Compare the2023 Nissan ArmadaVS 2023 Audi Q7

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Armada are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Audi Q7 doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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 Q7 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 Q7 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Armada’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q7 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Armada and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Armada weighs 569 to 1250 pounds more than the Audi Q7. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Armada is safer than the Audi Q7:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Armada 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Armada’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 72 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 27 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 1 place higher in reliability than Audi.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 139 more horsepower (400 vs. 261) and 140 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 273) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 65 more horsepower (400 vs. 335) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 369) than the Q7 55 TFSI’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Armada uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Armada has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q7 (26 vs. 22.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better traction, the Armada has larger standard tires than the Q7 (265/70R18 vs. 255/55R19).

The Nissan Armada’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q7 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 Q7 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Armada S/SV has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The rear suspension of the Armada uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Q7, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Armada has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q7 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Armada’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Q7 (121.1 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Armada is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Q7.

For greater off-road capability the Armada S/SV has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Q7 (9.1 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Armada to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 Q7 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Armada has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The Armada has 1 inch more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom, 4.9 inches more rear shoulder room, .5 inches more third row headroom and 11.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Armada’s middle row seats recline, and the Armada Platinum’s third row seats also recline. The Q7’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Armada’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

The Armada’s cargo area is larger than the Q7’s in almost every dimension:

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q7’s (8500 vs. 4400 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Armada SV/SL/Platinum uses the Vehicle Dynamic Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Armada’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Q7 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Armada has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Armada SL/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Armada is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Armada owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Armada will cost $2095 to $4340 less than the Q7 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Armada is less expensive to operate than the Q7 because typical repairs cost much less on the Armada than the Q7, including $90 less for a water pump, $379 less for a muffler, $110 less for front brake pads, $552 less for a starter, $475 less for fuel injection, $355 less for front struts and $324 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Armada will be $3281 to $5619 less than for the Audi Q7.