The 2025 Infiniti QX80 is a hulking, imposing thing. It’s a chiseled brick of luxury SUV with a big job to do. It was built to replace a model that’s been in production for a full fourteen years, and to lead the Infiniti range.
At a glance, the QX80 is pretty much what everyone was expecting after the debut of the QX Monograph concept last year. It’s an ultra-modern take on an Infiniti SUV that still sticks to the slab-sided fundamentals the brand has traded on over the years. Indeed, it’s almost worth asking why Infiniti didn’t just announce the final model then, given how closely the production model hews to the concept. Even the edgy headlights made it over to the real thing.
Fundamentally, though, this is the long-awaited fresh start for Infiniti’s top-tier SUV. Let’s look at what the new model gives you for your money.
Fresh and New
This time around, V8 power is out. Instead, the QX80 rocks a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 good for 450 horsepower and a hefty 516 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 50 horsepower and 103 pound-feet over the last generation. It’s paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Infiniti says the auto has a 40% wider spread of gear ratios to provide quick acceleration and efficient cruising at highway speeds. Funny how we used to think four speeds were enough, right?
Notably, despite its relation to the Nissan Patrol line, not every QX80 will have four-wheel drive. Pure and Luxe trims can be had with rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive, while Sensory and Autograph trims get all-paw grip as standard.
Really, though, the QX80 isn’t about engines and drivetrains. It’s about comfort. You get a swooshy dashboard with glowing lines and lots of leather on everything. In the top Autograph trim level, the seats have a “stitched finish effect that is partially completed by hand” if that sort of thing excites you. There’s a nice dot-quilting pattern on the seats, too, along with lashings of ash wood trim in the cabin. It’s nothing you haven’t heard of before, but it’s nicely done.
Captain’s chairs are standard on the second row across the range. You can have a bench if you prefer in most trims. There’s also a “walk-in” feature that sees the seats move for easier access to the third row. Both second and third rows get more legroom over the previous model, too, Cargo space behind the second and third rows is up 18 and 30 percent over the previous model, if you’re conscious about luggage.
Two 14.3-inch screens are key to the user interface of the vehicle. One is used as a dash cluster, while the other serves as the main infotainment display. They have the usual complement of wireless Android Auto and CarPlay functionality. The system also has Google features built in. This means you can download apps and ask the Google Assistant totally normal questions, like “Hey Google, navigate to my nearest INFINITI retailer.”
Supporting this with a soft ride, the Qx80 gets electronic air suspension or something called Dynamic Digital Suspension, depending on what you choose for your vehicle. The air suspension option has a party trick, though, as it lowers the car up to 2.8 inches when parked to allow for easier entry and egress. It can also raise the vehicle up 2.4 inches for better clearance offroad.
Long-overdue tech is now available on the QX80 as well. The new model will get a color heads-up display for the first time. Meanwhile, the new electric power steering finally enables the QX80 to implement lane-keeping assist and Infiniti’s ProPilot Assist 2.1 driving aid. Unlike some rival systems, ProPilot does allow the driver to remove their hands from the wheel under certain conditions, but attention must remain on the road. In any case, it’s a sharp contrast to the outgoing QX80, which relied on hydraulic power steering and didn’t have these now-common features. At best, it made do by using only the brakes to help prevent lane departure instead.
There’s also one feature I’d like to draw specific attention to. The QX-80 has something called “Biometric Cooling” which Infiniti says is a “segment-first technology.” It uses an infrared sensor in the headliner to detect the body temperature of passengers. It then adjusts the temperature of the second-row HVAC accordingly if they’re too hot. The idea is if you’re chilling in the car, but you pick up a friend who’s just been on a big run, the system will cool them down quicker without changing the HVAC up front. While this specific implementation is unique, it’s worth noting that Jeep implemented this Predator-like heat sense decades ago.
Real Talk
So what does all this set you back? The Pure RWD model starts as low as $84,445 including the destination charge, but before other fees. Stepping up to 4WD costs a further $3,100. At the top of the tree, you’ll pay at least $112,590 for an Autograph model before options. Those figures are a sizable hike over the old model. The Pure is over $8,000 more expensive than the former base model. With the more luxurious trims now firmly in the six-figure range, it’s brand new territory for the QX80.
On the one hand, it’s understandable that prices would go up. Inflation is a thing, and the new QX80 is offering a lot that the last model didn’t. At the same time, it’s hard not to look at the luxury SUV segment and draw some concerning comparisons.
