2025 Infiniti QX80 Review
2025 Infiniti QX80
Price as tested: $91,545
3.0 Liter Twin Turbo V6
450 HP / 516 TQ
MPG: 18 (!) as observed!
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
Media: Manufacturer
Slap me upside the head and call me handsome….Infiniti is back!
After years catering to rental car fleet sales…this 2025 QX80 finally shows that Infiniti can make a competitive vehicle. But what happened in the first place to get this once beloved brand from a legitimate competitor to the Enterprise lot?
Let’s go back all the way to 1989. If you know your automotive history, you know that is the year that Lexus launched the first generation LS. The singular vehicle that put the world on notice that the Japanese can produce a vehicle that is better than the Germans at a lower price. What people tend to forget is that another model came out a few months later. That model was the Infiniti Q45. Now, whereas the LS was geared toward ultimate luxury aka the Mercedes S-Class, the Q45 was geared toward going head to head with the other German stalwart…BMW and the 7 Series.
Infiniti was so serious about performance, the Q45 didn’t just make more power compared to the LS. It made more power compared to EVERY OTHER competitor! Only the V12 powered 750il made more even then it was a paltry 18 HP difference! That first generation Q45 was the muscle car of the entire luxury market!
That Q45 wrote the playbook for Infiniti in those insuing years. If you wanted a sporty luxury vehicle with Japanese reliability, Infiniti was your brand.
One just has to look at their early line up to see the sporty influences was their defining trait. Models such as the FX, a low slung, high performance CUV before that became the norm.
Powered by a meaty V6 or even a massive V8. The FX didn’t just trounce other CUVs on the martket, it gave people the option of AMG/M CUV but not at the AMG/M price point.
The G35, which took the battle to the 3 series and wound up being cheaper, faster, handled better and larger all at the same time. The M series which took a battleaxe to the 5 series and bludgeouned it with stunning exterior, brawny V8 and refined interior.
Then it all kinda went to crap. Thanks to this tool —>
When Johan de Nysschen took over the reigns in 2012, he had portfolio of aging but still competitive vehicles. One would assume, his first task would be updating the entire lineup right? Nope. He stupidly renamed the entire line up instead. Replacing the decades long brand awareness around their models to shoving a Q in front of everything. So when the replacement for the best selling G35 arrived, it was replaced with the medrocre Q50. The name change and the mediocreness of the Q50 was so substantial, that Infiniti actually BROUGHT BACK the old G37! The only difference being that it was now called the Q40. So needless to say it was a crapshow.
Adding to the fecal matter show, was it’s parent company’s rabid obsession with CVT transmissions. Replacing their traditional automatic with a woefully unreliable, easily overheating, performance sapping and soul sucking, poor excuse for mechanical engineering transmission instead. So, all of the performance I talked about previously? You know the whole ‘Japanese BMW’ thing? The soul of the brand? Yeah it was gone in a few short years.
Thankfully de Nysschen left Infiniti but unfortunately wielded his idiocy over at Cadillac. Quickly renaming their entire lineup as his first act of business.
Anyhoo…
Is the 2025 Infinit QX80 a sign that Infiniti has gotten it’s groove back?
God I hope so because this QX80 is great!
First off, look at it. It’s muscular, imposing and strangely graceful as well. That doesn’t stop on the inside either because this is the best interior Infiniti has ever produced. Everything feels rich and expensive with quality soft touch matierals and squishly leather abound. The interior is also massive with a huge greenhouse, providing a ton of headroom along with powered adjustable second row, this is probably one of the most versatile full size SUVs you can buy!
Powering this behemoth is a 3.0 Twin Turbo V6 making 450 HP and 516 TQ. The 516 is a jump of nearly 103 ft/lbs compared to the old V8!!! It also provides surprisingly good gas mileage. We got nearly 18 MPG in mixed driving in this QX80! Now is the best sounding engine in the world? No. It sounds unrefined at low speeds and a bit clatterly at start up. But the efficiency and mid range punch more than makes up for it. Paired to that engine is best tuned version of Infiniti 9 Speed automatic. It’s smooth, quick to react and isn’t afraid of using it’s paddles. This is a far cry compared to Infiniti’s old 7 speed auto that tended to suck all around.
Now we have to talk about the price. The QX80, in mid range guise, starts at $91,000, which a lot of money. Especially since the Escalade, Navigator, GLS and the LX600 are all around that exact same price.
Now the QX80 is good. Heck it is very good. For an Infiniti it is freakin’ amazing but if you could pay the same amount of money for a Navigator, Escalade or GLS…i’m betting you would. As would I.
If the QX80 was priced $5-10k less than those offerings, Infiniti would have a slam duck on their hands. But it being the same price as those others (if not more expensive in some cases)…it is hard to make that argument.
Yousef Alvi
