Compare the2023 Nissan ArmadaVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

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 Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 Discovery 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 Discovery doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Armada and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Armada weighs 491 to 1169 pounds more than the Land Rover Discovery. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

There are over 5 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Land Rover 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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover 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 Land Rover With 79 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Land Rover.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 104 more horsepower (400 vs. 296) and 118 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 295) than the Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 45 more horsepower (400 vs. 355) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 369) than the Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Armada is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

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

The Armada has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Discovery (26 vs. 23.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Armada stops shorter than the Discovery:

For better traction, the Armada has larger standard tires than the Discovery (265/70R18 vs. 255/55R20).

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

The Armada S/SV has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Discovery. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Armada’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the Discovery (121.1 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Armada is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Discovery.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

The Armada has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom, 2.7 inches more rear hip room, 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 6.8 inches more third row hip room and 13.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

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 Discovery’s third row seats don’t recline.

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

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Armada. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery’s (8500 vs. 5925 pounds).

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 Discovery does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 Discovery can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Armada has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Armada is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery 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 $1480 to $5785 less than the Discovery over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Armada will be $1760 to $4176 less than for the Land Rover Discovery.

The Nissan Armada outsold the Land Rover Discovery by over five to one during the 2022 model year.