Let’s take the Jeep Grand Wagoneer as an instructive example. It saw Jeep making a big (grand?) play into the six-figure pond with lashings of luxury and expensive appointments. The problem was that a mass of buyers willing to pay that much simply didn’t exist. Just a few short months ago The Autopian reported on Grand Wagoneers sitting on lots with discounts stretching up to $38,000. That’s not a typo.
In the post-pandemic market, prices have been cooling off after their initial march to the Moon. Infiniti is betting that it’s new luxury star can command much higher prices, but it’s entering a market that is less keen to pay them. The trick will be whether or not the QX80 can really light up the customer base. That’s a challenge which some of its big rivals have failed.
Image credits: Infiniti
In 2019 I was the best man/DD for a bachelor party/distillery tour in Kentucky. I rented a Suburban to accommodate the 8 celebrants. Our first tour started at such a time in contrast with the time the rental counter opened that I’d have about -3 minutes to get everyone’s hungover posterior into a seat by the time I got back to the AirBnb. Enterprise decided to help my day get worse and upgraded me, gratís, to a QX80. I quickly discovered that despite a mind-numbingly sluggish throttle response, the mill was sufficient to quickly achieve speeds that the marshmallow-soft suspension and molasses-slow steering made feel more dangerous than bareback riding a 737 in a lightning storm. What I did not discover, however, until reaching the AirBnB and turning around for the first time, was the captain’s chairs sitting where the Chevy would’ve had a bench. Making my new beige barge a 7-seater, not an 8. Of course, we soldiered on. The skinniest and most gracious of us also happened to be the only member of the party whose levels of melanin made the heritage of Kentucky other than bourbon come a lot quicker to mind, and even his slender frame had trouble folding into the minimal cargo area. The rest of that day I white-knuckled it down windy backcountry roads, fervently hoping than none of my increasingly intoxicated passengers would attract any attention, while attempting to keep the lumbering beast more or less in a lane.
Never again.
Is Tik Tok doing the adjective challenge again?
If I can’t get the CVT from a Rogue in it, I am not interested.
Good words
Damn, that interior looks gorgeous. I like the rear, too. (Those better be amber turn signals…)
Of course, you will find me in a used conversion van before you ever catch me (/being able to afford) one of these.
Username checks out.
At the point where you’re carrying more than 4 other people, I say maximize the space for both cargo and people, and also acknowledge it’s staying on pavement. Plus those huge SUVs don’t tend to get great fuel economy anyway.
This might have been a good looking refresh for 2012; it’s Lexus’ spindle design language 12-years late.
I still feel Infiniti’s plan is to continue to have Nissan quality at Lexus prices, I don’t understand how that sells.
It kinda doesn’t sell. Infiniti is a dying brand for exactly this reason.
Right, so let me rephrase that: I don’t understand why Nissan/Infiniti thinks that it’s a saleable idea.
Almost every new SUV looks just like at least 2 already existing SUV’s. I couldn’t imagine wanting to drop 6 figures on something for it to just blend in with everything else.
Won’t buy one, it won’t be available where I live, but nice greenhouse, also straight belt line, a rare sight nowadays.
Seems a nice place to be in for driving, but worth what is being asked? Hard to tell. Infiniti is a glorified (and better in many ways) Nissan, so a buyer that wants a good car may find value in it, but I believe many buyers that can spend that money will prefer spend on a “true” luxury brand.
The view from driver’s seat is glorious, that is a damn nice dash & center console. About time Nissan got their act together.
Maybe we’ll see it rolled down to the 2027 or 2028 Q50 in time for its third mid-cycle refresh
It’s nice and all that, but that’s about it. Are there really that many Infinity loyalists or people wanting something different just for the sake of being different in this demo? Maybe globally, but in the US? I can’t see it.
It’s not like anyone in this segment is gonna get the Caddy and have buyer’s remorse about it. I suspect hearing, “Damn, I really messed up by getting this hunk of junk when I could’ve had that clearly superior Infinity” is not going to happen much. I suspect the opposite will happen much more often with folks who buy the Infinity. Along with the questions from other people, genuinely asking why they didn’t get the Caddy. Like, “Were all the Escalades sold out or something?”
