DRIVEN: Infiniti QX80 SUV – an American in Malaysia

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You might find it hard to believe but this behemoth is actually on sale in Malaysia via the official distributor. This is the Infiniti QX80, a huge luxury SUV that competes with the likes of the Lexus LX 570, which you can’t find in a Lexus Malaysia showroom.

UPDATE: Oh we spoke too soon. It has just been confirmed that the latest Lexus LX 570 will indeed arrive in Malaysia soon – before the end of 2015.

Priced at RM799k OTR before insurance, it’s competitors price-wise then would be the Range Rover and the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, but it isn’t exactly the same kind of vehicle as the latter two, and the QX80 is cheaper as well. Like the LX 570, this one is built on a body-on-frame platform.

It’s the kind of SUV that regularly ply the roads of North America and the Middle East. In Malaysia, you’d probably imagine oil palm tycoons visiting their estates in something like this. I’ve already seen this one parked at a certain office building where a G 63 AMG would usually be parked (probably one of the owner’s many cars) so you get the idea of the typical buyer profile.

As you can see even from the photos it has immense road presence, but being even bigger than the LX (which you can usually see via grey imports), you really have to see how gigantic it is in real life to get a true picture of how big this behemoth is.


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This isn’t one for someone whose not very good at manoeuvring cars because the colossal QX80 measures in a 5,305 mm long, 2,030 mm wide and 1,945 mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,075 metres. That’s longer and taller than the Range Rover, GL-Class and LX, with only the Range Rover managing to edge the QX80 out a bit in terms of width.

Styling is a bit odd-ball – for some reason Infiniti’s designers gave it headlamps and tail lamps that look like they belong on a significantly smaller vehicle. Most of the people who had a look at it described it as looking like a big white whale.

Inside that huge nose up front sits a 5.6 litre normally aspirated V8 producing 405 horsepower and 560 Nm of torque, mated to a Jatco seven-speed automatic gearbox. Despite its 2,829 kg kerb weight, the sheer power of the big V8 can take it up to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. The QX80 is rated at 6.9 km per litre but in reality you’ll probably get closer to 4 km per litre based on our experience.

Our Malaysian spec QX80 comes with something called Hydraulic Body Motion Control, or HBMC. This actually gives the QX80 something in common with a McLaren MP4-12c. Take a peek at the suspension system and you’ll find a rather unusual setup that actually works pretty decent.

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There are absolutely no anti-roll bars in this vehicle. Instead, the shock absorbers at the four corners of the vehicle are interconnected. The movement of the hydraulic oil through these connections generate stiffness during body roll instead of relying on stabiliser bars.

So when a car leans to one side in a corner, the pressure on the lengthening outer side of the body helps the shock absorber on the shortening inner side prop up.

The lack of any stiff stabiliser bars also provides the QX80 good off-roading performance as it maximises suspension stroke. The hydraulic oil will flow around the system in reaction to surface variations to enhance off-road traction.

While the four corners of the QX80 have hydraulic struts and metal springs instead of the typical full air suspension system employed by its rivals, the rear axle has air springs too used in conjunction with the primary metal springs. The air springs are used for load-levelling depending on passenger and luggage load. The benefits of this is that the main coil at the rear axle can be softer for ride comfort while the QX80 is unloaded, but when you add on load the air spring will kick in.

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Given the fact that it rides on a body on frame platform and those gigantic 22 inch alloy wheels, the QX80 is surprisingly pliant around Klang Valley roads. The ride is like gliding on lumpy but mostly smooth cereal porridge – it’s only when it discovers little high frequency undulations on the road, it doesn’t manage to smoothen it out completely.

That V8 engine is just wow. I’ve driven quite a few V8 engines before my session with the QX80 but they’ve all been turbocharged, and that changes the aural character of the engine a little. This one’s normally aspirated, so you get a proper V8 rumble from it. Credits also to Infiniti for always choosing a sportier exhaust tone to go with its cars.

