Driven: 2025 Infiniti QX80 Personifies Luxury, But Is It Too Late?

Infiniti is hanging on by a thread. The Japanese luxury brand that once outsold Acura and Lexus only moved 58,000 vehicles in 2024 (the Lexus RX alone nearly doubled that figure). Amidst a merger between Nissan and Honda, it’s unclear if Infiniti will make it out unscathed, but if there’s one small glimmer of hope: the new QX80. The 2025 Infiniti QX80 feels like a fresh start for an entire brand, a competitive product that doesn’t just impress “for its price.”

The 2025 model year represents the third generation (internally called Z63) of the QX80 nameplate (formerly the QX56), the first all-new model to arrive on the market since 2010. 14 years between generations is an eon in the world, and the outgoing QX80 certainly felt its age. As before, the QX80 is related to the Nissan Armada and Patrol, now powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that’s related to the Z sports car. It also gets fresh styling, a more modern interior, and other luxury features that help it compete against the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. We spent a week driving the top Autograph trim level, trying to find out how it stacks up against the class-leading American full-size SUVs. Infiniti must be commended for a job well done, but we wonder if it’s simply too late to matter.

Exterior Looks: Copying Homework

It’s hard to make full-size SUVs look pretty, on account of their massive dimensions, but Infiniti did its best with the QX80. This is the first model to adopt the company’s “Artistry in Motion” design language. A large grille conveys the QX80’s immense stature, while a new split headlight design gives it an upper-class look of disapproval, as if the car is saying it makes more money than you. The Infiniti logo is now more three-dimensional, and lights up at night. On the back, the badge is eliminated entirely in favor of the word “Infiniti” spelled out, just like Lexus has done recently. There are only five colors available, four of which can be paired with a black roof (Autograph trim only), giving the QX80 a Range Rover-like appearance. While many of these styling details are new for Infiniti, they have all been seen elsewhere by other brands.

The QX80 Pure rides on 20-inch wheels that look tiny on the massive body, like Shaquille O’Neal if he only wore a size 10 shoe. Other trims get 22-inch wheels, with the Autograph getting unique darker ones, but even those look a bit small by today’s standards. Other vehicles at this price point offer 23- and even 24-inch wheels, but this is one trend we are happy Infiniti did not copy because they hurt ride comfort.

Interior & On-Board Technology: Finally Fresh

The outgoing QX80 felt like it was a decade old, because it was, but this new model finally brings Infiniti properly into the modern age, both in terms of design and technology. There’s plenty of space in all three rows, with more legroom in the third row and slightly less legroom in the second row compared to the previous model. Cargo space grows in all measurements, and it’s easy to fold the seats in the Autograph trim level thanks to one-touch buttons in the trunk.

Every QX80 trim feels luxurious, but the higher trims are clearly elevated over the lower ones. The Pure model gets eight-way heated TailorFit leatherette seats in Graphite or Tucson Beige, while the Luxe upgrades to heated/ventilated leather in Graphite or Sepia Brown. Stepping up to the Sensory brings 10-way massaging Semi-Aniline leather seats with open pore wood, but the Autograph takes it further with quilted leather Graphite or Burgundy and metal inlays. The second row seats can be heated/ventilated with a touchscreen mounted in the center console to activate the rear massage, and the third row is heated as well. You can even get a refrigerator in the armrest, but both it and the massage seats are a little loud when operating.

Infotainment: Google To The Rescue

Jumping from a 2024 QX80 to the 2025 model is akin to upgrading from an iPhone X to an iPhone 16. Dual 14.3-inch displays come standard, with the left one displaying the gauges and the right handling infotainment duties. You can also control both screens using the steering wheel, if you want to avoid fingerprints. The infotainment is Google-powered with quick responses, excellent voice command that can be activated by saying “Hey, Google,” and intuitive menus. A lower touchscreen displays climate controls and drive modes, and features haptic feedback to make it more apparent when you properly click a button. Even the base model includes a 14-speaker Klipsch premium audio system, but the Sensory and Autograph get a more impressive 24-spaker Klipsch Reference Premiere system with speakers in the headrests that play phone conversations over Bluetooth.