As someone who lives in the UAE, you see the current gen QX80 and Patrol (the Patrol more, a 3 to 1 ratio I reckon) pretty much everywhere, they sell like hot cakes and are a symbol of status among the local community.
I am very curious to see how it in the flesh, as well as what are the changes to the Patrol model.
Hey Nissan, 2004 called, they want their business plan back.
I don’t necessarily think the Grand Wagoneer comparison is apt. Jeep has never been a luxury brand and I think that’s one of the reasons they’ve struggled to move them at the price point. Infiniti is a recognized luxury brand, albeit a fast fading one. I don’t think this is all that outlandish price wise, although I agree with V10omous that they’ll likely have to discount them to move them.
The one, single thing Infiniti seems to consistently do well is their exterior design. Their lineup is quite conventionally attractive outside of the ancient Q50. This is no exception. I think it looks pretty damn good and I even like the majority of the interior appointments outside of the stupid ass HVAC tablet. Have we learned nothing? No one wants this shit.
All that being said I’m not quite sure who this is for. It’s going to be damn hard to lure the “I want to very loudly let everyone know I’m rich while nuking the environment and inconveniencing everyone around me as much as humanly possible” crowd away from the more established brands in this segment. It’ll have to be a ridiculously compelling product. We’ll see if it winds up being one, but I have my doubts.
I thought the same thing. I don’t feel like the direct comparison is apt to the GW for a couple reasons. Like others mentioned, Jeep isn’t recognized as a “luxury” brand, where Inifiniti is. But also, this is an attractive vehicle. The GW is pretty ugly on the outside. Its garish and cumbersome looking, especially in long wheelbase. This, though slab sided, is much more svelte and classy looking. From the rear 3/4 its VERY Range Rover Sport, which I think is a good thing, helping to upclass it even further.
The Wagoneer is flat out ugly in person, particularly the D pillar. It’s just so awkward looking. The whole thing does not hide its weight well from an appearance perspective either. It looks big, bloated, and overwrought. Which really puzzles me because the current Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L are very attractive SUVs.
They could literally have gone with “Cherokee L but MOAR” and it would’ve looked fine to good but instead they gave us an abomination. Anyway, I agree that this Infiniti is good looking. My hot take is that most current Infinitis are good looking. The design language is elegant and the lines tend to flow together perfectly.
I actually think the Q60 (pour one out) is one of the best looking modern coupes this side of the LC500. It’s just a fantastic, very evocative, and classically elegant design that isn’t overdone. Alright I’m getting off track. This QX80 looks fantastic and I’m excited to see some of it trickle down to the rest of their lineup.
Will that be enough to sell it? I guess we’ll see. The lack of any sort of hybrid powertrain is a real bummer.
The last 10+ years of grand cherokee Summit or even slightly lower overland trims have been pretty luxurious honestly.
The problem is the Wagoneer is just so boring and folks that need that much of a bloated pig have had decades to acclimate to Suburbans (Escalades) or Expeditions (Navigators).
I’m not sure its fair to immediately leap to the GW as the only comparison. Yeah, that vehicle has flopped for whatever reason, but Escalades, X7s, GLS, LX600 etc are selling at sticker or very near it.
This may ultimately end up needing discounts to move, but even if so, that’s just getting back to normal market conditions pre-2021. I don’t think a starting price in the mid $80,000s is unreasonable for this type of vehicle.
Well it’s more attractive than the last model and I’m sure it’s a pleasant place to ride. I’m not a fan of these giant family haulers but I was thinking that Infiniti had a winner until I saw the price point. Ouch!
It seems to be right in line with its competition, Escalade starts at $82k. I guess given Infiniti’s current position they should be trying to undercut, but you can’t blame them for trying to cash in just like everyone else.
Infiniti has painted themselves in the Cadillac corner. They want Lexus prices for a product that is viewed as a notch below. The only way to escape that market niche is by rebuilding your brand one great vehicle at a time so maybe this is the beginning. Ironically, the only vehicle that Cadillac has that is class-leading is the QX80 competitor, the Escalade.
The exterior will have no trouble letting everyone know how important and rich you are. It’s a million times better than the previous generation which looked like a giant wart. You’ll be royalty at the Target parking lot as your Wall-E chariot lowers itself 2.8 inches so you can get out of it. The interior looks great.
That thing will be a maintenance and troubleshooting nightmare in 8 years.
The designer was definitely sitting next to the Lexus/Toyota guy during this exam. Trust me, I’m a teacher.
