Infiniti QX80 2015 Review

Life has just got tougher for Lexus, selling just 87 units of its LX 570 flagship SUV for the year to date. Its newest direct rival is the Infiniti QX80, which does pretty much everything the Lexus does – and more – for around $24,000 less.

At that price, and based on a sales figure for the Y62-series Patrol in 2014 – 590 units sold for the year before a recent price repositioning – the Infiniti should not only outsell the Lexus, it may even take sales away from the LX 570. That all depends on how prospective buyers respond to the Infiniti's styling.

The QX80 is not the loveliest vehicle to grace the slopes and water crossings of this wide, brown land, but then neither is the Lexus. If it's petrol-powered, large-displacement pulling power you want, plus enough seats for eight, phenomenal ride comfort and NVH suppression, the QX80 is really hard to walk past. And given its size, it's even harder to walk around.

Make no mistake: the Infiniti is not for the shy, retiring, apologetic types. But it is very well equipped for the money and should be a pretty capable off-roader with seating capacity for eight and a towing capacity of 3500kg. By the way, a tow bar is a standard feature too.

Other features fitted as standard to the QX80 that you won't find in a vanilla-spec Patrol Ti-L include Predictive Forward Emergency Warning, autonomous emergency braking, Back-up Collision Intervention, 22-inch alloy wheels (versus 18-inch wheels for the range-topping Patrol), a heated steering wheel, BOSE 15-speaker audio, LED front lighting/fog lights/adaptive front lighting/automatic high-beam adjustment, semi-aniline leather upholstery, second-row seat heating, power adjustment for the third-row seats, 10-way power adjustment for the driver's seat, eight-way power adjustment for the front-passenger's seat, metallic paint (no charge), four-year warranty (versus three-year warranty) and premium roadside assistance.

The Predictive Forward Emergency Warning will hit the brakes should it detect the vehicle two in front of the QX80 slowing – and the Infiniti driver shows no sign of taking evasive action.

But all the kit in the world won't make up for a dud drive. As a nominal rival to the QX80, Land Rover's Range Rover Sport – in almost any drivetrain specification – will run and hide from the Infiniti, although there is a price premium to pay for the Rangie's driving dynamics and all-round ability. There was no opportunity to test the Infiniti's off-road ability during the media drive program in Tasmania, but the QX80 was remarkably serene on unsealed roads that were at times heavily corrugated.

In fact, whether on dirt or coarse-chip bitumen the QX80 exhibited remarkable ride comfort and road-noise suppression, despite the fact that its suspension is purportedly "nine to 10 per cent" firmer than the Patrol's. With the HBMC (Hydraulic Body Motion Control system) governing springing and damping, the QX80 was very stable and free from pitching. The only noise evident at cruising speeds was some wind noise (on a very blustery day).

Under heavy acceleration there was some distinct engine noise from the 5.6-litre VK56 V8, which certainly sounds muscular in the bespoke V8 way. It goes hard enough too and fuel consumption for the drive program averaged out at 17.2L/100km, which is to be expected from an engine of this displacement hauling around an eight-seat SUV of such generous bulk. According to specs, the QX80 weighs 2837kg, which is substantial.

That weight takes the edge off the QX80's performance, clearly. Acceleration might be a disappointment for some, given the Infiniti's 298kW/560Nm output. Just by the by, the QX80's performance does hint that the 2.9-litre turbo-diesel V6 available in the D40-series Navara probably wouldn't be grunty enough to be viable in the Patrol, given it develops lower levels of torque than the petrol V8 and considerably less power.

Mostly though, the QX80 has the twisting power to haul decent payloads – including caravans and trailer boats. A diesel of similar torque rating would do the same job, but probably slower.

The V8 drives through a seven-speed automatic that is very genteel in operation. Infiniti points out that it's one more gear than the Lexus LX570 has to offer. It could arguably do with one more ratio still, since that's the number that Range Rovers have to offer – but once again Range Rover buyers are paying more for that specification advantage.

Weight is also potentially a factor in the QX80's braking and cornering. Nothing of major concern showed up during the drive, but braking for corners the QX80 felt like a lot of mass to slow down. It mustered enough grip in corners to change direction safely, although it wasn't being pushed like it was a WRC winner. Steering was very light and lacked feel to encourage the driver to press on harder into corners.

The driving position, with plenty of adjustment available, was up to scratch and the power reach adjustment for the steering column was a boon. The seats in front were very cushy too and there is an electric-motor drive to reel in the front seatbelts once they're unlatched. Tarnishing the overall effect was the foot-operated parking brake.

The instrument binnacle is very much in a conventional mould, with large easily read major instruments flanking a trip computer. Scattered switchgear would take some familiarity to learn locations of less frequently used functions, such as the disable switch for the LDW, which is toggled on and off from a switch on the dash to the lower right of the steering wheel. This would actuate on unsealed roads during the drive program, where there are no line markings to trigger it!

In even a vehicle as large as the QX80, the third-row seats (which will ostensibly accommodate three kids) are not for adults and long journeys, although they will accommodate average-sized adults at a pinch – that being the operative word. Kneeroom is marginal and there's certainly no room for six-footers to stretch out, but at least there is some headroom, and a modicum of luggage space behind the third row too.

Entering the third row is via an easy-to-use, flip-forward seat located on the driver's side. The two-seater bench on the near side will also flip forward for access to the third row for those occasions the car is parked in the street and safety is a consideration. While there's power adjustment for the third-row seating, there's no adjustment other than recline for the second row. At least accommodation is much more generous in the second row, even with a sunroof fitted over the front seats, and sliding back in the headlining above the second row.

Both second and third-row seats are serviced by climate control vents (with a rear-zone disable switch in the centre fascia). Second-row seat occupants have their own climate control switches and – for the outboard positions – seat heating.

Two-fisted drinkers will be appropriately catered for – with up to two parents and four kids free to pour a glass from a bottle, each held in place by receptacles in the vinyl moulds. Only the little tackers in the centre-seat positions (second and third rows) miss out on bottle/cupholders.

The QX80 finished the drive programme impressing for its feature-rich spec list and its ability to keep people comfortable, shrugging aside cold, wet and slippery conditions with ease. As an alternative to the Lexus LX 570, it's a formidable competitor.

It would be an even stronger player in the market with a diesel option, but it seems like there's little available in the Renault/Nissan world up to the job – and it would take time to engineer the QX80 for such a powerplant anyway. In light of that, the QX80 will be a standard bearer for the Infiniti range – and rightly so – but it won't improve the prestige importer's sales volumes by a significant magnitude.

2015 Infiniti QX80 Premium pricing and specifications:
Price: $110,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.6-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 298kW/560Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: TBA
Safety Rating: TBA