By John LeBlanc
PICTON, ONT.—There’s little doubt. Infiniti’s latest large SUV is more luxury hotel suite than family transportation. Having to extricate our daughter and two of her camping buddies out of the QX56 to stop them from watching
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on the trio of DVD screens scattered throughout the new Infiniti’s rec room-sized interior, was the first hint.
The second clue to the new QX56’s mission in life was how we chose our time in the big beast. Instead of spending the weekend in a fancy ski resort in the Laurentian Mountains — as the generous folks at Nissan Canada had offered — Mrs. Automotive Journalist, our younger daughter, and myself used the Infiniti as transport to our annual camping weekend we share with eight other families at Sandbanks Provincial Park, on the shores of Lake Ontario, near Picton.
Even before we could unpack our coolers and sleeping bags from the back of the big truck (where the third-row seating would normally be if erect), it became obvious that our $81,000 QX56 loaner was more than capable of handling our humble camping needs, and not just because the Infiniti came with more high-definition TV screens (part of the $8,000 Technology Package) than our home.
Compared to the compacts and family sedans found at the other Sandbank sites we drove past as we entered the park, pulling up in the really big and really pimped-out Infiniti was like docking a yacht at a dinghy regatta: A little inappropriate, with some explanations required for our fellow campers.
To whit:
a) Yes. The seven- or eight-passenger QX is huge. It’s one of the widest and longest SUVs you can buy. And sorry if that was your tent we just drove over?
b) No. Despite the Infiniti’s exterior bling, we don’t have any famous rap stars onboard.
Like a Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 570, Lincoln Navigator, or Mercedes-Benz GL 550, today’s QX is one of those overqualified SUVs that offers acres of room (seating for the first and second line of our daughter’s ringette team — and the goalie), gobs of power (its V8 can tow up to 8,500 lbs.), the potential to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (via a console-adjustable All-Mode 4WD system with Auto, 4H, and 4L mode) and an interior fitted with enough leather, wood and chrome to garner the cover of Architectural Digest.
At one point, though, Infiniti’s QX wasn’t a vehicle that needed explanation. The original 1997 QX4 was a luxo version of the midsized, car-like Nissan Pathfinder. However, the second generation 2004 model really grew up, to Nissan’s full-size truck platform. The 2011 QX56 continues to be built on a full-size body-on-frame design. But its American-made Titan pickup bones have been chucked in favour of the not-sold-in-Canada Nissan Patrol, a Toyota Land Cruiser rival in foreign markets.
In one regard, the QX56 is the black sheep of the BMW-chasing Infiniti family. Unlike the midsize five-passenger FX (which is based on the same chassis as the Nissan 370Z), the QX isn’t really meant for those who like to drive. That said, at least during the six-hour return trip to Sandbanks, mainly on the 401 and some secondary roads just outside of Picton, the Infiniti was pleasant and well mannered from the driver’s perch. Don’t expect 370Z-like handling from a vehicle that weighs almost twice as much. But for the first time ever on an Infiniti vehicle, as part of the Technology Package, a new Hydraulic Body Motion Control system is offered on the QX, which Nissan says helps reduce body lean while turning for a more comfortable ride.
Sure, the new QX56 is not as nimble as the smaller, first-gen models. And its steering lacks any kind of feel. But its ride is as smooth as an inflatable mattress (despite the outrageously big 22-inch rubber), with little road noise permeating into its cabin. And for its size, the Infiniti drives tighter and more controlled than its Cadillac or Lincoln rivals.
Unlike the Benz GL, though, there’s no diesel available. Infiniti argues that the QX56’s 400 horsepower V8 is one-quarter more powerful than the outgoing model, but a new seven-speed autobox aids in a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. That being said, I’m sure the 14.5 L/100 km we averaged probably isn’t an issue with well-heeled QX56 buyers. You see, those types of customers like all the comfort, power, and standard luxury features they can buy. And backed up by a relatively attractive price, the Infiniti scores well.
If your eye beholds the QX56’s beauty, hats off to you. But it’s obvious Infiniti was forced to combine the brand’s new styling cues from its Essence show car on the boxy Patrol. To me, it’s an odd-looking beast.
Better executed is the QX56’s interior. I can see now why the kids didn’t want leave the truck. Soft-touch plastics, real wood, and chrome pieces form a wraparound dash. The seats can be adjusted a zillion different ways, plus cooled and heated. Behind the third row, a Navigator has more room for stuff. But if I wasn’t driving, I would park myself in the Infiniti’s second row. Our tester had the no-cost optional twin captain chairs. Your La-Z-Boys at home should be so comfy. And, of course, there are the multiple DVD screens.
Infiniti’s full-size luxury SUV may have been a bit overqualified for our weekend of tent camping. For the few hundred buyers annual QX buyers, though, an equestrian trailer, Airstream camper or cigarette boat will more than likely be hauled at some point, with a side trip to a five-star eatery, or the theatre.
If you don’t think the idea of an overqualified SUV is ridiculous, the new 2011 Infiniti QX56 is worth a look. At the very least, it makes for a wonderful baby sitter on rainy camping days.
2011 Infiniti QX56
WHAT I LIKED: Sumptuous interior; refined highway driving experience; lots of standard kit for the money.
WHAT I DIDN'T: No diesel option; questionable exterior styling.
BASE PRICE/AS-TESTED: $73,000/$81,000
ENGINE: 5.6L V8
POWER/TORQUE: 400 hp/413 lb.-ft.
FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km: City 15.7; hwy 10.3; as-tested 14.5.
