These are tough times for big SUVs which, perhaps more than any other vehicle, are affected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s new fuel mileage ratings.
Regular readers likely know that for 2008, the EPA changed the way it tests vehicle fuel mileage. Now, for instance, the test loop involves faster acceleration, tests in colder temperatures and even using the air conditioner. The idea is that the EPA ratings on 2008 models will better reflect real-world mileage, and, in fact, they do.
But it also means that virtually every vehicle sold will have lower EPA ratings than it did in 2007. Really, if the model hasn’t changed, the mileage you get is no different, but it’s still sobering to walk up to a big, V-8-powered sport-ute like the Nissan Armada and see the EPA-rated mileage of 12 miles per gallon city, 18 mpg highway on the window sticker.
Not that last year’s rating of 13 mpg city, 19 mpg highway would impress the Sierra Club, but there’s something about that 12 mpg figure than seems to frighten folks, especially when you do a little additional math — 28-gallon gas tank, times $2.75 a gallon — $77 for a fill-up!
Oh, well. If you need a big V-8-powered SUV, none of this will come as a surprise. And the 2008 Armada is a pretty good big, comfy, eight-passenger SUV. The 5.6-liter, 317-horsepower engine, mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, remains one of my favorite powertrains, with plenty of moxie and a towing capacity of a whopping 9,100 pounds.
Incidentally, this engine will also run on E85 Ethanol, should you be so inclined to travel to the lone E85 pump in Florida, located in Tallahassee. But the EPA-rated mileage on E85 is really depressing — 9 mpg city, 13 mpg highway. But America’s corn farmers will thank you.
The Armada, based on the same platform as the Nissan Titan pickup, is going into its fifth model year, so Nissan freshened the styling a little for 2008, with a new front fascia and new headlights, a revised rear and a new roof rack. Small improvements, but improvements nonetheless.
There are two models offered: The SE, which was the test vehicle, and the slightly more upscale LE. The main difference is that some equipment that’s optional on the SE, such as leather upholstery, a Bose stereo and a power rear liftgate, is standard on the LE. Rear- or four-wheel-drive is offered in either model. The test Armada was rear-drive.
Base price on the SE is $35,250, and the test model had a $2,500 option package that included an upgraded 11-speaker stereo, a rear-view camera, fog lights, front sonar parking assist and the power liftgate. With optional floor and cargo mats and shipping, the list price was $38,715, but given the current big-SUV climate, most all dealers are willing to, well, deal.
Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smithcan be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com.
