Jesus Garcia

Big automakers like to offer customers a variety of vehicles to fit their needs, the same way a grocery store offers dozens of cereal brands to serve a broader customer base. Yet some automakers prefer to tailor their entire vehicle lineup to a focused lifestyle that attracts a broad customer base. Brands like Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini build vehicles for a certain lifestyle, one that appeals to many people. Jeep works the same way.

My third Armada in less than 12 months has proven that Nissan takes their trim levels seriously. First, it was the off-road-toting PRO-4X, followed by the luxury spear-tipping Platinum Reserve. Now I had a chance to strap into the Armada NISMO, a very niche, highly sprung, high-performance variant of Nissan’s full-size SUV. I loved this SUV, but not because it made my hair stand on end or handled with the agility of a chicken being chased by a fighter in training.