As a Y62 Armada owner, I’m excited to see this.
Hopefully the new v6 turbo will turn out to be reliable. The 9 speed auto is also way overdue.
I expect most people here will dislike this thing, but I quite like it.
I was never particularly bothered about the QX80, until we ended up with a 2021 model as a rental for a 1,000 mile road trip.
I was disappointed at first, but soon really started to like it.
By the end of the trip we were really sad to give it back. It was comfortable, quiet, plenty powerful, and had probably the best ride I’ve ever experienced.
It was just so delightfully squishy over every bump that I actually started to enjoy driving over rougher speed humps etc.
We also loved that it was pretty anonymous – it got pretty much no attention wherever we went, which was great.
All I see is a large square block of metal with unfortunate proportions. Let’s spare a thought for the designers were given the task to shave of a few mm’s here and there and try to force fit the Infiniti design language on this colossus. The rear view gives away the proportions completely though, Infiniti should probably have hired architects with experience with high-rise building instead.
Like Art Vandelay?
Infiniti’s finally gotten to where Lexus was six years ago with interior design, so it seems like Nissan’s managing to dig themselves out of the hole Ghosn put them in. But honestly Infiniti’s whole thing was trading on “Simplicity of Nissan but nicer” upsells combined with being five to ten thousand dollars cheaper than a Lexus GX and bigger than an Acura MDX. Jumping twenty thousand dollars over the GX (and thus twenty five thousand dollars above the previous QX) and going for extremely complex experimental luxury features is really going to scare people.
I really don’t know what or who is keeping Infiniti in business. I can’t recall the last time I saw a late-model Infiniti, but I’m not sure if that’s because they look really anonymous, or because no one is buying them in my city. All I really see is clapped-out G35/37 and a few 15-20 year old SUV/CUV things.
They sold less than 60K last year I reckon. (US)
85 grand and you don’t even get any buttons for the HVAC.
They stole the climate screen straight from Audi
It’s still ugly, right? I feel like every place they put effort into styling, it would have been better with less attention.
People seem pretty pleased with slab-sided big SUVs at the moment. Unless you have the next big styling thing, just go with the flow on that. The boxier the better at the moment. (I’m pretty sure the next big styling thing isn’t coming from a decade ago.)
No, the next big styling thing is coming from 4 decades ago. Hence the “boxier is better”. Designers are finally starting to wise up to the idea that square old SUVs are trading for big money. The single hottest trend in cars right now is restomods, where you make a brand new car that looks like an old car. Manufacturers are maybe starting to figure out that they can easily sell exactly that, and print money.
Except for Nissan, anyways. You correctly observed that Nissan has not figured that out.
The target market for the Infiniti bus has always been people who don’t have quite enough credit score to swing an Escalade but still want to transport 2.5 people as obviously inefficiently as possible.
At $85k-$114k that’s just not going to happen.
Obviously the folks at Datsun decided that they want to compete with the Escalade at Escalade prices rather than relying on undercutting the competition. But I think it’s extremely unlikely that anybody will choose the V6 Nissan in a side by side comparison.
This is my thinking as well. In my neck of the woods, the Infiniti buyers are generally folks who want more than they can afford – “I want an Escalade, but can only afford a Tahoe”, so they split the difference and buy a QX80. Pricing the QX80 in line with the Escalade is a bold move, as unless they then hand out deep discounts, I don’t imagine many will go for the QX80 and it’s historically massive depreciation curve over an Escalade. Lincoln already struggles in this space with the Navigator, and in some (but not all) ways I’d argue the Navigator is better than the Escalade. Perhaps the QX80 will be more competitive than it seems, but it has a serious amount of ground to make up to justify the price.
It is a serious amount of ground to make up. And with a v6, they’re starting at the back of the pack compared to the Escalade and Suburban.
Indeed. As others have said, if that V6 offered a lot more power over the competition, or offered something a bit more compelling like a PHEV option, there might be enough of a differentiator to get this refresh some notice. As it stands now, I think you are right on the money that it will be an uphill battle against the Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, and I’d even throw in the Expedition.
There’ll be a mountain of cash on the hood of these fairly quickly, just like every other Nissan/Infiniti product these days.
Looks pretty good and I’m sure it will be a nice place to spend time in. But what a shame this hulking beast doesn’t come with a PHEV or hybrid this day in age. Woof