Throttle response is great, acceleration feels sporty, and you don’t have to rev up much to get into a strong torque band. This isn’t a particularly peaky V8 so its character suits an SUV. At the same time the engine is incredibly quiet when you want it to, and there’s not a single bit of vibration from it. Very refined in deed.

In terms of traction, the QX80 has an all wheel drive system that sends power to the rear wheels by default by can divert up to 50% of the power to the front axle if needed. You can also force a 50:50 split in 4H mode at speeds up to 100 km/h, and there’s also a 4L mode for low gearing that can be activated under 50 km/h. It’s got a rear diff lock feature. The QX80 also has a Hill Descent Control feature.

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As you can see from the photos we did take the QX80 off the tarmac but it wasn’t exactly off-road. The QX80’s ground clearance helped us climb some kerbs and get us into the middle of a vast grass field in Shah Alam that we usually only get to see from the distance.

There’s a knob that lets you choose between sand, snow, on road and rock terrains to adjust the VDC, TCS, ABLS and throttle response according to the terrain you’re expected to drive on but we just left all the systems in auto and proceed to drive in.

However, with the QX80 being fitted with 275/50R22 tyres at all four corners I’m not sure how often you’ll want to bring this to serious off-road sessions where the relatively thin sidewall might be an issue.

The QX80 comes with Infiniti’s Safety Shield suite which consists of Land Departure Warning & Prevention, Blind Spot Warning, Back-up Collision Intervention, Moving Object Detection, Around View Monitor, Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency Braking, Distance Control Assist and Intelligent Cruise Control.

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The Predictive Forward Collision Warning system takes your regular forward collision warning systems up to the next level – the radar can detect a decrease in speed of vehicle up to two cars ahead, and then alerts the driver through sound, display and tightening of the seat belt. If a collision is imminent, the Forward Emergency Braking feature will brake for you up to a stand still if necessary.

Of course the feature that you’re probably going to use the most is the cruise control feature not only takes the pain out of long highway drives but in stop and go traffic as well, from 0 km/h up to 144 km/h. You can even set the distance you wish to keep from the vehicle in front of you – just choose from 30 m, 45 m or 60 m gaps.

Finally we get to the interior, which is where you’ll spend most of your time in. The QX80 is massively wide – you just have to take a look at how wide the centre armrest is. Easily double the width of many other cars.

As a result, this is a proper 8 seater. Three adults will easily be able to sit side by side in the second row. Build quality is top notch and the cabin has a peaceful living room-like atmosphere to it, quiet and covered with leather.

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There’s a button which the driver can press to electrically fold and tip the second row (60:40 split) forward to ease access to the third row, but folding it back down has to be done manually. Other conveniences include seat heating and cooling for the driver and front passenger, and power recline adjustment for the third row.

There’s also a three-zone air conditioning with Plasmacluster ioniser and grape polyphenol filter to reduce allergens, a 15 speaker Bose sound system with two seven-inch rear screens and wireless headphones. Infiniti claims a unique “curtain vent” system where a stream of air is blown upwards at the windows to reduce heat.

The front seats are very comfortable, and has a brilliant driving position overlooking that massive contoured engine hood. After an initial 10 minutes getting used to the car’s width, it was easy to manoeuvre this thing around town.

The second and third row are wide, because of the vehicle’s high floor (thanks to the body on frame platform) those who are tall might the seats a bit too close to the floor resulting in a slightly uncomfortable angle for their legs. There’s also not much room under the front seats to tuck your feet under.

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Other downsides include a dated interface for the in-car infotainment system, one that’s already been replaced for newer models like the Q50. The ‘last generation’ feel of some things includes the dated instrument cluster and a general lack of USB ports around the cabin.

And that key – how is it that Infiniti thinks that this RM799k SUV can share the same key as a Nissan Almera costing less than 10% its price?

It’s not to say the QX80 is dated though – the vast array of active safety features and the fancy McLaren-like suspension system tell otherwise. Infiniti just needs to work on the interfaces in the interior.

