Nissan’s Pro-4X off-road package enjoys neither the long history of Chevrolet’s Z71 or Ford’s FX4 packages nor the notoriety of their ZR2 and Raptor (or Toyota’s TRD Pro) brands. But as the latest generation of Pro-4X hardware and software packages roll out on the 2025 Nissan Frontier and Armada, they bring with them numerous exterior and interior trim upgrades aimed at raising the profile of Nissan’s most rock-ready models. So where exactly does Pro-4X fit in the panoply of off-road-packages?
We’ve tested the 2025 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X and driven the 2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X, but our evaluations so far have all been on-road, as biblical rains in Tennessee thwarted an off-road adventure at the Armada launch. Nissan responded by inviting us to the Tonto National Forest outside Phoenix to sample both models on 3,000 miles of groomed trails. This location drastically lowered the possibility of another rainout and allowed the engineers who developed the package to host us on their home turf (Nissan’s Maricopa Technical Center is just an hour southwest).
First, a little history. Pro-4X first appeared in 2008 on the Titan, bringing Rancho shocks, aluminum skidplates, and an e-locker rear diff with its own unique ratio. It spread to Frontier the next year, boasting Bilstein shocks, more rugged tires, and the e-diff. Two years later, that same gear was offered on the Frontier’s Xterra SUV sibling, as well. In the years since the Xterra’s demise, most Nissan SUVs and crossovers have made do with the softer Rock Creek treatment or offered no trail-focused package at all. But now that the Armada shares all its major running gear with the global Patrol SUV—Nissan’s adventurous foil to Toyota’s Land Cruiser—it’s deemed fully worthy of the Pro-4X treatment.
What Makes a Pro-4X?
For the Frontier, based on older architecture, you get the basics: Bilstein off-road performance shocks on a steel suspension, all-terrain tires (31.5-inch Hankook Dynapro AT2 in 265/70R17 on our test trucks), an electronic-locking rear differential, and skidplates protecting the radiator, engine, transfer case, and fuel tank. There’s an off-road mode with unique driver-screen graphics and an Intelligent Around View Monitor that shows what’s immediately in front of the truck and near the right front tire (at speeds slower than 12 mph). New over-fender flares, graphics, and lava-red tow hooks dress up the outside while the inside is adorned with more lava-red badging, stitching, and seat perforations. (Note that Nissan also sells a pre-runner rear-drive variant called Pro-X that gets most of the cosmetic upgrades but lacks the e-diff, T-case, and gas-tank skidplate.)
The Armada includes most of the above, but its more modern architecture and use of height-adjustable air suspension give it a broader range of capabilities, increasing ground clearance to 11.6 inches and approach, breakover, and departure angles to 33.0, 24.5, and 25.5 degrees, respectively. A terrain-select knob offers multiple off-road modes, and with more cameras and image processing power, the Armada offers an invisible-hood view plus 3D drone views of the car from all angles; some views can be spread across both screens.
How’d They Do in the Desert?
We began in the Frontier and were struck by its old-school charm. The gravely VQ38 engine and nine-speed transmission aren’t particularly smooth about shifting in low range at low speeds, but once in a gear, acceleration is V-6-linear—refreshingly free of turbo lagging or surging. Braking similarly felt over boosted and jerky in low range, especially with hill descent control engaged. We never struggled to traverse any obstacles, though surmounting them smoothly seemed difficult to impossible. Hill descent control isn’t electronically adjustable for speed, and there’s no hill-climbing “cruise control” function on either model. The camera views are lower in resolution and brilliance than in the Armada. But these tires are grippier (and possibly slightly noisier) than the Armada’s, and better suspension articulation from that rear live axle further helps to maximize traction, so it seemed to rely less on the e-diff (or traction control) when scrambling up the gnarliest hills.
We expected a big ride-quality improvement from the fully independent Armada setup, and that was generally the case, though traveling from a lunch stop back out the same trail we’d entered along in the Frontier set up a violent left-right head-tossing motion we hadn’t experienced in the Frontiers. Up on its tippy toes (and with a shorter wheelbase), the Armada generally made less skidplate contact. Its newer, more sophisticated (GT-R-related) VR35 twin-turbo V-6 engine and transmission delivered vastly smoother low-range driving, and there was none of the brake-grabbiness during hill descent control, either. More modern cameras and screens boosted driver confidence when cresting hills and rounding obstacles.
So Where Does Pro-4X Fit In?
In terms of interior and exterior graphics, Nissan’s running with the front of the pack on both models. As the features table below indicates, amongst its midsize pickup competition, the Frontier Pro-4X compares more closely to the Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss, Jeep Gladiator Willys, and Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road variants. Among that cohort, it’s the only one with branded (Bilstein) off-road shocks, its e-locker diff bests the Chevy’s limited-slip axle, and its aluminum skidplates trump the Tacoma’s composite ones. Chevy also makes skidplates and off-road camera views optional but gives the Trail Boss a standard 2-inch suspension lift, and a 3-inch-widened track the Pro-4X lacks. The competitors also generally offer more off-road drive modes.
X=standard, O=factory optional (upper tire-size range is factory optional)
The 2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X compares favorably on price against full-size off-road-focused competitors like the Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 with Off-Road package, the Ford Expedition Tremor, the Jeep Wagoneer Series II with All-Terrain Group, and the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro. Of those, only the Jeep is less expensive, as befits its reduced feature content. Chevy’s Tahoe Z71 aligns most closely on price and features, with an electronic limited-slip differential in place of the Nissan’s electronic locker and no invisible-hood feature. Ford’s Expedition Tremor and Toyota’s Sequoia TRD Pro each cost more and trade fixed lifts of their steel suspensions for the others’ adjustable air suspensions. SUV buyers with the wildest off-road aspirations should probably go for the Sequoia TRD Pro or maybe save some money and downsize to the Toyota Land Cruiser—the Armada/Patrol’s global nemesis. In any case, file Pro-4X away in your memory banks as a solid midpack truck variant and worthy top player in the big-SUV game.
X=standard, O=factory optional