Performance: Truck-Like Luxury

Every QX80 trim features the same engine, a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that’s related to the 3.0-liter unit under the hood of the Z. The extra displacement brings with it a higher output, totaling 450 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. These numbers are fairly competitive with other vehicles in this class, but the Jeep Grand Wagoneer outproduces it with its twin-turbo inline-six engine. It may not be a traditional V8, but the V6 allows the QX80 to tow up to 8,500 pounds, which is 300 pounds more than the Escalade can pull. A nine-speed automatic smoothly transmits the power to the rear wheels or optional four-wheel-drive.

Performance Impressions

There’s a lot to love about the QX80’s twin-turbo V6. It delivers heaps of torque, allowing it to easily overtake slower traffic. We recorded a 0-60 sprint in 5.75 seconds, which is slightly quicker than the outgoing V8-powered model. It even sounds pretty throaty at full-throttle. This is a strong engine in its class, though the inline-six found in the Grand Wagoneer is gutsier and the V8 in the Escalade still delivers a superior exhaust note. The nine-speed automatic is well-tuned and shifts smoothly, offering huge improvements over the outgoing seven-speed gearbox.

Ride and Handling

The base Pure trim rides on basic steel springs, while every other trim level benefits from Dynamic Digital Suspension, which includes four-corner air suspension. Infiniti tuned the air springs to be soft and cushy, almost to a detriment. Hitting speed bumps and dips and an angle can throw the QX80 into a bounce, which can be expected from a truck-based body-on-frame SUV. Rivals like the Cadillac Escalade have done their best to tune out the truck-like floatiness, but Infiniti still feels slightly behind in this area. The steering is lighter than the previous generation QX80, but is still on the heavier side of this segment. There’s nothing particularly sporty about how this vehicle handles, but it feels controlled in a way the outgoing car couldn’t manage.

We had ample opportunity on the highway to test ProPilot Assist 2.1, Infiniti’s first hands-free driving software. It’s available on all trim levels at a cost of $3,200 or standard on the Autograph. Unless you are springing for the Autograph, we’d probably leave the box for ProPilot unchecked. The system works fine to keep the QX80 in its lane, but you still need to put your hands back on the wheel to initiate lane changes. That’s assuming you can get the system to work at all. We couldn’t get the hands-free system to work at all on the Florida Turnpike, and it only activated on certain sections of I-95. Thankfully, ProPilot provides hands-on assist in the event a road isn’t properly mapped, a feature that GM’s Super Cruise does not boast. Even on I-95, the system constantly deactivated with a message saying, “HD map under maintenance.” To go back to hands-free driving, we had to completely deactivate the system, then turn it back on; it never reactivated on its own.

Fuel Economy

Dropping from a V8 to a V6 engine has improved the QX80’s previously dismal fuel economy. The RWD model is rated at 16/20/18 mpg city/highway/combined, which drops to 16/19/17 with 4WD. In our experience, the QX80 can actually best these EPA estimates, as-evidenced by our tester averaging 19.2 in mixed driving with two long highway stints. The QX80 is slightly more frugal than the Escalade, but the Navigator is a superior fuel sipper.

Verdict & Pricing: A Flagship Bargain?

The QX80 has long been the “bargain” option of the full-size luxury segment, but its lower price tag was offset by its outdated interior and technology. This new model is more expensive, but it’s still less than every rival. The Pure 2WD trim starts at $82,450, which is about $7,000 less than the cheapest 2025 Escalade and $17,000 less than the cheapest 2025 Navigator. The Luxe RWD costs $89,550, with 4WD available for $2,900 extra. If you want one of the most luxurious trims, the Sensory and Autograph trims start at $100,645 and $110,595, respectively. That’s fairly expensive, but the American rivals can cost more in their highest trim levels.

Infiniti needed a stellar product to turn its fortunes around, and although it’s not perfect, the QX80 feels like that car. It’s stylish, comfortable, spacious, and full of luxury features. For the first time in over a decade, we’d genuinely consider one against rivals from America, and we’d probably buy it over the current Lexus LX 600. But is that enough? Infiniti spent so long waiting to refresh the QX80, Cadillac and Lincoln cemented their dominance in the segment and Jeep hopped in with the luxurious Grand Wagoneer. Will current owners of those brands consider trading in for an Infiniti? That’s a tough question, but for the first time in a long time, the answer is not a resounding “no.”