Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Nissan Armada

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Nissan Armada doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Armada doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Armada’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Pilot’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Armada doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Pilot 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 Pilot and the Armada have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Nissan Armada:

	Pilot	Armada
OVERALL STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	2 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	28.9%	43%
Neck Stress	350 lbs.	377 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/233 lbs.	877/369 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.9 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.6%	38%
Neck Stress	232 lbs.	251 lbs.
Neck Compression	98 lbs.	153 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	396/388 lbs.	509/594 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Nissan Armada:

	Pilot	Armada
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	59 lbs.	81 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	16 inches
HIC	340	437
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	684 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pilot, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 6.4% to 9.4% less likely to roll over than the Armada, which received a three-star rating.

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Armada has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Reliability

The Armada’s redline is at 60050 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Pilot has a 6500 RPM redline.

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 Pilot’s reliability 29 points higher than the Armada.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Nissan is ranked 12th.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Pilot
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		TrailSport 3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/23 hwy
Armada
	RWD	5.6 DOHC V8	14 city/19 hwy
	AWD	5.6 DOHC V8	13 city/18 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Armada doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Pilot’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Armada doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Armada doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Pilot 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (6 out of 10) than the Nissan Armada (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Armada every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Armada.

Brakes and Stopping

The Pilot stops shorter than the Armada:

	Pilot	Armada
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Pilot EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Armada SV’s standard 70 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the Armada Platinum 4x4 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Armada Platinum 4x4 (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Armada’s (37.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the Armada’s (37.8 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

Chassis

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1350 pounds less than the Nissan Armada.

The Pilot is 9 inches shorter than the Armada, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Pilot’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.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Pilot has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Armada uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Pilot 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 Pilot has 3.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Armada (158.4 vs. 154.5).

The Pilot has .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.9 inches more third row headroom and 4.1 inches more third row legroom than the Armada.

Cargo Capacity

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the Armada.

	Pilot	Armada
Behind Third Seat	21.8 cubic feet	16.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	59.5 cubic feet	49.9 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	111.8 cubic feet	95.4 cubic feet

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Pilot Elite/Touring/Black Edition’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Armada doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 5% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 10th.

Ergonomics

The Pilot Elite/Black Edition has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Armada doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Pilot’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Armada’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Pilot’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Armada’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Nissan Armada by over 9 to one during 2024.

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