It’s been a tough winter, trudging through a foot of snow in Indiana before heading to Memphis to find 2-inches of ice and only one lane of slow-moving semis on Interstate 40. It’s really trying my patience, these arduous commutes and glacial convoys. But I may have the cure to these winter blues: The 2026 Nissan Armada PRO-4X.

There have been a few generations of the Armada, the original based on the full-size Titan pickup, transitioning to this one based on the Nissan Patrol. Those are the white SUVs you often see with U.N. lettering in the world’s most inhospitable places. No less capable, the Armada and its sister the Infiniti QX80 were recently redesigned and are far more domesticated.

You’ll know the PRO-4X by its bulldozer black grille, 20-inch dark wheels, off-road tires, black roof rails and red accents manifesting in the logo, rear pillar stripe and tow hooks. It’s a little bit sinister, but with a splash of joy. Extended fender flares, step bars and skid plates beneath enhance the big truck’s all-road capability.

It’s a bit more genteel inside where twin screens dominate the dash, layers of stitching add lush, and diamond-stitched seats with heat and ventilation keep front passengers climatically delighted. A thick leather-wrapped steering wheel, Klipsch audio, twin-panel sunroof and push-button gear selector add their vices. Connect and charge phones wirelessly via Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a console pad. You can swipe the screen to change radio stations, but you have to click-click with small buttons to do it manually.

Access to the third row is pretty easy with the middle seats slid forward, and real adults can ride back there on short hops, but the twin captain’s chairs are black car spacious with red stitching, their own zone of climate, four USBs and glass above. Storage behind the power hatch is pretty shallow, but click buttons to flip the seats down and enjoy a cavern of space. Four can travel like tsars with luggage behind them.

Powering this carnival is a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 scaring up 425 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque – routed to the four-wheel-drive system through a 9-speed automatic transmission. Easily tow up to 8,500 lbs. with pre-wiring, dash controls and trailer sway control. The drive mode selector configures the powertrain for virtually any condition while a locking rear differential maintains forward momentum. Drive the Armada as you wish because with fuel economy of 15/18-MPG city/highway, it doesn’t much matter.

Even with a four-wheel independent adaptive air suspension that raises it up a couple of extra inches for off-roading, the Armada betrays its full-framed truck-based roots. You can raise it up a couple of inches to clear obstacles, and it employs hill descent control to stay stable, but you always know you’re driving a real truck. Fortunately, it’s relatively short and turns tight, making trails…and parallel parking…a snap.

Nissan also invests heavily in safety systems, imbuing our Armada with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind spot avoidance, and lane keeping assist. There’s even trailer blind spot warning and rear auto brake. Our vehicle had a lane-centering system that’s essentially an automated hands-on cruise control, but did not come with the now-available hands-off system. Bummer.

You may have to snap for your fairy godmother to afford the Armada PRO-4X. Armadas start at $58,840, but get it like our vehicle and you’ll need $80,020. That’s a steep tab for a Nissan, but fair when compared against the Chevy Tahoe Z71, Ford Expedition Tremor, GMC Yukon AT4, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Land Cruiser.

Storm Forward!

Send comments to Casey at AutoCasey@aol.com; follow him on YouTube @AutoCasey.