Yahoo Autos 2025 Infiniti QX80 First Look: Can it command a hundred grand?
NEW YORK CITY — If Infiniti has its way, the all-new 2025 QX80 will be the flagship SUV that leads Nissan’s luxury marque into a much-needed renaissance. By the time the 2025 QX80 debuts, the current generation will have been on the market for 15 years. The model dates to 2010, when it debuted as the QX56 (prior to Infiniti’s naming system revamp).
The QX56/QX80 received a lot of hate for avant-garde styling that appeared to have been birthed from an H.R. Giger space horror. The 2025 iteration tones that down significantly with fewer curves and more chiseled lines. As previewed by the QX Monograph concept, the complete absence of surfacing on the sides is as unfussy it gets.
The nose retains Infiniti’s trademark double-arch grille, inspired by the enduring stone bridges of traditional Japanese gardens. Similarly, its vertical slats are meant to evoke the spires of a bamboo forest. The new Infiniti logo is now 3-dimensional, with the “infinite road” dropping into the center like a black hole. Unlike a black hole, it illuminates in an eye-catching effect that, thankfully, feels less pretentious than Mercedes’ glowing stars. At the rear, a full-width taillight bar recalls lights reflected in water and is made up of more than 300 LEDs.
The thin lights flanking the grille are DRLs, while the QX80’s real headlights are embedded in nooks just above vents on either side of the front fascia. Happily, those vents are functional, directing cooling air to beefy two-pot calipers and 13-inch discs. Likewise, the (finally de-chromed!) driver’s side fender vent acts as a heat extractor.
That heat is generated by a new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that replaces the outgoing naturally aspirated V8. Mated to a 9-speed automatic, it hails from the same engine family as the GT-R supercar and makes 450 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, a surge of 50 horses and 105 lb-ft. At the same time, Infiniti says it gets 20% better fuel economy.
Many forget that beneath the predecessor’s alien beluga sheetmetal was a solid luxury SUV with real off-road bones. It was built on the same platform as the Nissan Patrol, a hard-core 4x4 that competes toe-to-toe with the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser in foreign markets. Come 2025 the QX80 will continue to share a chassis with the new Patrol, albeit an all-new body-on-frame unit that Infiniti says has 57% more lateral stiffness than the outgoing model and 300% increased torsional stiffness.
We don’t know specific differences between Patrol and QX80 yet, but if they’re anything like their predecessors, the Nissan will be rugged while the Infiniti pampers. Previous Patrols had mountain-cresting features like larger fuel tanks, increased ground clearance and locking differentials. QX80s, on the other hand, were geared for better fuel economy and comfort during highway driving. We have no reason to doubt this will continue.
The 2025 QX80 comes with an optional Dynamic Digital Suspension, a system that scans the road ahead 100 times per second and electronically adjusts damping force for a smoother ride and reduced body roll. Also available is an electronic air suspension with four ride heights. At highway speeds it drops the height by 1.2 inches for improved aerodynamics, while on trickier terrain it rises 2.4 inches. Once parked, the suspension lowers 2.8 inches (relative to regular cruising height) for easier entry, egress and cargo loading. Drive modes beyond the standard Eco, Normal and Sport include Snow, Tow and personalizable settings.
