First Drive: Infiniti’s Renaissance Rides on the 2025 QX80
The all-new QX80 needs to be competitive among large luxury SUVs. Is it?
Infiniti needs a hit, and no one knows this better than the company does. Nissan’s luxury division in recent times has relied on minor revisions and unconventional “innovations” to prevent its lineup from going completely stale—except for the QX80, which aged out of contention long ago.
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Once known as the QX56, this full-size three-row SUV was introduced by Infiniti for 2004. A second generation arrived for 2011, the 2018 refresh of which felt old from the jump. Infiniti’s strategy of leaving its flagship model out to dry is reflected in our MotorTrend Ultimate Car Rankings: the 2024 QX80 lists last among luxury full-size three-row SUVs.
That could change with the arrival of the 2025 Infiniti QX80. Redesigned, the new QX80 is more than just a vehicle for Infiniti: the automaker says it represents a brand renaissance, showcasing new design language and premium features that’ll influence upcoming Infiniti models. That’s a worthy pursuit—but is this luxury three-row SUV enough for the here and now?
Now Actually New
Name changes and styling alterations could never hide how the outgoing Infiniti QX80 was built on an old truck platform. Like before, the new 2025 QX80 is built using body-on-frame construction. Here, though, it’s a new frame Infiniti says has 25 percent more torsional stiffness and 57 percent more lateral stiffness, providing a foundation for dynamic refinements.
The 2025 Infiniti QX80’s powertrain isn’t electrified in any way, yet it boasts significant power increases and slight efficiency gains compared to the outgoing 5.6-liter V-8. Thank the two turbochargers bolted to its 3.5-liter V-6, an evolution of prior Infiniti engine blueprints. It produces 450 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, increases of 50 hp and 103 lb-ft compared to the V-8. Meanwhile, fuel economy measures an estimated 16/20 mpg city/highway with rear-wheel drive, and 15/19 mpg with available four-wheel drive. Those are very slight gains in city driving compared to 2024; highway numbers are unchanged. Credit the new nine-speed automatic transmission that replaces the outgoing seven-speed as a contributor.
Luxurious Looks and Modern Tech
The 2025 QX80 is the first vehicle shaped by Infiniti’s new Artistry in Motion design language. Previewed by the QX Monograph concept, the automaker describes its profile as anti-wedge. The imposing, blocky stance is intensified by slab-like bodywork; pop-out handles that go flush with the door panels enhance the monolithic presence. Subtle creases in the metal further distance this QX80 from its somewhat puffy predecessor. Aside from sheer size, the QX80 stands out with lighting elements segmented into what Infiniti calls a “digital piano key” arrangement—not to mention an illuminated logo within the latticed grille.
If the exterior takes a relatively minimalist aesthetic, the interior shows off as lavish. In the range-topping QX80 Autograph we assessed, red Nappa leather lined all three rows, further embellished by quilting and contrast stitching. Aluminum brightwork flashed from behind laser-cut open-pore-wood trim panels. Backlit Infiniti script on the dashboard complemented ambient lighting strips which can be configured in seasonal themes. Attention to detail is high; liners in the cupholders and storage bins have a linear texture inspired by Japanese Zen gardens.
On the dashboard, dual 14.3-inch digital displays are separated by a 5-millimeter gap. The graphics and fonts are too much like those you find in Nissan vehicles than is warranted for a luxurious Infiniti, and some QX80 rivals have higher-resolution displays. Such gripes aside, each screen is responsive and rather reconfigurable. Function tiles on the infotainment display can be arranged for individual preferences—for example, the massage settings can be brought out of a sub-menu and onto the main screen. Separately, a 9.0-inch touchscreen dedicated to climate controls and drive modes is positioned on the center console. It seems reasonably easy to use thanks to its large digital buttons and clear haptic feedback.
