Compare the2022 Nissan Armada VS 2022 Toyota Sequoia

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Armada are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Sequoia doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Armada has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sequoia doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Armada has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Sequoia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Armada. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Sequoia.

The Armada SL/Midnight/Platinum has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Sequoia only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Armada and the Sequoia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Armada has a standard 780-amp battery. The Sequoia’s 710-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Armada first among large suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Sequoia was rated third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 19 more horsepower (400 vs. 381) and 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 401) than the Sequoia’s 5.7 DOHC V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Armada is faster than the Toyota Sequoia:

	Armada	Sequoia
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	6.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16 sec	18.2 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.1 sec	6.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	93 MPH
Top Speed	133 MPH	115 MPH

A seven-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Armada, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Sequoia.

The Armada stops much shorter than the Sequoia:

	Armada	Sequoia
70 to 0 MPH	182 feet	192 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

The Armada Platinum’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sequoia TRD Sport/Limited/Nightshade’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Armada Platinum has standard 22-inch wheels. The Sequoia’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Nissan Armada’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Toyota Sequoia only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Armada has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sequoia doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The rear suspension of the Armada uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Sequoia, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Armada Platinum 4x4 handles at .74 G’s, while the Sequoia 4x4 pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Armada Platinum 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Sequoia Limited 4x4 (28 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.8 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

The Armada SL/Midnight/Platinum uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sequoia doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Armada has 6.1 inches more front headroom, 5.1 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more third row headroom than the Sequoia.

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sequoia’s (8500 vs. 7100 pounds).

The engine computer on the Armada automatically engages the starter until the car starts with one twist of the key and disables the starter while the engine is running. The Sequoia’s starter can be accidentally engaged while the engine is running, making a grinding noise and possibly damaging the starter and ring gear.

The power windows standard on both the Armada and the Sequoia have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Armada is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Sequoia prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the Armada the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Sequoia can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The Armada’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Sequoia’s power window (except driver window), power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Armada S/SV/SL’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sequoia’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Armada Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Armada’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Sequoia’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

When the Armada SL/Midnight/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Sequoia’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Armada Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Sequoia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Armada Platinum’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Sequoia doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Armada SV/SL/Platinum has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Sequoia doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Armada is less expensive to operate than the Sequoia because typical repairs cost much less on the Armada than the Sequoia, including $167 less for a water pump, $18 less for front brake pads, $460 less for a starter, $5 less for fuel injection, $186 less for a fuel pump, $3 less for front struts and $243 less for a timing belt/chain.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2018 issue and they ranked the Nissan Armada Platinum 4x4 higher than the Toyota Sequoia TRD Sport 4x4.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Armada second among large suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Sequoia isn’t in the top three.