INFINITI QX80 GETS A NEW LOOK WITH EXTERIOR REFINEMENTS FOR 2018
If you had gone by what was being said about them a decade or so ago, you would have thought that full-size SUVs, like the dinosaurs that provide them the fuel to run on, would be extinct by now.
High fuel prices gave even those consumers who had a legitimate need for such a big vehicle reason to pause and rethink their potential purchase.
But, unlike the dinosaurs, the full-size SUV has survived, thank you very much, because there are so many things they do better than other vehicles — like hauling passengers and lots of cargo and towing and going off-road.
And a full-size SUV provides a more commanding driving position, which rates high among some. If you live in a place like Miami, I think you can see all the way across the Everglades to Naples from the driver’s seat of one. (If I’ve been told once, I’ve been told 10 billion times not to exaggerate, but I can’t help myself!)
As rugged and functional as the full-size SUVs are, they also can be luxurious and refined, like the Infiniti QX80, which the luxury division of Nissan introduced as the QX56 for the 2004 model year and rebadged in 2014 to follow the company’s new naming convention. It has been around for a while so designers and engineers have had some time for tinkering over the years.
For 2018, the QX80 gets a makeover for the exterior with a more angular look and a slightly higher (20 mm, or about an inch) ride than the outgoing model. The flat hood is longer, and new LED headlights and fog lights grace the front fascia and new, thinner LED taillights the rear.
At 208.9 inches in length, it is slightly longer than some of its competitors, yet it has a smaller feel about it. Not small, mind you, but not overly bulky either.
It’s a great expressway cruiser, and the only time you may really be conscious of its size is when you’re in a tight mall parking lot or garage.
It gets plenty of power. A 5.6-liter (hence the former QX56 designation) V8 engines is mated with a 7-speed automatic transmission and produces 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, which is plenty of power. Infiniti clockers caught the QX80 from zero-to-62 mph (yes, 62 mph; beats me) in 7.5 seconds.
In two-wheel-drive configuration mileage figures are 14 miles-per-gallon city, 20 highway and 16 combined. With 4WD, the numbers are 13/19/15.
A dial on the console switches the QX80 4-wheel drive models from automatic to high 4-wheel level to low 4-wheel for more adventurous off-roading. There also are settings for Snow and Tow mode. It can tow up to 8,500 pounds.
Inside, the cabin exudes an air of refinement, from the analog clock in the middle of the center stack that catches your eye as you climb into the cabin to the comfortable seats that provide two-way lumbar support for both the driver and the passenger.
There’s plenty of room in the cabin as well, with those in the front getting up to 39.6 inches of legroom and those in the second row up to 41. Third-row occupants are a bit more crowded with only 28.8 inches of legroom.
Handles mounted on the A-pillars are helpful in getting in and out, and the second-row captain’s chairs easily tilt forward to allow access to the far back, though that doesn’t necessarily make it easy for an adult to get back there.
A common complaint among several reviewers is that the technological features are a bit dated and not up to the competition, but frankly I’m not sure what those critics were looking for. I came to drive, not play computer games or watch a movie.
Too often, the latest technology just complicates things. In the QX80, I found audio, climate, and navigation systems easy enough to operate. Knobs can be used to adjust audio sounds and radio stations as well as blower and A/C temperature! Hooray for knobs!
Standard equipment includes Bluetooth communications, navigation with 8-inch touchscreen display and voice recognition, power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, two storage compartments in the console, a second-row console with storage compartment and 12V outlet, power rear liftgate, remote engine start, roof rails, and a Bose 13-speaker premium sound system.
That was included in the base MSRP of $67,850 for the 4WD model that served as my test vehicle. Adding option packages like a Deluxe Technology Package (which added two more speakers for the audio and leather-appointed seats with quilting), a Theater Package (heated second-row seats, dual 8-inch monitors and two wireless headphones), 22-inch wheels, a Driver Assistance Package (backup collision intervention, blind-spot and lane-departure warning, Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, and Intelligent Cruise Control) ran the final total to $84,660 including $995 for destination and delivery.
What I liked about the 2018 Infiniti QX80: Too often, third-row seating infringes greatly on rear storage capacity, but not-so much with the QX80. There’s 16.6 cubic feet behind the third row and 49.6 when the third-row seats are folded. Those seats are power-folded, by the way, also a nice feature.
What I didn’t like about the 2018 Infiniti QX80: I wouldn’t want to have to ride in the third row very often. Though the captain’s chairs fold easy enough, it’s still not easy to get back there.
Would I buy the 2018 Infiniti QX80? I don’t have a need for a vehicle this size, but if you do, you might want to look past the usual suspects and check it out. It has an air of quality and refinement about it that I find appealing.
