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Another day, another car company that’s calling it quits on eight-cylinder production. Everything has pointed to Nissan ditching its 5.6-liter V8 for a while, and now, an exec has confirmed the foreign-market Patrol SUV‘s upcoming switch to a twin-turbo V6. That model is sold here as the Armada, so assuming the North American truck will follow suit, Nissan V8s are done altogether.
The news was reported by Australia’s Drive outlet on Thursday, citing Nissan’s Global Head of Product Strategy and Planning Ivan Espinosa. He made the announcement while speaking on stage at the Japan Mobility Show, assuring everyone in attendance that the new V6 will be an improvement in all areas when the next-gen model launches in 2024.
“I think the customers, the moment they drive a twin-turbo V6, they discover a new universe,” Espinosa said. “The capability, the performance, the acceleration, the power delivery—the customer will smile, I’m sure of it. It will outshine the V8 in all those metrics.”
For reference, the Armada’s 5.6-liter makes 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque.
Turbocharged engines with smaller displacements have been replacing V8s in other automakers’ lineups for a while now; just look at the Toyota Sequoia. It was always the next logical step for the Armada as well, but this is the first time we’ve heard a big wig at Nissan say it publicly. Electrification is in question too, of course, though Espinosa shot down the idea of a fully battery-powered version given the body-on-frame SUV’s towing responsibilities.
“We are not necessarily rushing to electrify for the sake of electrifying. It’s timing and connecting the technology readiness with the customer requirements,” he added.
I reached out to Nissan USA for confirmation that the next-gen Armada will run a twin-turbo V6 but have yet to hear back. I’ll update this post if a spokesperson responds.
You might say, “Hey, the Titan still has a V8!” Sadly, I regret to refer you to August’s news that the full-size pickup is dying after 2024. The Armada really is Nissan’s last holdout, and it looks like it’ll have to let go before long.
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