Compare the2024 Nissan ArmadaVS 2024 Acura MDX

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 Acura MDX doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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 MDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Armada and MDX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Armada Platinum has Intelligent Back-Up Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The MDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Armada and the MDX 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Armada weighs 876 to 1763 pounds more than the Acura MDX. 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 Acura MDX:

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

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

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Armada’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the MDX’s camshafts. If the MDX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura 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 Acura With 39 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Acura.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 110 more horsepower (400 vs. 290) and 146 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 267) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6. The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 45 more horsepower (400 vs. 355) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 354) than the MDX Type S’ standard 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Armada is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Armada uses regular unleaded gasoline. The MDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Armada has 7.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the MDX (26 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Armada’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MDX are solid, not vented.

The Armada stops much shorter than the MDX:

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Armada Platinum has standard 22-inch wheels. The MDX’s largest wheels are only 21-inches.

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

The Armada 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 MDX; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Armada’s wheelbase is 7.3 inches longer than on the MDX (121.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The Armada’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.5% to 49.5%) than the MDX’s (57.4% to 42.6%). This gives the Armada more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Armada SV has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (9.1 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Armada to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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

The Armada has 15.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MDX (154.5 vs. 139.1).

The Armada has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room, 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room, .2 inches more third row headroom, 8.2 inches more third row hip room and 5.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the MDX.

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 MDX’s third row seats don’t recline.

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

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Armada Platinum’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the MDX’s (8500 vs. 3500 pounds).

The engine in the Armada is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the MDX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

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 MDX does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Armada and the MDX 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 MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Armada’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The MDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.