What Is It?
2004 Infiniti QX56
What's Special About It?
Given the sales success of large luxury SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX 470 and Lincoln Navigator, it was all but inevitable that Infiniti would create an upscale version of Nissan's burly new Pathfinder Armada. This generously proportioned sport-ute takes the name "QX56," which refers to the 5.6-liter V8 engine under its hood. To help differentiate it from the Nissan version, the QX56 gets a slight bump in horsepower and torque, which now peak at 315 and 390, respectively. These are impressive numbers in the luxury bracket: the Escalade still makes more horsepower, but the QX56 is king when it comes to torque. Maximum towing capacity is 8,900 pounds.
Where exterior styling is concerned, the QX56 heavily resembles the Pathfinder Armada, right down to the aggressive front end, bulging fenders, vertically-mounted rear door handles and odd rear contours. This being a luxury SUV, the Infiniti version has taken on large amounts of chrome, including 18-inch chrome wheels, a large chrome grille and chrome-finish side mirrors. Rectangular headlamps are supposed to call to mind the retired QX4 midsize SUV, but we find them a bit out of proportion with the oversize grille. Infiniti will sell both rear-drive (2WD) and four-wheel-drive (4WD) versions of the QX56. Both stand over 10 inches off the ground and ride on a fully independent double wishbone suspension (with an automatic-leveling rear) that aspires to deliver the best of both ride comfort and off-road utility.
Equipment is similar to that of the Nissan version, but most of the desirable features come standard, including xenon headlights; power-operated liftgate; rear parking sensors; Sojourner leather upholstery; thick Tuscano carpeting; real wood trim; power front seats; heated first- and second-row seats; triple-zone climate control; a 265-watt, 10-speaker Bose stereo; and a DVD-based navigation system. Both seven- and eight-passenger configurations are possible, depending on whether you choose a bench seat or twin buckets in the second row. As in the Pathfinder Armada, both the second- and third-row seats fold flat into the floor. For safety's sake, each QX56 includes head curtain airbags for all three rows, seat-mounted side airbags in the front and stability control (Infiniti's Vehicle Dynamic Control). Options include a sunroof, a rear DVD entertainment system, adaptive cruise control and the RearView monitor, which simplifies backing out of a parking space by projecting an image of what's behind the QX56 on the nav screen.
What's Edmunds' Take?
There's no doubt that Infiniti's QX56 has the performance and luxury to compete in the full-size luxury SUV segment, but it remains to be seen how well its unusual styling details will go over with the image-conscious customer base. The sport-ute goes on sale this spring. — Erin Riches
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