INFINITI QX80 LIVES UP TO LABEL
OF BEING A TRUE LAND YACHT
From the mid-1980s through the 1990s, I had a full-size conversion van that, looking back, was about as close to a “luxury” vehicle of any car I have ever owned.
It was a Ford Econoline 150 with the conversion by Mark III of Ocala, Florida, including second-row captain’s chairs that swiveled so that you could put the removable tray table in place and play cards with the people sitting on the back bench seat.
Seat covers were a velvet-like material, the floor was fully carpeted, and there was a spot in the back to place a small TV that ran off the vehicle’s electrical system and featured a built-in antenna. Luggage fit under the third row, and behind that row was a place to hang up you clothes. The side windows featured adjustable venetian blinds.
It was the perfect vehicle for road trips by the sports staff of my newspaper as we covered football games around the South, and one of the guys immediately christened it the “land yacht.” It was just a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much by the standards of the day.
I bring it up now not as some sort of nostalgia trip but because the term “land yacht” could very well apply to the vehicle that I have been driving for the past week, the Infiniti QX80.
Those of you who are familiar with the alpha-numeric system Infiniti adopted for its vehicles a couple of years ago know that “QX” labels this as an SUV and the “80” marks it as the largest of such in the company portfolio. (As a reminder, sedans, coupes, and convertibles get a “Q” designation from the Japanese automaker, and the bigger the number that goes with it the bigger the car.) In its previous life, the QX80 was called the QX56.
By any label, it is big, of “land yacht” apportions, really. But it is also more than that. A neighbor took a peek inside the one in my driveway and was wowed by the luxurious features like the abundant leather and wood inlays. Quality of interior materials is A-plus.
“Must be $100,000,” he ventured.
Close. The MSRP for the QX80 he was looking at was the Limited trim with all-wheel drive and checked in at $90,445, including $995 for destination and delivery. (Rear-wheel drive is available in the base trim for $64,845, and the base trim with AWD carries an MSRP of $67,945.)
For that price tag, the Limited offers a long list of standard features like a 10-way power adjustable driver’s and 8-way adjustable front passenger seat each with two-way lumbar support, dual climate control, headlight washers, rain-sensing wipers, power rear liftgate, Bose premium sound system, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, navigation with an 8-inch touchscreen, rearview and surround-view camera monitor, keyless and remote start, and a bunch of safety features, including a trailer sway control system. (The QX80 is a workhorse in offering an 8,500-pound towing capacity.)
Power comes from a 5.8-liter, V8 engine that is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission with manual gear selection capability along with snow mode, tow mode, and hill start assist. The transmission can be set in high or low mode, the latter for more serious off-roading adventures, or put in automatic to let the vehicle decide how to distribute the power via a dial on the console.
Pertinent numbers for the powertrain that is common to both Base and Limited trim are 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Fuel figures are 13 miles-per-gallon city, 19 highway, and 15 combined for the AWD models like the Limited but a slightly higher for RWD versions. After a week of driving mostly on city streets, the computer showed the QX80 I had to be averaging slightly over 14 mpg.
The engine has enough power for comfortable cruising and passing as well as navigating traffic. The main drawback in doing routine chores is running into parking lots with spaces seemingly designed for compact cars only. You might find yourself having to take up two spaces and just living with the glares you get from other motorists.
What I liked about the 2017 Infiniti QX80: Though a big vehicle, running boards and handles on each of the A pillars making getting in and out much less of a chore than expected. In fact, it’s not really a chore at all. The second-row seats flip up to allow easy access to the third row. Infotainment systems are fairly intuitive to operate, though there is an extra step involved in responses to some voice commands (to change a radio station from an FM or AM channel to Sirius/XM via voice command you first change mode, then give the command to the specific channel or frequency) that seems unnecessary.
What I didn’t like about the 2017 Infiniti QX80: The third row is a bit on the cramped side for the three adults it is supposed to accommodate, and I would imagine you would hear plenty of complaints on a longer drive. But it’s what behind, or what isn’t, that third row that strikes me as a disadvantage. There is only 16.6 cubic feet of cargo space with all rows in place, which sounds like a lot but the way it is shaped is going to restrict how much is really usable. In other words, the QX80 may accommodate seven people, but it doesn’t have much room for much of the stuff they may bring with them, unless you want to put it on the roof.
Would I buy the 2017 QX80: Doubtful, since I really don’t like to put up with driving such a large vehicle in city environs. But if that doesn’t bother you, this “land yacht” offers clear sailing in all other regards.
