Compare the2025 Nissan ArmadaVS 2025 Chevrolet Suburban

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Armada have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Suburban doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Nissan Armada has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Suburban doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Suburban doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Armada and the Suburban have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Armada’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Suburban’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Armada for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Suburban.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Armada has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Suburban.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 3 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Armada’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 70 more horsepower (425 vs. 355) and 133 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 383) than the Suburban’s standard 5.3 V8. The Armada’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 5 more horsepower (425 vs. 420) and 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 460) than the Suburban’s optional 6.2 V8.

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

The Armada has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Armada flat and controlled during cornering. The Suburban’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Armada has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Suburban doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For greater off-road capability the Armada SV has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Suburban (9.6 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Armada to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Armada is 1 foot, 4.7 inches shorter than the Suburban, making the Armada easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Armada has 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more third row hip room and .3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Suburban.

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

The Armada has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Suburban doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Suburban’s (8500 vs. 7500 pounds).

The Armada’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Suburban’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Armada Platinum Reserve has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Suburban.