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Higher? Lower?
The story behind Kuhl Racing's latest body kits is a bit odd because Japan hasn't gotten the Nissan Armada yet, otherwise known as the Patrol outside America. In fact, the owner of Kuhl Racing took it upon himself to import two Armadas from the United States, just to get the ball rolling on the project. Now Kuhl has announced its plans for the Patrol/Armada, both done in renderings for now.
There are two schools of thought you can choose from with Kuhl Racing. The first is a fully stanced-out SUV that can slam straight to the ground, or you can go for the off-road setup, which is even taller than the stock height and taller than some models in the Nissan Pro-4X family of variants.
In case you don't already know, Kuhl Racing's a rather interesting tuning company. For starters, they're the guys behind the "Dakar" GR86 and also the "Gundam" GR86. It's safe to say they go both ways. Kuhl Racing plans to launch these kits at the next Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2027. The kits can be sold as parts for existing Patrol and Armada owners, but Kuhl can also sell them as complete cars.
Towers of Power
Before we get into more detail, whichever direction you go with the Armada with Kuhl Racing, the Japanese tuner has performance upgrades that will see the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine making up to 493 horsepower with a simple tune. This is up from the standard 425-horsepower trim and even higher than the 460-horsepower Nismo variant.
The performance enhancements build on an already powerful engine. The VR35 found in the Armada is part of the same engine family as the Nissan Z and the Nissan R35 GT-R, making it an interesting engine to squeeze more performance from.
Before we continue, just know that Kuhl Racing also has middle-ground kits that you can purchase, just in case both ends of the spectrum don't appeal to you.
Iron Build
The Kuhl Iron Build is an off-road vision of the Armada. This reimagining goes well beyond what the factory Pro-4X variants take into consideration. With huge wheels, a massive lift, and bumpers that signal capability far beyond the Armada's stock configuration.
The materials used in this kit include fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). While it looks like steel, Kuhl used a durable composite that is lightweight and free of the weight penalty steel can entail.
On top of that, Kuhl's "iron-clad" plans for the Armada roll on 37-inch mud-terrain tires mounted on a set of 22-inch aluminum alloy Verz-Wheels DDR03. The Armada's stock air suspension was also axed in favor of a more off-road-appropriate coilover suspension that features a 2-inch lift over the stock setup.
Urban Style
There's no denying that SUVs can also be city-slickers just as much as they can be off-road weapons. Kuhl's "urban" build exists for owners who want a large city crawler with presence and heft. While this may not be to everyone's liking, the slammed look on an SUV can turn heads.
The Urban Style kit features reworked bumpers that feature more intakes and an additional multi-piece front splitter that brings the car closer to the ground. This part is matched with side skirts, aero bits for the wheel arches, a rear wing, and a rear diffuser that pairs exactly with the optional quad-tip exhaust kit that Kuhl envisions for the SUV. This kit eliminates any wheel gap and, when paired with the kit, nearly any amount of ground clearance can be achieved. In fact, the Armada in this form gets lower than an R35 Nissan GT-R.
To get the car as low as this, Kuhl offers an adjustable suspension package for the SUV and pairs it with a specific set of wheels to achieve its stanced look. Alternatively, if the super slammed look is too much for you, Kuhl Racing suggests a 22-inch seven-spoke forged alloy set of VRF01Ls, a less extreme lowering kit, and a milder kit in case you don't want to go all-out.
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