We have a 2008 Armada SE as a rental right now, while our 06 gets the bumper cover fixed (the dealer scraped it during our last service, but that’s another story). Thought some here might be interested in a comparison between the two models.

Overall interior quality is much higher in the 08. Material quality, fit and finish, workmanship, is far better than our 06.
Dashboard design is better in the 08, except for the gauges, they are much smaller than before, and harder to read. I really like the center display unit (no Nav), it doesn’t look added on like our 06 with Nav. The red backlighting on the dash buttons is hard for my old eyes to read in the dark. And, some of the controls are quite a reach to get to (radio tuning knob in particular).
Door panel design is much improved. At last, the window / mirror switches are where they belong, halfway down the door instead of on the top of the door panel like the 06.
Noise, ride, etc. seems about the same. It doesn’t feel as peppy as our 06, maybe the 2 deg timing advance helps here (our 06 has it, 08 doesn’t).
The 2nd row floormat is now a single piece, rather than two separate mats that leave the center carpet exposed like the 06 (think Enterprise would notice if I switched????).
The front brake calipers look completely different. First, they are silver colored, instead of black. Plus, did Nissan add another piston to the caliper? They also work very good, but I have no complaints about the brakes on our 06 either.
Roof rack design is much more logical on the 08, finally the side rails extend all the way from the front to the back. Not sure if both cross rails adjust, it looks like they do, but didn’t check.
I like the design of the 6-spoke wheels, much nicer than the stock 06 wheels. But, the spare is now a steel wheel instead of an alloy. Oh well, got to cut costs somewhere I guess!

Nice write-up! I am actually at the dealer right now waiting for my headlamp replacement (condensation). They were going to give me a Titan but I opted to wait for my truck since the Titan was an 07.

Is it normal to get a loaner when your trucks are taken in for service?

Depends on your dealer and how long it will take them to complete the service! I got a rerally good service manager.

We have a 2008 Armada SE as a rental right now, while our 06 gets the bumper cover fixed (the dealer scraped it during our last service, but that’s another story). Thought some here might be interested in a comparison between the two models.

Overall interior quality is much higher in the 08. Material quality, fit and finish, workmanship, is far better than our 06.
Dashboard design is better in the 08, except for the gauges, they are much smaller than before, and harder to read. I really like the center display unit (no Nav), it doesn’t look added on like our 06 with Nav. The red backlighting on the dash buttons is hard for my old eyes to read in the dark. And, some of the controls are quite a reach to get to (radio tuning knob in particular).
Door panel design is much improved. At last, the window / mirror switches are where they belong, halfway down the door instead of on the top of the door panel like the 06.
Noise, ride, etc. seems about the same. It doesn’t feel as peppy as our 06, maybe the 2 deg timing advance helps here (our 06 has it, 08 doesn’t).
The 2nd row floormat is now a single piece, rather than two separate mats that leave the center carpet exposed like the 06 (think Enterprise would notice if I switched????).
The front brake calipers look completely different. First, they are silver colored, instead of black. Plus, did Nissan add another piston to the caliper? They also work very good, but I have no complaints about the brakes on our 06 either.
Roof rack design is much more logical on the 08, finally the side rails extend all the way from the front to the back. Not sure if both cross rails adjust, it looks like they do, but didn’t check.
I like the design of the 6-spoke wheels, much nicer than the stock 06 wheels. But, the spare is now a steel wheel instead of an alloy. Oh well, got to cut costs somewhere I guess!

Which dealer did you goto to get that rental? Mine gives me a ride over to Enterprise rentals for a Focus.

i would upgrade just for the nicer interior if i could afford it!! thanks for the reviews.

We have a 2008 Armada SE as a rental right now, while our 06 gets the bumper cover fixed (the dealer scraped it during our last service, but that’s another story). Thought some here might be interested in a comparison between the two models.

