WD with options that brought the total price up to $88,800.

When I saw the price, my first thought was: This has to have massaging seats. And sure enough, I was correct. The front seats offer the option of a massage that will “refresh”  or “energize” at varying intensity levels. 

It features a huge panoramic moonroof and two-tone leather-appointed seats with contrast stitching, and open-pore wood-tone interior trim. 

I was really impressed with the premium feel of the cabin and dashboard, which includes soft-touch materials.

If you are on the appropriate roads (not following bears), you can drive hands-off with available ProPILOT Assist 2.1 for freeway driving. Finally, you can stay connected and entertained with available dual 14.3-inch displays and Google built in. 

With a huge amount of cargo space, this is definitely a road-trip-worthy vehicle no matter what kind of an adventure a driver might want to pursue (bear not included.)