Forget the Escalade or Navigator, the GL-Class and LX are yesterday’s news, what you really want is the Infiniti QX80. This big and bold large luxury SUV offers you the character you’re looking for with all the features you could ever want inside. Large, looming, spacious and active are all rolled into one package to give you a vehicle that looks great, carries a sophisticated charm about it, but can get down and dirty when the time is right to show that it’s not just fluff, this beast means business.
The QX80 offers you the ability to carry as many as eight people inside while also towing as much as 8,500 pounds. For 2016 the QX80 is mostly the same as the previous year but there is a new Signature Edition which adds a Driver Assistance package, Split Bench seating, a Saddle Tan interior, body side moldings and chrome mirror caps. This Signature Edition gives you a great new look and feel to add even more class to an already elegant vehicle.
Much of the signature look of the Infiniti lineup of SUVs is the rounded front end, but the QX80 doesn’t have that at all. Yes it has some curves, but this is a large vehicle that has a bolder and more typical square appearance than it smaller siblings. The use of this shape allows the QX80 to offer you the space you need on the inside to have the comfort and feel you want. The interior is decked out in fin leather, impressive wood and metal trim and offers the technology you’re looking for to have a large and comfortable ride that is a delight to your visual senses. With all seats down you have impressive cargo space, but even when all eight seats are occupied you can carry along plenty of gear.
For this big brute there is only one engine offered. This engine is a 5.6-liter V8 that pushed out 400 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft. of torque. The QX80 is set up with Hill Start Assist and a Snow Mode to make it a vehicle that will get going with confidence even when the roads are slick. This great engine is attached to a seven-speed automatic transmission that has a manual shift mode. The fuel mileage you will enjoy comes in at 14 city/20 hwy for the RWD version and 13 city/19 hwy mpg in the AWD models.
The QX80 comes in three levels, each of which offers an impressive array of standard equipment. These levels are QX80, QX80 AWD and QX80 AWD Limited. The standard equipment for the QX80 gives you leather upholstery, a navigation system, a power liftgate, tri-zone climate controls, a moonroof, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power tilt and telescoping steering column, an Around View monitor with Moving Object Detection, a one year subscription to the Infiniti Connection system, a 13-speaker Bose audio system, USB connection, Bluetooth streaming and front and rear sonar parking sensors.
Looking to the options of this already impressively equipped vehicle you will find Welcome Lighting for the side steps, Truffle Brown leather with silver stitching, Matte Finish Ash wood accents, a Driver Assistance Package, a Theater Package, a Tire and Wheel Package and a Split Bench Seat Package. All these packages bring you more features and a better overall vehicle to enjoy.
When it comes to price, this is the only place where the QX80 is meek compared to the competition. This SUV starts out around $65,000 and moves up from there. Adding AWD will increase the price by $3,000 and the fully loaded QX80 AWD Limited can reach up over the $80,000 mark.
Amazingly, for a body on frame vehicle, the QX80 rides extremely well. The Hydraulic Body Motion Control helps to reduce the lean during the ride and gives you a smooth ride that can lull a baby to sleep or even your buddies after a long day on the slopes or at the lake. Is this the SUV for you? If you want a large SUV that makes others jealous and gives you the capability to go anywhere; this is it.
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