Overall interior quality is much higher in the 08. Material quality, fit and finish, workmanship, is far better than our 06.
Dashboard design is better in the 08, except for the gauges, they are much smaller than before, and harder to read. I really like the center display unit (no Nav), it doesn’t look added on like our 06 with Nav. The red backlighting on the dash buttons is hard for my old eyes to read in the dark. And, some of the controls are quite a reach to get to (radio tuning knob in particular).
Door panel design is much improved. At last, the window / mirror switches are where they belong, halfway down the door instead of on the top of the door panel like the 06.
Noise, ride, etc. seems about the same. It doesn’t feel as peppy as our 06, maybe the 2 deg timing advance helps here (our 06 has it, 08 doesn’t).
The 2nd row floormat is now a single piece, rather than two separate mats that leave the center carpet exposed like the 06 (think Enterprise would notice if I switched????).
The front brake calipers look completely different. First, they are silver colored, instead of black. Plus, did Nissan add another piston to the caliper? They also work very good, but I have no complaints about the brakes on our 06 either.
Roof rack design is much more logical on the 08, finally the side rails extend all the way from the front to the back. Not sure if both cross rails adjust, it looks like they do, but didn’t check.
I like the design of the 6-spoke wheels, much nicer than the stock 06 wheels. But, the spare is now a steel wheel instead of an alloy. Oh well, got to cut costs somewhere I guess!


I agree with everything you have said here...I had the timing advance done and it feels "peppier" than my '05.

I actually like the gauges better. They take a little time to get used to.

Some of the controls are harder to reach but this is also something I had to get used to.

And yeah try swapping out the floormats. I bet they'll never notice. ;)

I just took mine in to get the environmental protection stuff done, got a rental from Enterprise, they were going to give me a saturn ion but let me upgrade for $5 to on '08 Armada.

Noticed pretty much the same things, nicer interior, I don't care for the guage layout and the hard-to-reach controls but I have to agree the overall build quality seems better. This one was an SE so it had the cloth seats, I've always like them better but the wife likes the leather so you know how that goes. You gotta pick your battles.

Which dealer did you goto to get that rental? Mine gives me a ride over to Enterprise rentals for a Focus.

The dealer messed up our car the last time it was in for service (like I said in my earlier post, search on Performance Nissan Sucks for that story), so they are bending over backwards for us. That said, the last time it was in for service, Enterprise gave my wife a new Suburban. Enterprise has been treating us very well, but I'm never doing business with Performance Nissan again.

And yeah try swapping out the floormats. I bet they'll never notice. ;)

Tempting, but I always stress with my kids that honesty is the number one thing to strive for, so I need to show them that Dad follows that same philosophy.:)

Tempting, but I always stress with my kids that honesty is the number one thing to strive for, so I need to show them that Dad follows that same philosophy.:)

Just don't tell the kids you did it. :D

Tempting, but I always stress with my kids that honesty is the number one thing to strive for, so I need to show them that Dad follows that same philosophy.:)
You gotta lead by example Bro!

Tempting, but I always stress with my kids that honesty is the number one thing to strive for, so I need to show them that Dad follows that same philosophy.:)

That, my friend is the best thing ive read all day. Kudos to you.

Just don't tell the kids you did it. :D

My 11 year old would notice the moment he opened the door!!

That, my friend is the best thing ive read all day. Kudos to you.

Thanks, man, I appreciate the comment.

How about the front passenger seat. My wife hates the downward slant. Has that improved any. I guess some have fixed that problem on their own.

How about the Air Con? I have read a few complaints on here about the 08 A/C not being as good as their earlier Armadas. I am thinking of getting an 08 when they arrive here in Saudi, but we need top notch A/C here as it can reach 130 + in the shade from June through September.

I have an 05 now that had the new condensor fan plus software upgrade and it is excellent. In fact on a long run it gets very cold and I have to turn it right down.

one thing i miss on the newer version of this car is the absence of the hump in the roof in the pass. area. it kinda looks like a pathfinder now. that hump gave it a distinct look... or if its still there it looks less "humpy" ..lol maybe the rails up top mask it a little??

one thing i miss on the newer version of this car is the absence of the hump in the roof in the pass. area. it kinda looks like a pathfinder now. that hump gave it a distinct look... or if its still there it looks less "humpy" ..lol maybe the rails up top mask it a little??

Front passenger seat - didn't ride in that seat, can't comment.

A/C - seemed to work okay, but then, the A/C in my 06 works great. It doesn't get to 130 where I live (thank goodness), but we did have a spell of 105 to 110 over Labor Day, with no issues.

Roof hump - not sure what you mean here. The overall body shape hasn't changed, so if you're referring to the way the door line arches when you look at it from the side, that is the same.

Tempting, but I always stress with my kids that honesty is the number one thing to strive for, so I need to show them that Dad follows that same philosophy.:)
Awesome!!!! That's the way to pass along your integrity. No doubt the kids would notice right away and you'd have to lie saying the dealer threw them in as an apology. Then you would have to live with that lie every night at dinner-time. That just doesn't seem becoming for you. You're an awesome role model!!!

As always, GREAT write-up!!! :thumbup: