Luxury is good
Photography by David S. Wallens
The Asian luxury car market saw a bit of a big reorg lately. Blame Genesis.
The recent arrival of Hyundai’s premium brand seemed to cause a reshuffling among the other players, namely Lexus, Acura and Infiniti.
And I’d no longer put Infiniti last on the list. I think its latest products show a renewed effort. Let’s say they’re in the hunt.
Infiniti still has a thin lineup, though, with just four current models and, unlike much of the competition, no electrification. No cars, either, as the current lineup only features SUVs. The old coupes? Those went away a long time ago.
Although Infiniti’s buttons and knobs–the little things that make a big difference–just seem nicer than before. Buttons button with a solid click. Knobs knob with a premium feel.
The latest vehicle we drove from the brand: the three-row Infiniti QX80 Autograph, a luxurious take on the Nissan Armada. It’s new for 2025. The QX80 starts at $86,850, while an Armada can go for as little as $58,840. Ours stickered at $116,445.
“But it’s just a rebadged Nissan.”
For some people, I think, brand still matters: the nameplate in the parking lot, touch points inside and out, the entire experience. (Does a Rolex keep better time than a quartz Timex?)
Does this all make sense to someone trading a crappy E36 for a less-crappy E36? Maybe, maybe not.
For those with the scratch, though, the QX80 offers a pleasant experience. The seats are soft yet supportive. The ride is tomb quiet: no wind noise, no tire noise, no driveline noise.
The twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V6–up to 450 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque–provides plenty of thrust. The nine-speed automatic never did anything weird. Smooth shifts.
Assuming you also have the scratch to keep the tank full–17 mpg combined–a QX80 would make a fine interstate companion. Plenty of space, plenty of luxury.
But it’s big. Can you truly be comfortable in something so large when navigating the mean streets of the local Walmart parking lot the day before a holiday? And, no matter how nice, does an Infiniti have the panache to warrant that six-figure price tag?
Luxury is good
Rather have a Nissan Patrol instead of gussied up junk
It is soooo ugly though.
Infiniti has 2 models as of 2026. QX80 and QX60. Both are very nice, and will make great used car buys in 3 years at 50% off.
Luxury. Fur lined condoms. Zimmer Quicksilvers. Gold plated E36 M3 hung on the wall.
Nope.
Sometimes I think I'm on the wrong forum.
What does luxury mean to me?
Not that.
Everytime I've driven the large Infiniti, it has felt larger than other larger large suvs with substantially less interior space. Can't explain it and don't know if it's even remotely true but two people commented on how massive it was and didn't translate to interior room.
Also I had a last gen as a rental and the interior seemed lowered rent than any other large SUV I'd been in
But hey I hope they sell millions of them because I don't want Nissan to dissapear
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