Infiniti QX80

What We Like

Powertrain The 450-hp turbocharged V6 delivers smooth power from a standstill, moving this massive machine with alacrity. There is big power from the six. With 516 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, this QX80 has the highest torque peak of any prior Infiniti model. Consequently, it never feels taxed.

The engine sounds vigorous and satisfying—just what a driver would want at this heady price. Both upshifts and downshifts from the nine-speed automatic transmission are smooth, although we noted that some uncouth vibrations resonated through the steering wheel when accelerating in our pre-production model.

Fit and finish The cabin is beautiful. The trim details in the Autograph remind of the elegance of a tailored suit and tie combination—tasteful accenting colors, textures, and stitching.

Many luxury vehicles these days, like the Lexus TX, just don’t look significantly finer than a mainstream model. Here, the quilted seats, metal-inlaid wood, and use of both parallel and organic lines convey a distinctly Japanese influence. The result is clear showroom appeal that should continue to be regarded as artful for years to come. But the presentation is compromised by use of dreaded shiny piano-black plastic, which looks cheap in any vehicle.

Front seats The front bucket seats are like fine chairs, suitable for a power-broker’s den. Most drivers found them to be very comfortable, noting how they hug your body well and provide good back, torso, and thigh support. The many electric adjustments, including the seatback’s side bolsters, favor drivers with a slender build.

Cool box There is a cool box in the front center armrest that, with a press of a button, can chill the contents. This is helpful for cooling a bagged lunch or preserving chocolate on a hot day. It is not true refrigeration, but it is a handy feature.

Second-row seats These seats are a bit firmer and flatter than the front seats, lacking the notable bolstering. The upside is that being flat makes access easier, and they fold flat when needed. There is generous legroom with cavernous boot-friendly foot space under the front seats. Headroom is limited, due to the theater-style seating and moonroof.

Access This is a tall vehicle, but it is quite easy to enter, thanks to the fixed running board, interior grab handles, and large door openings. We found it odd that the running board doesn’t retract at this price; such a nicety is becoming common on non-luxury models. When asked, an Infiniti representative explained that the automaker chose a fixed running board because it would be trouble-free in winter-prone areas, where ice and corrosion can become factors.

Tilting the second-row seat and powering it (rather slowly) forward aids entry at the third row. If you’re spry enough to get into the third row, access will be considered fine.

Our team had mixed feelings about the pop-out exterior door handles. They may look cool, but they add complication without a clear benefit. Theoretically, they aid fuel economy.

Handling This is a massive, lane-filling vehicle that discourages hard-charging into turns. But it performs relatively well when pushed, being fairly planted on the road with restrained body roll. Our drivers commented that in this regard, the QX80 feels more responsive than many of its direct competitors and universally complimented the steering.No doubt, the handling was aided by the “dynamic digital” suspension that actively adjusts to control body roll and up-and-down motions.

Another benefit of the electronic air suspension is that the vehicle can be lowered 2.8 inches to make it easier to get in and out. On the highway, it hunkers down 1.2 inches to aid aerodynamics and hence fuel economy. For off-roading, the suspension can be raised 2.1 inches.

Ride Each driver noted that the QX80 is comfortable in most conditions, with its sophisticated suspension working hard to mask the SUV’s body-on-frame construction, a platform type more often associated with rugged trucks and luxury coaches. Several said it seemed on a par with the impressive Cadillac Escalade. However, some rough surfaces and pothole impacts cause jitters and vibrations. Still, it is quite good, especially with the gargantuan, barrel-like 22-inch wheels.

Cargo-area controls Another suspension-related trick is that there is a height adjustment button in the rear cargo area that can be used to lower the SUV for loading cargo or securing a trailer hitch.The QX80 has a maximum tow rating of 8,500 pounds, enough for a large travel trailer or sizable boat. Plus, there are trailer sway controls, auto-leveling to compensate for the trailer weight on the hitch, and blind spot warning for trailers.

There are also controls for power-folding the second- and third-row seats—very convenient for loading long objects.

Remote start We appreciate that you can start the QX80 remotely and have the seats heated or ventilated. Some vehicles lack that ability.

Abundant charge points There are eight USB-C ports to ensure all devices are charged. However, we had a mixed experience with the wireless phone charger, which notably made a phone overheat

Camera modes The QX80 benefits from large glass all around, but it is so tall that visibility is limited close to the vehicle, such as when parking. A large suite of camera options grants the driver super powers to see all around, with wide views, a three-dimensional perspective with object detection, and a clever view through the hood—the perspective is looking through a semi-transparent rendering of the hood to see how the tires are oriented. That would be handy off-road or going through an automated car wash. There is also a rather unique dash cam mode with the ability to take a still photo.

What We Don't Like

Controls Many controls bring compromises. For example, the steering wheel uses a single pad, or piece of plastic, for several functions rather than distinct buttons. When driving, it is tricky to caress the proper position on the pad. The gear selections are made through flush-mounted buttons.