COMPETITION: Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 570, Lincoln Navigator. Mercedes-Benz GL 550
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By John LeBlanc
PICTON, ONT.—There’s little doubt. Infiniti’s latest large SUV is more luxury hotel suite than family transportation. Having to extricate our daughter and two of her camping buddies out of the QX56 to stop them from watching Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back on the trio of DVD screens scattered throughout the new Infiniti’s rec room-sized interior, was the first hint.
The second clue to the new QX56’s mission in life was how we chose our time in the big beast. Instead of spending the weekend in a fancy ski resort in the Laurentian Mountains — as the generous folks at Nissan Canada had offered — Mrs. Automotive Journalist, our younger daughter, and myself used the Infiniti as transport to our annual camping weekend we share with eight other families at Sandbanks Provincial Park, on the shores of Lake Ontario, near Picton.
Even before we could unpack our coolers and sleeping bags from the back of the big truck (where the third-row seating would normally be if erect), it became obvious that our $81,000 QX56 loaner was more than capable of handling our humble camping needs, and not just because the Infiniti came with more high-definition TV screens (part of the $8,000 Technology Package) than our home.
Compared to the compacts and family sedans found at the other Sandbank sites we drove past as we entered the park, pulling up in the really big and really pimped-out Infiniti was like docking a yacht at a dinghy regatta: A little inappropriate, with some explanations required for our fellow campers.
To whit:
a) Yes. The seven- or eight-passenger QX is huge. It’s one of the widest and longest SUVs you can buy. And sorry if that was your tent we just drove over?
b) No. Despite the Infiniti’s exterior bling, we don’t have any famous rap stars onboard.
Like a Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 570, Lincoln Navigator, or Mercedes-Benz GL 550, today’s QX is one of those overqualified SUVs that offers acres of room (seating for the first and second line of our daughter’s ringette team — and the goalie), gobs of power (its V8 can tow up to 8,500 lbs.), the potential to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (via a console-adjustable All-Mode 4WD system with Auto, 4H, and 4L mode) and an interior fitted with enough leather, wood and chrome to garner the cover of Architectural Digest.
At one point, though, Infiniti’s QX wasn’t a vehicle that needed explanation. The original 1997 QX4 was a luxo version of the midsized, car-like Nissan Pathfinder. However, the second generation 2004 model really grew up, to Nissan’s full-size truck platform. The 2011 QX56 continues to be built on a full-size body-on-frame design. But its American-made Titan pickup bones have been chucked in favour of the not-sold-in-Canada Nissan Patrol, a Toyota Land Cruiser rival in foreign markets.
In one regard, the QX56 is the black sheep of the BMW-chasing Infiniti family. Unlike the midsize five-passenger FX (which is based on the same chassis as the Nissan 370Z), the QX isn’t really meant for those who like to drive. That said, at least during the six-hour return trip to Sandbanks, mainly on the 401 and some secondary roads just outside of Picton, the Infiniti was pleasant and well mannered from the driver’s perch. Don’t expect 370Z-like handling from a vehicle that weighs almost twice as much. But for the first time ever on an Infiniti vehicle, as part of the Technology Package, a new Hydraulic Body Motion Control system is offered on the QX, which Nissan says helps reduce body lean while turning for a more comfortable ride.
Sure, the new QX56 is not as nimble as the smaller, first-gen models. And its steering lacks any kind of feel. But its ride is as smooth as an inflatable mattress (despite the outrageously big 22-inch rubber), with little road noise permeating into its cabin. And for its size, the Infiniti drives tighter and more controlled than its Cadillac or Lincoln rivals.
Unlike the Benz GL, though, there’s no diesel available. Infiniti argues that the QX56’s 400 horsepower V8 is one-quarter more powerful than the outgoing model, but a new seven-speed autobox aids in a 10 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. That being said, I’m sure the 14.5 L/100 km we averaged probably isn’t an issue with well-heeled QX56 buyers. You see, those types of customers like all the comfort, power, and standard luxury features they can buy. And backed up by a relatively attractive price, the Infiniti scores well.
If your eye beholds the QX56’s beauty, hats off to you. But it’s obvious Infiniti was forced to combine the brand’s new styling cues from its Essence show car on the boxy Patrol. To me, it’s an odd-looking beast.
Better executed is the QX56’s interior. I can see now why the kids didn’t want leave the truck. Soft-touch plastics, real wood, and chrome pieces form a wraparound dash. The seats can be adjusted a zillion different ways, plus cooled and heated. Behind the third row, a Navigator has more room for stuff. But if I wasn’t driving, I would park myself in the Infiniti’s second row. Our tester had the no-cost optional twin captain chairs. Your La-Z-Boys at home should be so comfy. And, of course, there are the multiple DVD screens.
Infiniti’s full-size luxury SUV may have been a bit overqualified for our weekend of tent camping. For the few hundred buyers annual QX buyers, though, an equestrian trailer, Airstream camper or cigarette boat will more than likely be hauled at some point, with a side trip to a five-star eatery, or the theatre.
If you don’t think the idea of an overqualified SUV is ridiculous, the new 2011 Infiniti QX56 is worth a look. At the very least, it makes for a wonderful baby sitter on rainy camping days.
2011 Infiniti QX56
WHAT I LIKED: Sumptuous interior; refined highway driving experience; lots of standard kit for the money.
WHAT I DIDN'T: No diesel option; questionable exterior styling.
BASE PRICE/AS-TESTED: $73,000/$81,000
ENGINE: 5.6L V8
POWER/TORQUE: 400 hp/413 lb.-ft.
FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km: City 15.7; hwy 10.3; as-tested 14.5.
COMPETITION: Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 570, Lincoln Navigator. Mercedes-Benz GL 550