The 2025 Infiniti QX80 Is Good When it Needs to Be Great

Three-row luxury SUVs have boomed in popularity over the last decade or so—I’m talking about the big boys, brawny body-on-frame people movers specifically. The Cadillac Escalade remains top dog, followed closely by the Lincoln Navigator and Lexus LX. Plus there’s a bevy of unibody alternatives from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

The Infiniti QX80 often gets lost in the fray. But this new 2025 model might be of interest if you’re not ready to spring for a Cadillac or Lincoln. The Infiniti has excellent styling, a premium cabin, and a punchy powertrain. But just a few things keep this very good SUV from being one of the greats.

Styling certainly isn’t one of the QX80’s issues. The too-tall body is still kind of awkward, but otherwise, it looks sharp. Slim LED running lights sit on either corner of the double-arched grille, which has sleek vertically oriented inserts. The headlights sit lower on either side of the bumper. The full-width taillight bar has a smooth, flowy design accentuating the SUV’s width, and an “INFINITI” wordmark lives just beneath it.

The interior is straight-up posh—especially this fully loaded Autograph model. A sumptuous burgundy quilted leather stretches across the seats, door panels, and dash, dotting portions of the center console. Burgundy stitching on the steering wheel compliments the leather, and an open-pore Ash trim with metal inserts is layered across the upper portion of the dash, blending seamlessly with the two upper screens.

Speaking of screens, the QX80 has two 14.3-inch displays housed together under a single pane of glass. The first screen is a highly configurable instrument cluster providing in-cabin details. The center touchscreen runs a built-in Google interface with a clean layout, crisp graphics, and quick touch responsiveness. The QX80 also offers a full-color head-up display with more options and a 24-speaker Klipsch Reference audio system that absolutely bumps.

Pros: Stylish Redesign, Genuinely Posh Interior, Smooth & Powerful Engine

Google Maps comes with the system, as does the “Hey, Google” voice assistant, which means you don’t have to plug in a smartphone. And there are other nifty features like a built-in dash cam and an interior camera. Both of which can record photos or video. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard if you want to skip the system entirely, but they only take up about three-quarters of the total screen size. There’s a permanent menu bar at the base of the screen that you can’t get rid of. It’s annoying.

A third 9.0-inch screen juts up from the center console, and it makes the cabin immediately look more modern. But as with any of these tertiary climate control screens, using it while on the move is frustrating. You constantly have to look down to adjust temperature settings—at least the on-screen graphics are clear and every option is big. Owners will probably have an easier time after using it for a few weeks.

But wait, there’s a fourth touchscreen. Passengers in the second row have access to a small tablet-sized screen in the rear center console to access climate control functions and seat adjustments for the second row.

That second row is supremely comfortable, with soft leather chairs that have heating, cooling, and a massage function (on this Autograph model, at least).

You should be able to shove two normal-sized adults in the third row, which is easy to access courtesy of a power-folding second row. But they won’t be totally comfortable back there. Headroom is tight back there and the legroom is just okay for my lanky six-foot self. The 32.8 inches of legroom does mark a huge improvement over the previous model, (28.8 inches), but the QX is still down on the Escalade (34.9 inches) and Navigator (37.3 inches). At least the third row is heated and ventilated, and there are two USB-C chargers back there.

Cons: Too Many Screens, Slightly Too-Harsh Ride, Not A Ton Of Third-Row Space

From the driver’s seat, the QX80 ain’t half bad. Infiniti ditched its dated V-8 engine for a more modern twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 that is smooth like butter. With 450 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, the V-6 has no issue moving the massive 5,600-pound SUV. It easily digs the QX80 out of the hole and delivers gobs of power at highway speeds. If you really hammer it, the engine wheezes in protest, otherwise, the majority of QX80 drivers will find this engine plenty powerful. Downsizing doesn’t affect the QX80’s towing capacity either—the Infiniti can still tug up to 8,500 pounds, which is more than the Caddy (8,100 pounds).

Chucking this behemoth into a corner yields… expected results. It’s about as agile as a block of Swiss cheese. That said, Infiniti did stiffen up the chassis by 57 percent, which makes it less unwieldy than the previous truck. And the steering is light and responsive. If only the suspension did a better job at soaking up broken pavement. Even with the adaptive air suspension (available on Luxe and above), QX80’s ride is still a titch too harsh; It’s not nearly as cushy as an Escalade or Navigator.

You’ll have to shell out at least $111,895 for this top-of-the-line Autograph model. The base QX80 starts at a more reasonable $84,445, but it’s not nearly as well-equipped. The good news is that the QX80 Autograph is a very good three-row luxury SUV. The bad news is that every alternative is just as good or better.

The Escalade and Navigator are unparalleled in their ride quality and comfort, the Lexus LX was recently updated to Toyota’s excellent new truck platform and powertrain. And when stellar unibody alternatives like the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS exist, the QX80 fails to stand out from the established crop.

Competitors

BMW X7 Cadillac Escalade Lexus LX Lincoln Navigator Mercedes-Benz GLS

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