Infiniti QX80 is a powerful charmer

The QX80 is big, but surprisingly light on its feet...

With a presence second-to-none and stand-out styling the QX80 boasts with class-leading legroom, Platinum Class interior trim and supreme levels of comfort, safety and technology.

To list all of its special features and describe them in detail could run to several chapters, but the main ones (including the most flexible and comfortable seating I have encountered in this type of vehicle) are high beam assist headlights, hydraulic body motion control (which helps to reduce body lean), four-wheel disc brakes front and rear (with ABS, EBD and BA), 22-inch forged aluminium-alloy wheels, a premium entertainment system including an 8-inch colour touch screen, SATNAV, 10GB Music Box, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, around view monitor, 15-speaker premium audio system made up of two subwoofers and rear-mounted speakers, CD/DVD player with MP3 playback, USB port and several more.

Movies on the move

For the benefit of second-row passengers, there are 7-inch colour monitors on the backs of the front headrests linked to wireless headsets so that back-seaters can watch movies while the front seat occupants listen to music at the same time.

Safety, comfort and driver assistance features include forward emergency braking, forward collision warning, back-up collision intervention, intelligent cruise control, blind spot warning, distant control assist, blind spot intervention, lane departure warning and predictive forward collision warning. So far we have only touched on some of the outstanding features so let your Infiniti dealer earn his keep by running through of the long list of QX80's special features.

It is a little thirsty, but if you can afford the QX80 in the first place an extra visit to two to the forecourt to top up won't hurt too much.

Some of the real highlights of this vehicle are its flexible seating, starting with the 10-way power adjustable driver's seat and the 8-way power adjustable front passenger seat (both are climate controlled to provide heating and cooling functions). The two rows of back seats are split 60/40.

The real heart and soul of this Infiniti is its muscular engine and drive-train. Power (and there is lots of it) is provided a 5.6-litre DOHC V8 direct-injected engine that produces 298kW and 560Nm and is linked to 7-speed auto shift armed with adaptive shift control and manual shift mode with downshift rev matching. At cruising speed the powerful engine is of subdued voice but stab its go-fast pedal and the V8 growls menacing as it scoots off the mark.

Give that vehicle an Oscar

At the recent motoring media launch drive, which took us from George, via Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay and on to the renowned off-road course at Vleesbaai (where coastal off-road and dune riding is allowed), the QX80 was put to the test on secondary roads, two mountain passes (one of which was a narrow, twisting gravel road) and relatively long stretches of smooth tarmac - and the big Infiniti delivered a performance worthy if an Automotive Oscar.

It's a seriously capable dirt player even though it in the real world it will probably never really venture too far away from the leafy suburbs, school run duty, commuter traffic, gym or golf club.

Its rather brashly bold looks might not be everybody's cup of tea and its lust for expensive forecourt juice might also deter some buyers. Infiniti claims a combined cycle of 14.8-litres/100km but the closest we came to that was 19-litres/100km. In sandy conditions this shot up to 21.9-litres/100km. (But hey, if you are concerned about fuel usage you probably cannot afford a QX80 in the first place).

Light on its feet

For its size and weight (5.3m long and pushing the scale to 2.8t) the big Infiniti feels remarkably agile, even when being hustled along quite enthusiastically through tight corners. The ride quality is excellent and the cabin is beautifully isolated from noise intrusion. The steering is nicely weighted and thanks to numerous safety features, the high-rising QC80 feels firmly planted.

Where the big SUV really shone was in the thick sand and high dunes on a specially approved stretch of land on private farm. Even in auto shift it took the thick sand and sharp inclines effortlessly without getting bogged down once, (not that many owners of this plush chunk of metal will want to expose their gleaming QX80 to thick sand, rocky terrain and bush too often).

You won't be short of room.

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However, the combination of its powerful engine, high ride, four-wheel drive, rear diff lock, low range transmission and large wheels makes this wagon a seriously capable dirt player even though it in the real world it will probably never really venture too far away from the leafy suburbs, school run duty, commuter traffic, gym or golf club.

Unlike the general tendency by other players in this segment to offer a long list of optional (and expensive!) extras, this fancy Infiniti comes standard with all the above features. The only extra cost is R3,000 for a metallic paint job.

When it comes to cabin space, build quality, comfort, class, size and weight, plus a long list of special features, there are not many direct competitors in this class other than maybe the Lexus LX570 and the Toyota Land Cruiser. For my money, as a complete package) the QX80 outshines them both.

The QX80 is priced at R1,238,000 which includes roadside assistance and a three-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan.

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Standard specifications summary

2015 Infiniti QX80 Start Up and Review 5.6 L V8

Car Tech - 2015 Infiniti QX80

2015 Infiniti QX80 Review