2020 Honda CR-V vs 2021 Nissan Armada

The 2020 Honda CR-V, a familiar face since its fifth generation debut in 2017, showcased a design that was both fun and approachable. Its exterior, with curvy and car-like lines, bore a strong family resemblance to Honda’s sedan lineup, leaning more towards a station wagon aesthetic than a traditional SUV. This design made it a modern family transportation staple. However, the interior told a different story, with a mix of textures and materials. While pricier models featured upscale touches like wood-look trim and leather upholstery, these clashed with low-quality plastics, reminding drivers that even the expensive versions were upgrades of a commodity car rather than true premium products.

In contrast, the 2021 Nissan Armada underwent a significant facelift, aligning its looks with Nissan’s new signature exterior design. The redesigned exterior featured a new grille, front fenders, bumpers, and LED headlights and taillights, giving it a modern yet traditionally beefy and athletic appearance. Standard features included body-color over fenders, dark-painted roof rails, and an acoustic windshield and front side windows. Depending on the trim level, the Armada rode on 18-, 20-, or 22-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The new logo was prominently placed on the grille, rear, steering wheel, and wheel caps, adding a touch of modernity to its robust design.

The 2020 Honda CR-V simplified its lineup by replacing the previous base engine with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, producing 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. Paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), this powertrain offered a well-matched performance for the CR-V. Despite the CVT’s reputation for sluggish response, Honda’s engineers managed to make it feel quick, especially in Sport mode. The CR-V’s car-like demeanor extended to its road manners, with excellent handling, minimal body roll, and a low curb weight of just 3,337 pounds for the FWD LX model. This lightness contributed to its impressive fuel economy, with FWD models rated at 30 mpg combined and AWD models at 29 mpg.

The 2021 Nissan Armada, on the other hand, was equipped with a robust 5.6-liter V8 engine, delivering 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque when running on premium fuel. Paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission, the Armada offered both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and automatic four-wheel drive (4WD) options. Despite its hefty weight of over 6,000 pounds, the Armada was a capable off-roader with features like a skid plate, double-wishbone suspension, and Hitachi twin-tube shock absorbers. However, its fuel economy was less impressive, with RWD models getting 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway, and 4WD models slightly lower. The Armada’s handling had improved over the years, but it still felt like the large SUV it was, with a turning radius and maneuverability that reflected its size.

The 2020 Honda CR-V excelled in interior space and clever storage solutions. Its cabin was roomy, with good head- and legroom for both the driver and passengers. The CR-V’s excellent seating position and low cowl provided great front visibility. The cargo compartment was spacious, offering 75.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. Clever storage solutions included a deep center console with a sliding cover and a two-position load floor in the rear, allowing for maximum cargo space or a flat floor. Even the door pockets were large, making the CR-V easy to live with for families.

The 2021 Nissan Armada, as a full-size SUV, offered ample space but with some limitations. The broad dashboard featured a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, but some controls were a bit out of reach. The first- and second-row seats were comfortable, with power-adjustable options and lumbar support. The second-row captain’s chairs, available in higher trims, reduced seating capacity from eight to seven but offered more comfort. The third-row seats were less comfortable for adults due to limited legroom. Cargo space was 16.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 49.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and 95.4 cubic feet with both rows folded. However, the high load floor made loading and unloading a chore, especially for petite adults. Small-item storage was limited, with the center console storage bin being the exception.

The 2020 Honda CR-V’s infotainment system showed its age, with a standard 5-inch screen in the LX trim that lacked features beyond Bluetooth connectivity and Pandora compatibility. Higher trims featured a 7-inch touchscreen, which still felt small compared to competitors. The system lacked hard buttons, making it challenging to operate, and even Apple CarPlay and Android Auto felt tacked on. However, the CR-V did offer plenty of USB ports in the EX trim and above, with two in the front and two high-powered ones in the backseat. The Touring trim added a wireless phone charger for 2020.

In contrast, the 2021 Nissan Armada boasted a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, the largest in its class, with responsive controls. Standard features included navigation, a six-speaker stereo system, satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, a WiFi hotspot, NissanConnect Services, keyless entry with push-button start, Android Auto, and wireless Apple CarPlay. Available features included a wireless device charging pad, a 13-speaker Bose audio system, a rearview camera mirror, and a second-row entertainment system. The Armada Platinum trim came with all these features as standard.

The 2020 Honda CR-V came standard with the “Honda Sensing” system, which included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist. Automatic high beams were also standard, while EX trims and above added blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic monitoring. The CR-V earned five stars in NHTSA crash testing and a Top Safety Pick designation from IIHS, with the caveat that only the Touring trim had LED headlights that performed well in tests.

The 2021 Nissan Armada had not been fully rated by IIHS and NHTSA, but it received a three-star rollover rating from NHTSA. Standard safety features included Nissan Safety Shield 360, which offered automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic braking. Additional standard features included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear door alert. Optional features included a rear camera mirror and surround-view camera system.