Compare the2024 Nissan ArmadaVS 2024 Kia Telluride

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 Kia Telluride 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 Telluride doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Nissan Armada weighs 1209 to 1900 pounds more than the Kia Telluride. 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 Kia Telluride:

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

The Armada’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Telluride runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 38 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Armada’s warranty.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 109 more horsepower (400 vs. 291) and 151 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 262) than the Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Armada is faster than the Kia Telluride:

The Armada has 7.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Telluride (26 vs. 18.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Armada’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Telluride:

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 Telluride are solid, not vented.

The Armada stops shorter than the Telluride:

For better traction, the Armada has larger standard tires than the Telluride (265/70R18 vs. 245/60R18). The Armada SL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Telluride (275/60R20 vs. 245/60R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Armada Platinum has standard 22-inch wheels. The Telluride’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 Kia Telluride 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 Telluride doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 Telluride; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The rear suspension of the Armada uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Telluride, 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 6.9 inches longer than on the Telluride (121.1 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Armada’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.5% to 49.5%) than the Telluride’s (55% to 45%). This gives the Armada more stable handling and braking.

The Armada Platinum 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Telluride SX 4x4 (28 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Armada SV has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Telluride (9.1 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Armada to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Armada SL/Platinum’s minimum ground clearance is .8 inch higher than on the Telluride X-Line (9.2 vs. 8.4 inches).

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 Telluride doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Armada has .5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear hip room, 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 5.1 inches more third row hip room and 5.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Telluride.

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

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Telluride’s (8500 vs. 5000 pounds).

The engine in the Armada is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Telluride. 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 Telluride 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 Telluride can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Armada 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 Telluride’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Telluride offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Armada has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Telluride S/EX/SX offers wireless charging.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Armada is less expensive to operate than the Telluride because it costs $163 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Armada than the Telluride, including $217 less for a water pump, $85 less for a muffler, $89 less for front brake pads, $88 less for fuel injection, $76 less for a fuel pump and $441 less for a power steering pump.