Compare the2026 BMW X7VS 2026 Nissan Armada

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The X7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Armada doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the middle seat shoulder belts of the BMW X7 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 Nissan Armada doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The X7 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 Armada doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X7 has standard Post-Crash Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Armada doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the X7. But it costs extra on the Armada.

Both the X7 and Armada have rear cross-traffic warning, but the X7 has Cross Traffic Warning with Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Armada’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the X7 uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Armada uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the X7 and the Armada have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

Warranty

The X7 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Armada’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The X7’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Armada’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X7 for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Nissan pays for maintenance for the Armada (3/36,000 vs. 2/24,000).

Reliability

The battery on the X7 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the X7’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Armada’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the X7’s reliability 16 points higher than the Armada.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X7 first among large premium suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Armada isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Nissan is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 4 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The X7 has more powerful engines than the Armada:

	Horsepower	Torque
X7 M60i 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid	523 HP	553 lbs.-ft.
Alpina XB7 4.4 turbo V8	631 HP	590 lbs.-ft.
Armada 3.5 turbo V6	425 HP	516 lbs.-ft.
Armada NISMO 3.5 turbo V6	460 HP	516 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the X7 xDrive40i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Nissan Armada (base engine):

	X7	Armada
Zero to 60 MPH	4.8 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	14.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	101.6 MPH	95.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the X7 gets better mileage than the Armada:

			MPG
X7
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/25 hwy
		M60i 4.4 turbo V8	16 city/20 hwy
		Alpina XB7 4.4 turbo V8	16 city/20 hwy
Armada
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/20 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/19 hwy
		PRO-4X 3.5 turbo V6	15 city/18 hwy
		3.5 turbo V6	16 city/19 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the X7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Armada doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Armada. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The X7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Armada doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the X7 M Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Armada:

	X7 M Sport	Armada
Front Rotors	15.6 inches	13.8 inches
Rear Rotors	14.6 inches	13.8 inches

The X7 stops shorter than the Armada:

	X7	Armada
60 to 0 MPH	105 feet	112 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the X7 has larger standard tires than the Armada (F:275/40R22 & R:315/35R22 vs. 265/70R18). The Alpina XB7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Armada (F:285/35R23 & R:325/30R23 vs. 275/60R20).

The X7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Armada SV’s standard 70 series tires. The X7’s optional 275/35R23 front and 315/30R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Armada Platinum Reserve/NISMO’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Armada SV. The X7’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels on the Armada Platinum Reserve/NISMO.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the X7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Armada doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The X7 offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Armada doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the X7 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Armada, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The X7 offers an available active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Nissan doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Armada.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X7’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Armada (122.2 inches vs. 121.1 inches).

The X7 xDrive40i handles at .88 G’s, while the Armada PRO-4X pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X7 xDrive40i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Armada PRO-4X (26.1 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Chassis

The BMW X7 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 200 pounds less than the Nissan Armada.

The X7 is 6 inches shorter than the Armada, making the X7 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the X7’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Armada doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the X7 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Armada doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The X7 has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more rear hip room, .4 inches more third row headroom and .4 inches more third row legroom than the Armada.

The front step up height for the X7 is 4 inches lower than the Armada (20” vs. 24”). The X7’s rear step up height is 4 inches lower than the Armada’s (20.5” vs. 24.5”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the X7 easier. The X7’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32.5 inches, while the Armada’s liftover is 36.2 inches.

The X7’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the tailgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Armada’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Armada SL/NISMO/Platinum/PRO-4X, the X7 has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The X7’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 Armada does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The X7’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Armada’s power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the X7 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Armada doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X7 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Armada doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X7 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the X7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Armada doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The X7’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Armada SL/Platinum/PRO-4X/NISMO.

The BMW X7 has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Armada SL/Platinum/PRO-4X/NISMO.

The X7 has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Nissan doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Armada.

The X7 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Armada SL/NISMO/Platinum/PRO-4X.

The BMW X7 has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Nissan charges extra for Homelink® on the Armada and isn’t available on the Armada SV/SL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW X7 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Armada SL/NISMO/Platinum/PRO-4X offers wireless charging.

The X7’s Parking Assistant Professional can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Control will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Armada doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 BMW X7 retains 41.98% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 39.62% resale value of the 2025 Nissan Armada after five years, which can save the BMW’s owner.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW X7, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X7 second among large premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Armada isn’t in the top three.

The BMW X7 outsold the Nissan Armada by over two to one during 2024.

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