Designing the flagship automobile for a luxurious automaker have to be a demanding problem. Each luxurious automotive is supposed to be a rare expertise that coddles the driving force and passengers. Now, you’re requested to make one that’s undoubtedly extra spectacular than all of the others.
In 2026, practically each luxurious automaker fills that function with a full-size 3-row SUV. They’re towering automobiles with a definite sense of presence, nearly extra spectacular than lovely. They have to be big however fast, gentle on their ft however capable of tow like pickups, and opulent whether or not you’re driving or using within the third row.
Nissan’s Infiniti model does the job with the QX80. I’m already on file as liking its newest design, which debuted for the 2025 mannequin yr. It strikes a wonderful stability of cumbersome and silky, with a bruiser’s proportions however surprisingly sinuous strains, and a few considerate inside touches that its also-excellent opponents don’t but have.
For 2026, Infiniti provides us a brand new trim degree known as Sport. A step down in worth from the top-of-the-line Autograph version, it’s fashionable, with darkish chrome trim and trim-exclusive 22-inch wheels. An inside with dusky blue semi-aniline leather-based provides it sophistication.
I spent every week driving the QX80 Sport round Washington, D.C., and its suburbs within the aftermath of a winter snowstorm that left the streets in tough form, and got here away deeply impressed. There are in all probability a couple of of you who ought to spring for the Autograph version, however, for many, I believe the Sport is a better option.
Which Trim Degree
Infiniti builds the QX80 in 4 trim ranges this yr. Pure and Luxe are supplied in rear- or 4-wheel drive (RWD or 4WD), and are lots luxurious however lack a couple of creature comforts. Stepping as much as Sport or Autograph, as an illustration, will get you a wonderful 24-speaker Klipsch audio system as a substitute of a fairly good 14-speaker setup. My Sport 4WD tester added softer semi-aniline leather-based. Autograph editions pamper second-row passengers a bit extra, with massaging seats.
Favourite Characteristic
Longtime automotive journalists take pleasure in arguing over which automaker has probably the most comfy seats. We by no means decide on a single reply, probably as a result of we are available in many styles and sizes. However Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats are at all times within the working, and the QX80 options probably the most elegant model of the chairs.
Designed primarily based on NASA research, they’re supposed to maintain the physique in a near-neutral place to attenuate fatigue. The variations within the QX80 Sport come wrapped in tender semi-aniline leather-based in a shade Infiniti calls Nightfall Blue. They’ve a agency therapeutic massage perform you’ll be able to really feel (mechanical kneading pads beat the inflatable bladders some manufacturers depend on) and are available heated and ventilated.
They make the QX80 an distinctive street journey machine.
What It’s Prefer to Drive
My tester was known as the QX80 Sport 4WD, however don’t let that mislead you. Each 2026 QX80 will get the identical 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, making 450 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.
The “sport” in QX80 Sport refers to type, not added efficiency. It contains no sporty enhancements to suspension or energy.
However 450 hp is lots. The massive SUV passes simply on the freeway and by no means feels strained.
The climate throughout my take a look at week gave me a novel alternative to check its 4WD grip. Washington, D.C., was coated in a tough, frozen snow so dense the media took to calling it “snowcrete,” and native governments despatched out development tools to interrupt it up and haul it away in dump vehicles. Most of my neighbors’ automobiles had been frozen in place behind mounds of snowcrete created by plows and near-zero temperatures.
Me? I gave associates rides to work. I navigated the icy streets like they had been dry and clear. The QX80 is hardly distinctive in being a really heavy SUV with energy to all 4 wheels, however Infiniti’s 4WD system made it sure-footed and assured in a few of the worst driving circumstances I’ve ever seen.
That stored me from any dramatic dealing with exams, however might be a greater real-world instance of what the automotive can do than any observe testing could be. This can be a supremely succesful machine in horrible climate.
I averaged 17.4 mpg in largely metropolis driving.
Inside Consolation and Know-how
Each luxurious full-size SUV is a pleasing place to spend time, however the QX80 has a couple of standout applied sciences that rivals lack.
One I discovered exceptionally nice – the 24-speaker Klipsch audio system contains headrest audio system for front-seat occupants. That provides them well-balanced sound – audio system subsequent to your ears make most music sound nice. But it surely additionally lets the QX80 play turn-by-turn instructions solely to the driving force, so that they don’t interrupt the music for passengers.
One other works, however feels a bit much less helpful. Sensors observe every rider’s physique temperature and regulate the 3-zone local weather management to assist maintain every comfy. It really works, however my passengers tended to report that they favored setting the controls themselves greater than having the automotive do it for them.
Seating is comfy in all three rows, with unusually robust therapeutic massage settings up entrance. The third row match me comfortably, however I’m solely 5 ft 6 inches. Third-row passengers get their very own charging ports and vents.
The Sport mannequin comes upholstered in a Nightfall Blue and black scheme, which felt distinctive in comparison with the standard black or grey decisions most automakers provide. Blue suede materials within the doorways added type and is probably going out of the splash zone sufficient to nonetheless appear like suede in 5 years.
Limitations
Although giant, the QX80 nonetheless presents much less baggage house than most home full-size SUVs. Should you’ll be carrying lots of shoppers with baggage, you continue to could be higher off with an Escalade or Navigator.
Key Issues
The QX80 is among the higher decisions in its class for these with accessibility issues. A piano-key-style pushbutton transmission means no twisting motions on your fingers. Vast working boards present assured ingress even in a tall automobile. Infiniti locations seize handles at each place, even the driving force’s door, so that you’re by no means pulling your self in on an unstable steering wheel.
The lower-priced Nissan Armada, with which it shares a platform, presents most of the identical options. However power-folding second-row seats make the third row of the QX80 simpler to entry with no heavy seat to push out of the best way.