The plastic is not worthy of a luxury vehicle, and the buttons don’t have any tactile facet to help guide the pressing finger. This is an odd, standout element in such an exquisite cabin.

The climate controls are separated from the infotainment screen (nice!), but it is challenging to learn the position for functions, in part because you have to hold the finger for a beat to receive haptic feedback and make the selection, rather than just tap at it. This technique is straightforward when parked, but when in motion, with the vehicle and your extended hand vibrating a bit, it is difficult enough that it stands out against peer models. Think of it as a “push screen” rather than a “touch screen.”

The infotainment system has some quirks. For instance, you can manually move from one SiriusXM channel to another, as you browse for the perfect tune. Press the manual channel button on the left side and the channel changes, but so does the screen, effectively moving the control to the center—a farther reach. Tapping through two channels requires hitting two separate areas. Presets move very easily with the steering wheel controls. And a final example is the audio adjustments. With the great-sounding 24-speaker, 1,200-watt Klipsch stereo, it should be expected that the audiophile driver will want to fiddle with the basic treble and bass settings, or choose another sound mode to experience music in 3D surround, but these controls are multiple screens deep into the system.

Climate screen The position, angle, and plastic bezel around the climate screen all bring compromises. If the screen was less angled, there could have been more storage in the center console—something that the QX80 needs. The piano-black plastic bezel is shiny and looks cheap. Because of the angle, the display itself brightens the side glass at night, interfering with side visibility.

Driving position Our team has mixed feelings about the driving position. The front seats, as explained above, are quite comfortable with generous legroom and headroom. But some drivers found that their right elbow rests uncomfortably on a hard center surface (rather than on the padded portion of the armrest) and that the thick, squared-off steering wheel blocks part of the instrument panel. (The head-up display helps compensate for this.) We found that our right forearm could unintentionally open the center console when operating controls. Plus, the A-pillars flanking the windshield are thick, obscuring visibility at forward angles.

Massage seats The first and second rows are available with massage seats, a nice luxury. But the massage function is aggressive: Think burly athletic trainer giving post-game therapy rather than delicate spa pampering that would be blissful on a long drive. The limited modes further dampen the appeal.

Third-row The rearmost seat is a compromised position in nearly every vehicle. Similarly, the third row in the QX80 is best suited to spry, petite passengers. Legroom is limited and headroom is inadequate for some adults to sit upright—surprising given how tall the vehicle is. There are better options for those who will rely on the third-row seat often.

Clever first-class features The QX80 boasts several innovative features that make for great marketing copy but proved indulgent and unnecessary in our experience. For example, its Bio Cool feature uses infrared sensors to determine whether a second-row passenger is hotter than expected. The system isn’t designed to address heat from the sun bearing down on one side, nor to detect a child who may be left behind in the car.

Another item is the prominent speakers on the front head restraints. Trying different music sources and each mode in the vehicle, the best experience could be described as so subtle as to be not worth the added cost. We wish the volume could be increased more to just those speakers in order to take advantage of them. Where they do shine is when taking a phone call or hearing navigation guidance, as sound is directed to the driver’s ears, minimizing the impact on passengers.

The on-screen background display changes throughout the day, which is neat. Another feature that may not get much attention, but is rather cool, is the garage door opener. Rather than use HomeLink integrated into the rearview mirror, like most vehicles, this function is accessed through the infotainment screen. Its trick is that it uses geofencing to learn where your garage is, opening it automatically when you return home.

Storage Interior storage is surprisingly limited for a large vehicle primed for road trips, with small door pockets and tiny center armrest space. In fairness, the total cargo capacity has increased, with rear seat up, rear seat folded, and both rear rows folded down. The height of the rear load floor has been lowered, but it is still about waist height for average-height drivers. (Lowering the suspension can help.)

Safety and Driver Assistance Systems

As expected at this price, the QX80 comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning with trailer mode, rear cross traffic warning, and lane keeping assistance.

Plus, it has a clever-sounding parking feature that remembers your preferred spot, and it preemptively provides onscreen guidance into the spot when approached.

There is a rear occupant alert to warn whether there may be a child or pet left inside, based on the second-row doors having been opened. This is a welcomed feature, especially on a family-oriented vehicle like this, but our engineers would prefer that this safety feature default to being on, rather than require the driver to activate it.

The Pure, Luxe, and Sensory trims come with ProPilot Assist 1.1, which combines adaptive cruise control with lane centering assistance to relieve some stress when driving. This system combines information from sensors and data from the navigation system to provide driving control assistance, proactively adjusting speed for curves, interchanges, and other driving scenarios.

Optional on Luxe and Sensory, and standard on Autograph, is ProPilot Assist 2.1. This steps up the aids to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel in some highway conditions. When we tested ProPilot Assist 2.0, it impressed us with its capabilities and performance, and it worked better than Tesla’s Autopilot.

Here, our initial impressions of ProPilot Assist 2.1 were good, with the team noting that it performs lane changes smoothly and that the Direct Driver Monitoring System (DDMS) works well, providing an appropriate warning to inattentive drivers.