andy said:
I hate to say this but the LX470 built on the Landcruiser Platform will kick our Armada's butt offroad and in onroad manners. Yes I think the LX470 is boring compared to our Armadas and it's also $10-$20k more than an Armada.
Also the Lexus service dept kicks Nissans butt badly. I've had a '91 LS400, '94 LS400, '98 GS430, 2001 LS430. Lexus is in another class of service. They are great. If Lexus had an Armada sized vehicle with the 5.6L engine, I would have gotten it.
I was originally going to get the QX56 but when I saw the front end, the Armada to me looks way better.
Anyway, I'm still not 100% sold on that I made the right decision with the Armada only for one reason. The rattles. I've been driving a Lexus for 13 yrs. and its very hard for me to get used to rattles. Specially in a $44k Armada.!!! Take the rattles out of the Armada, it would be a totally different driving experience.
I would beg to differ on the Lexus report. The Lex is smaller, but has less ground clearance and power. Off road, the Mada/QX could have an edge, depending on terrain.
On road, the Mada/QX will also improve dramatically its handling with a tire change. The tires on these things are the weak links. Mine now handles dramatically better, better than my old grand cherokee did. Over a typical road route with turns as well as straight aways, I doubt the lex could keep up. Most 4 bangers like civics, cavaliers, etc. have problems hanging with me. I pull away in straights and they gain ground back in corners.
The Lexux service department does kick Nissan's butt, as it should. Its a premium car, Nissan isn't. The Infiniti service department is very comparable to Lexus however. Free coffee/soda, large screen TV, free computer access, nice accomodations, loaner G35s, "good" looking staff, free wash with every appointment, etc. Very nice.
Last, the rattles. I have an '05. Not one rattle. And most '05 owners report the same thing. They fixed all of those this year. The rattles weren't there because it was a Nissan or wasn't a Toyota, they were there because it was a first year vehicle. The QX56 adds a softer suspension and more sound proofing. No rattles or road noise at all. The Armada will out handle it due to the softer suspension though but tires will still make a great difference.
Overall, the order I had after looking at all the vechicles out there was:
Armada/QX56, Tahoe/H2/Yukon/Escalade, Expedition/Navigator, Sequoia/LX470, Durango/Grand Cherokee. The first 3 are the only full size out there, the last 2 being more mid-sized.
Hope this helps.