Infiniti pioneered the 360-degree camera common in cars today, and the automaker brings new camera views to the 2025 QX80. A transparent hood function simplifies inching up to a parking block, and an ultrawide-view mode uses a camera in the grille to broaden the driver’s vision from what’s possible inside the cabin.
As penance for its past infotainment misgivings, Infiniti equipped the 2025 QX80 with Google built-in, making familiar maps, robust voice recognition, and apps downloadable from the Play store part of the driving experience. Infiniti also added its latest Pro Pilot Assist 2.1 suite of driving and active safety features, which offers a hands-free driving function on pre-mapped stretches of highway. For hands-on assistance, a capacitive sensor detects when the driver is keeping hold of the steering wheel.
Calculated, Careful Changes
Advanced as it is from the prior QX80, a notion lingers that the 2025 redesign is still not as modern as other vehicles in the segment. From its powertrain to its features, the new QX80 seems merely with the times, not ahead of them. Infiniti says this approach is intentional: after two decades of building the QX80 in some form or another, the company knows its customers well, and thinks the new SUV’s relative familiarity will appeal to them more than electrified or otherwise tech-forward luxury vehicles.
That notion persists out on the road—yet there’s not a shred of doubt the new QX80 drives decades better than its predecessor. Don’t lament the loss of the V-8; acoustics are the only advantage it holds over the V-6. It feels like a turbocharged engine, not because there’s any troublesome lag but more how it delivers its stout torque accessibly low in the rev range. Although the QX80 doesn’t exactly spring off the line, the engine doesn’t labor in getting up to speed. As the nine-speed shifts decisively, expect a 0–60-mph time of about 6.0 seconds.
Brake tuning seems successful: the pedal feels weighty and immediately reactive at the top of its stroke yet eases smoothly into deceleration. Stopping power builds in a natural, progressive way through the pedal’s travel.
Infiniti boasts about how agile the 2025 QX80 is. Perhaps relative to the outgoing model, but handling precision isn’t such that it’s worth taking out for a fun drive. Infiniti’s first air suspension system debuts on the new QX80 and is included on the Autograph trim level. It does a fine job of propping up the body against roll, yet there’s no hiding the SUV’s height and heft.
We shared with Infiniti’s product planners that for a future revision they might do well to adjust the suspension tuning, so the Sport drive mode provides impact absorption like the Normal setting now, and Normal indulges in a plusher, more relaxed feel. Even with the stronger frame, the QX80 isn’t immune to shimmying over choppy pavement, as can happen with body-on-frame vehicles.
Outside sounds are blocked and the cabin remains pleasantly hushed. Our Autograph example was equipped with a 24-speaker Klipsch premium audio system, which has speakers distributed throughout the interior including within the front seat headrests. However, playing some familiar tunes through the system didn’t leave us overly impressed. Klipsch’s system seemed to lack the layering and crisp definition we’ve heard from other high-end equivalents.
As any good three-row SUV must be, the QX80 is equipped with thoughtful features to support family hauling. Every seat offers heating, with at least one dedicated air vent and USB-C port. The second-row seats are power-folding; pressing a switch on top moves them at a clip that won’t delay passengers waiting to hop in the third row. Like the second-row seats, the third row is motorized, and all can be raised and lowered from the infotainment touchscreen. Models with air suspension can squat down to ease access to the enlarged cargo area.
A Sense of Infiniti’s Future
Our first drive impressions indicate the 2025 Infiniti QX80 is a complete improvement over the outgoing model. Refined dynamics and appealing features are wrapped in an aesthetically striking package, such that it’s now a worthy competitor among luxury three-row SUVs—not something we could say about its predecessor.
Yet the segment is stacked with appealing options, some of which advance the archetype to a greater degree. MotorTrend’s independent testing will determine if the new QX80 can elevate its standing in our vehicle rankings. The lineup starts with the roughly $84,500 Pure trim and tops out with the $113,000 Autograph. They’ll arrive in showrooms in the coming weeks.
Alex's earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He's never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn't fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
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