2018 Infiniti QX80 Review
When all you really need is a good old fashioned facelift!
By Shahzad Sheikh
Click below now to watch my 2018 Infiniti QX80 Review
Here’s the heavily refreshed new edition of the best-selling flagship Infiniti SUV – the Middle East is the second biggest market outside of the US – and there isn’t really much news under the skin.
The drivetrain pretty much stays the same with the lusty 5.6-litre V8 putting out 400bhp and 413lb ft driving all wheels through a 7-speed auto.
Let’s get the price out of the way, it starts from around AED300,000, and move to the big news, which is the redesign, particularly at the front. And finally it gets a much more contemporary, bold and confident face that lifts it above the Nissan Patrol in terms of kerb-side appeal.
They’ve done this by making the grille and bonnet more prominent of course, raising its peak point by 20mm and moving it all forward by a substantial 90mm, and sticking in the smart LED headlights from the Q50 – which also sit higher than before.
At the rear the bumper has been heavily reprofiled to give it a sharper more prominent look, there’s new taillights and a chrome strip across the rear emphasises width and adds a touch of class.
Inside the instruments have been improved with enhanced trim and a new gear shifter, plus an uprated infotainment system now with Arabic voice command ability. The big story in here is of course the Cadillac CT6-style digital rear view centre mirror employing cameras in the rear.
Now in the Caddy – which pioneered this concept – I found it difficult to use as my old eyes struggled to focus on the digital display whilst driving. Deployed in the QX80 they’ve either solved that problem somehow or the mirror is far enough away from you that it becomes easier to adapt. I’m still not sure I’d use it the whole time, but it’s certainly useful on occasion.
We got to drive it on road, in the wadis with a bit of sand driving too during its lavish regional launch that included very cool helicopter rides across Dubai – check out my Instagram! But we could easily have driving the QX80 from Dubai to the RAK launch venue as it is obviously at its best lolloping along at speed on motorways imperiously, quashing the road beneath into submission to provide a comfortable ride.
And of course once the charismatic engine roars into life, the grunt really makes you grin big time. Talking of big, this is a hefty thing, so don’t wager on hurling it around too much. But off-road it is remarkably capable and, I tell you what, based on my pics, looks the part too!
So overall then Infiniti has finally stopped me from trotting out the old line of ‘great car, but just buy a top-spec Patrol instead’. Frankly that’s still kinda true, as the Nissan is just so good. But now the Infiniti really stands apart significantly and offers a new level of a presence and sophistication that could arguably justify the premium over its lesser cousin.