Under the surface the QX80 is a competent vehicle at a pretty reasonable price compared to its rivals and I enjoyed the feeling of commanding something so massive around while sitting in a plush interior.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • nabill (Member) on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    I can safely say next bersih wd be held in that giant grill, it can easily accommodate 200k ppl in thr !
    That wood insert is ugly… Maybe aluminum wd have been classier…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
    • The mouth so big, it will eat them for breakfast. And Lexus too.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • heybadigol (Member) on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    Though imposing, it’s not the most exciting thing to look at. I’d rather just get the Cadillac Escalade. The Escalade is a bit better looking to me, and every bit as luxurious.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • passerby on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    The fender vents….gaah.

    To summarize the design language: Mr DIY

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Weird.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Bottom line..
    Lousy design+High fuel consumption+Lack of parts
    =RUBBISH

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
    • It’s never meant for SEA market anyway. Built on a full sized truck platform, you’re never going to get good gas mileage on these things. Heck, many even complained about Subaru being non-economical.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Ricardo68 on Sep 02, 2015 at 7:40 am

      There is always a market for every vehicle. No matter how huge or eccentric the design.
      Every vehicle is a creation of another God’s creation. To critisize and condemn it as Rubbish is as good as calling yoyrself one. Like any girl irregardless of her looks or stature deserves to be loved and cared for. Imagine someone call your sister if you hv one ‘An Ugly Piece of Shxx’? No one like this.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • dodgeviper88 on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    would be nice if you had another vehicle next to this SUV for comparison purpose

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • tishaban on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    The wood covered dash is painful to my eyes, I hate wood dashboards especially something like this. Too bad though because the rest of interior looks decent as opposed to the awkward exterior.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Sgt Scoop on Sep 01, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    Mooooooo

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • olio benzina on Sep 01, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Great big ghastly thing with a dozy face.
    Never let a Kenworth truck mate with a Ssangyong Rodius.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • seancorr (Member) on Sep 01, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    Aww I would have loved to see this giant parked next to a Viva for comparison sake…haha

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Mozilla Chrome on Sep 01, 2015 at 3:21 pm

    XC90 is definitely a better buy with 30% cheaper pricetag compared to this.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Blackjkx on Sep 01, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    Haha..try take a look at Hummer’s key.its look like kunci mangga for pintu pagar rumah.American don’t complaint.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • CarmenTung on Sep 01, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    Wonder what the second hand value gonna be…kinda want to own one but can’t afford the brand new.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • DPCraft on Sep 01, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Doesn’t feel that luxurious enough for 700k car, interior design not nice.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • I think its just another social experiment, make a junk car with horrendous looks, a guzzler engine and massively overprice it to see how stupid people are.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
    • Sorchai Albert on Sep 02, 2015 at 1:03 am

      We already have the alfart for that…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Hadi75 on Sep 04, 2015 at 9:19 am

      Well..we malaysian are willing to spend hundreds of RM on secondhand / recond cars….so there’s bound to be buyer that bought this one….brand new somemore with manufacturers warranty..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • tokmoh. on Sep 02, 2015 at 1:41 am

    Stopped reading at 4km/L.

    Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

    Upcoming Volvo XC90 T8 hybrid, rumoured to be rm460k, just 2.0L road tax, nearly same hp, ultra spacious, best car seats ever, best safety, way fukkin peettier than this land whale, and guaranteed muuuuuuuch better than 4km/L

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • Xc90 ultra spacious? You are wrong. Not much better than the 1st generation. Best seats? I’m not sure best in what area. But I found qx80 better seats. Much comfortable and wide. Fuel consumption yes better than qx.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Revan on Sep 02, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Maybe the Sultan of Johore will buy this monster

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Landcruiser Owner on Sep 21, 2015 at 12:27 am

    I like this thing! People will never like it until they drive one. I will definitely go for it if I have the monehh. Maybe I should ask for donation.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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