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2025 Infiniti QX80 First Drive Review: So close to being great

NAPA, Calif. – Confession time. I kind of forgot that the Infiniti QX80 exists. Sure, itÂ’s gotten a refresh or two in the past few years, but it's essentially been the same big olÂ’ three-row SUV since 2010. IÂ’m pretty sure I used to call it Fudgie the Whale. Or maybe it was Pudgie the Whale. Like I said, itÂ’s been a minute. Now IÂ’ve gotten a taste of the 2025 QX80 and hey, what do you know, there is a lot to like. The third-generation of the body-on-frame SUV goes big on tech, style and comfort, making it a respectable triple into the right-center gap. However, its ride quality keeps the QX80 from being a home run. FudgieÂ’s V8 was nixed in favor of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 good for 450 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Sure, it doesnÂ’t sound quite as good as the older powerplant, but it produces more power and better fuel economy to boot – 18 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive and 17 with four-wheel drive. The old one managed only 15 mpg with four-wheel drive. With low-mpg numbers like these, thatÂ’s actually a huge difference. The new turbo V6 is well-mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, putting the power down to the rear wheels as standard in Pure and Luxe trims, or all four wheels as an option with those trims or as standard with the higher Sensory and Autograph. There are no complaints about power delivery. It has more than enough grunt for merging and the transmission downshifts readily for easy passing. There are five drive modes as well as a Personal setting, but I spend my time alternating between Standard and Sport. The latter tightens up the steering and powertrain, allowing the SUV to hustle fairly well on a twisty road without much body roll. ItÂ’s no Mercedes-AMG GLS, but starting at under $85,000 including destination, itÂ’s not nearly as expensive either. ItÂ’s when youÂ’re just toddling around town that the ride quality becomes a problem. All but the base Pure trim comes equipped with an “Electronic Air Suspension” and “Dynamic Digital Suspension,” the latter function monitoring the QX80Â’s motions to electronically apply damping forces. This isnÂ’t necessarily anything new in the automotive world, but other manufacturers just do it better. Up and down motions are well-controlled, but IÂ’ve been in row boats with more side-to-side stability. My head gets tossed around like IÂ’m piloting a Jeep on a dusty back road, and all IÂ’m doing is driving the paved streets of Napa Valley, California.

Infiniti's new VC-T changes the rules of small turbocharged engines

The upcoming Infiniti QX50 crossover does not get our pulse racing, no matter how shapely the QX Sport Inspiration concept that previews it may be. No midsize SUV does, to be fair. But it has something special under the hood – the world's first production variable-compression-ratio engine. That means the QX50's 2.0-liter turbo four, which makes 268 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque, will have up to 27 percent better fuel economy. Here's how it works. The trend of moving to smaller, turbocharged engines carries with it one big falsehood. Under low load when the turbo isn't needed, these engines are less efficient than an equivalent engine without a turbo because of the low compression ratio the turbo requires. That is, if you never need the extra power, you're wasting fuel. Turbocharged (and supercharged) engines use a lower compression ratio to prevent detonation. When you force extra air in a cylinder and mix it with fuel, it's more likely to prematurely go boom. Lowering the compression ratio prevents this problem, but it's less efficient. Infiniti's VC-T promises the best of both worlds, with a compression ratio that ranges from 8.0:1 for high-power turbo needs to a 14.0:1 ratio for fuel-sipping efficiency. At its heart the VC-T engine is a simple idea, but it's complicated to explain. Consider yourself warned. The photo below from Infiniti serves as a good visual overview. For the truly nerdy, this patent application covers the mechanical concept. Instead of having the pistons connected to the crankshaft, Infiniti's engine has a pivot arm with a connection on each end. One end connects to the piston, the other connects to a second lower shaft, which is controlled by an actuator arm. At any given time the engine's pistons move up and down according to the lobes on the crankshaft. But the actuator arm can change the angle of the pivot arm up and down. That is, the pistons still move in the same motion with the same stroke, but phase the entire stroke up or down. Move the pivot up and there's less room at the top, which means a higher compression ratio. Move the pivot down and the compression ratio goes down, too. As an added bonus, the lower shaft eliminates the need for counter-rotating balance shafts. Infiniti says this system works constantly and can vary the compression ratio to any number between 8:1 and 14:1. It also uses electronic variable valve timing on the intake valves to switch into Atkinson-cycle combustion for greater efficiency.

Infiniti previews its own Vision Gran Turismo

Every automaker and its parent company is lining up to design its own set of wheels for the GT6 as part of the Vision Gran Turismo program, and this latest one comes from Infiniti. Although nothing in the way of details were disclosed at this point, the two teaser images released today show that, like most of its compatriots, Infiniti's design is for a low-slung, track-focused, two-door sports car. Its long bonnet suggests a front-engined layout, with an intriguingly ovoid windshield framed by raised buttress A-pillars and Infiniti's signature dog-leg rear pillars. The aerodynamic profiling looks suitably advanced for a mythical beast like this one, with deep extractor vents cut into the hood, intersecting side sills running from the front brake vents, an enormous rear diffuser and an even bigger rear wing. More than that we couldn't tell you at this point, but we're sure video racers will enjoy driving this super-Datsun as much as the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo released back in June.