2025 INFINITI QX80 DROPS JAWS WITH STRIKING STYLING AND $100K PRICES

• The 2025 Infiniti QX80 bursts onto the scene with an imposing new design that's almost identical to the QX Monograph concept.
• Infiniti's full-size luxury SUV enters a new generation with a 450-hp twin-turbo V-6, a modernized chassis, and countless tech-centric features.
• Going on sale this summer, the QX80 has a base price that has risen $8300 to $84,445; its top two trims now cost six figures, with the top Autograph model starting at $112,590.

The Infiniti QX80 was a dinosaur hiding in plain sight. Despite its dapper wrapper, the outgoing version of the full-size luxury SUV had old bones that dated back to the 2011 QX56, which became the QX80 for the 2014 model year. While the last generation began long ago, the redesign at that time helped redefine Infiniti's flagship from a rebodied Nissan Armada to a viable option in a segment with stalwarts like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and Range Rover. History repeats itself with the 2025 Infiniti QX80 that today debuts a new generation that's long overdue. Not only does its grandiose appearance draw attention, but so does its pricing, which can now exceed $100,000 but lines up better with its competitors.

New QX80 Makes a Grand Entrance

Infiniti essentially previewed the production version of the QX80 when the company revealed the QX Monograph concept last summer. Its interior was kept a secret, but its exterior looks almost identical to the SUVs that will be roaming the streets. That's fine by us, as the new QX80's blend of big proportions and smooth body panels—courtesy of flush door handles—make it arguably the most handsome machine in its class. Infiniti says the QX80 also introduces its new design language, which will influence other upcoming models.

Dimensionally, the new QX80 is an inch longer overall at 211.2 inches. It's also a few inches wider and a couple inches taller, but its 120.0-inch wheelbase is virtually the same. The Pure, Luxe, and Sensory trim levels remain, joined by a new top-of-the-line Autograph model that is the trim most similar to the Monograph concept. All QX80s have distinctive LED daytime running lights and full-width taillights that play a welcome sequence including an animated light show projected on the ground. The QX80 Autograph is the sole trim with a two-tone roof, dark chrome exterior trim, and unique 22-inch wheels with a turbine design. Its cabin is also appointed with exclusive elements, such as open-pore ash wood and partially hand-stitched leather upholstery. Very fancy.

Inside, every QX80 mixes elegant materials with ample technology. A pair of 14.3-inch touchscreens take up most of the dashboard. The two displays almost seamlessly flow together, with the gauge cluster supplemented by a newly available head-up display. The infotainment portion features an Android-based operating system with Google's built-in app store, maps, and voice assistant; wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also on the menu. Whereas the outgoing QX80 had four USB ports, the new version has eight USB-C outlets throughout the cabin—one of the many areas where Infiniti gets with the times.

Along with more soft-touch surfaces throughout, the QX80's interior is more theatrical thanks to customizable ambient lighting, which traces parts of the dash and doors. There's also an illuminated "INFINITI" emblem facing the front passenger. The old shift lever is replaced with a push-button shifter, and the physical HVAC controls have been swapped for haptic touch functions on a 9.0-inch screen at the front of the center console. Interestingly, the QX80 now has a "biometric cooling" feature that uses an infrared sensor in the headliner to measure passengers' body temperatures and, if necessary, automatically send air to cool them down.

The QX80 still offers three rows of seats with room for seven or eight people. Every trim comes standard with second-row captain's chairs, but most trims can swap it for a bench seat. The top-spec Autograph includes massage functions for the front seats and the captain's chairs; its third-row seats are now heated too. There more kneeroom and legroom in the second row, and third-row legroom grows by about four inches as well. While Infiniti hasn't released exact cargo volume, it says the space behind the second and third rows has increased by 18 and 30 percent, respectively. Along with a flatter floor when the rear seats are stowed, the second row can now slide forward for easier access to the third row without having to remove any child safety seats.

Every QX80 gets a Klipsch audio system. The base stereo uses 600 watts to power 14 speakers, while a more exotic 1200-watt setup powers 24 speakers. Along with titanium tweeters and four ceiling-mounted speakers, the Klipsch Reference Premiere system has unique metal-trimmed speakers in the front headrests so each passenger can focus on individual audio elements, such as a phone call or navigation, without disturbing others. Infiniti claims the addition of myriad sound-deadening materials helps reduce interior noise levels. We'll see for ourselves when we the chance to test the new QX80.

V-8 Gone, Chassis Gets Improved

The QX80 ditches its old 400-hp naturally aspirated 5.6-liter V-8 in favor of a 450-hp twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. The new engine also provides considerably more torque, with its peak output rising from 413 to 516 pound-feet. The SUV's previous seven-speed automatic transmission has also been replaced by a new nine-speed unit. Infiniti hasn't yet released the fuel-economy estimates for the new QX80, but they will likely be better than its predecessor's abysmal EPA ratings, which were as low as 15 mpg combined.

The QX80 still features a body-on-frame platform, but Infiniti says the frame's lateral stiffness has increased 57 percent. Its max towing capacity remains 8500 pounds. There's also a new suspension that features adaptive dampers and height-adjustable air springs on all but the base model. With the air suspension, the QX80's ride height can be lowered by as much as 2.8 inches to make it easier for passengers to get in and out, or it can be raised by up to 2.4 inches for better clearance in off-road situations.

Again, the outgoing QX80 was old in many ways, including how it steered. Every model now has electrically assisted power steering that supplants the old hydraulic system. The upgrade finally allows modern driver aids such as lane-keeping assist and Infiniti's new ProPilot Assist 2.1. The latter allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel when on the highway under certain conditions. Of course, the driver's eyes must remain on the road.

Among the QX80's other standard active safety features are common assists such as automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and blind-spot monitoring that also works with trailers up to 33 feet long. The SUV's exterior camera system also is much improved, with the introduction of what Infiniti calls Front Wide View and Invisible Hood View. The former function enables a 170-degree image that spans the QX80's dual dash displays to help see around tight corners, while the latter function similarly uses the displays to reveal obstacles directly in front of the SUV—as if looking through the tall, flat hood.

Prices That Can Now Exceed $100,000

The outgoing QX80 caught some flack for basically being a pricier version of the mainstream Nissan Armada, which wasn't that far from the truth. The new Infiniti QX80 can escape that comparison, at least for now. That's important because the 2025 lineup comes with a sizable price increase. The base model, the entry-level Pure, now starts $8300 higher at $84,445. The next-level Luxe starts at $91,545. Both models come standard with rear-wheel drive (all-wheel drive adds $3100). Otherwise, there are few options, and Infiniti hasn't said how much they cost, but as always, better features are found on pricier trims.

For the first time, the QX80's price can enter six-figure territory, specifically the Sensory and Autograph trims. Both come standard with all-wheel drive, and they start at $102,640 and $112,590, respectively, which is in the same neighborhood as other full-size luxury SUVs. The Autograph is a new addition, but the Sensory's base price has risen by nearly $15K. Despite the sticker shock that comes with the higher costs, the 2025 Infiniti QX80 finally appears to have the goods to be competitive in this segment, and its bottom lines will reflect that when it goes on sale sometime this summer.

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2024-03-20T21:48:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd