Overview

The Infiniti QX56 delivers class-leading capabilities among the full-size luxury SUVs. The QX56 comes with one of the most powerful V8s in the class. It boasts the top tow rating. And it offers serious off-road capability, an area where Nissan has a lot of experience. The QX56 is based on the full-size Nissan Titan pickup and Armada SUV.

The Infiniti QX56 is the perfect choice for pulling a boat or a horse trailer while hauling seven passengers in luxurious comfort. It offers seating for seven or eight and is rated to tow 8,900-9,000 pounds. Nissan's 5.6-liter 32-valve engine generates more torque than the V8s in the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The Lexus LX470 and Toyota Sequoia can't compete with the Infiniti's towing capability.

Out on the highway, the QX56 is smooth and quiet, benefiting from a four-wheel independent suspension and a smooth five-speed automatic. It feels responsive and sure-footed on winding roads. Yet it's capable off road; its four-wheel drive-system features a low range, and skid plates are available. It comes standard with latest in electronic stability control, traction control and ABS technology, all of which can help you maintain control in emergency handling situations, and the available all-wheel-drive system further improves handling stability in slippery conditions.

The QX56 is as luxurious as the best of them. Its opulent cabin is lathered in leather and stuffed with technology. It comes standard with a navigation system, an optional feature on many vehicles. Introduced as an all-new model last year, the Infiniti QX56 gets more standard equipment for 2005, including its RearView camera, which projects a picture of what's behind the vehicle onto the navigation system monitor.

Model Lineup

Infiniti QX56 comes as one fully loaded model. It's telling to note there are only a few factory options. You need only choose between two-wheel drive ($47,750) and four-wheel drive ($50,750). The 5.6-liter V8 is rated at a 315 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, and the transmission is a five-speed automatic. The four-wheel-drive system includes a low range.

Leather-trimmed upholstery and the navigation system are standard. Also standard: Xenon HID headlights, a power liftgate, and a park-assist system. Standard wheels are 18-inch chromium aluminum alloy, with 20-inch wheels optional. The QX56 comes with a full-size spare tire.

Options include a middle split bench seat in place of the standard two captain's chairs (no charge), a DVD-based entertainment system ($1,600), a power sunroof ($1,200), adaptive cruise control ($800), Sirius or XM satellite radio ($400), and painted fender splash guards ($200). Skid plates protecting the transfer case, oil pan and fuel tank on the four-wheel-drive edition are an available option for serious off-road travel.

Safety features include the latest generation front airbags that deploy at different rates depending on crash severity and occupant seatbelt use and front-seat side airbags. Full-cabin curtain airbags come standard for improved head protection for passengers in all three rows in the event of a side impact or rollover. A rearview video system comes standard for 2005. When the transmission is in reverse, this system displays on the navigation screen the view from a camera mounted above the rear license plate. 2005 QX56 models have been upgraded to include active head restraints for the front passenger position.

Walkaround

The QX56 may be the best tool this side of an 18-wheeler for clearing slower traffic out of the left lane. Spying one in a rearview mirror closing rapidly will inspire most drivers to err on the side of survival and get out of the way. It's not any one aspect but the combination.

Perhaps it's the waterfall grille visually surrounded by large expanses of metal. Or the high headlights. Or the huge black intake vent embedded in the bumper above the grille. Whatever, as assembled the QX56's front end embodies massiveness.

The side view broadcasts a similar message. Here, for once, and for this message, the more tire the better. On most vehicles, the popular practice among stylists is to wrap ever thinner tires around ever bigger wheels, with an eye to communicating sportiness. However, in this class, where mass and perceived hauling capability is the measure, tires that look like they belong on a truck are preferred. And the QX56 delivers (with 70-series tires on 18-inch wheels).

Squared off, clearly defined, barrel-like fender blisters add heft to the quarter panels. The arched roof over the passenger compartment pushes the D-pillar rearward, shrinking and reshaping the rear quarter windows in conflict with the somewhat organic outline of the front and rear door windows. Nissan's signature rear door handle is placed awkwardly on the C-pillar. The running boards seem more cosmetic than functional, but manage to pull bodywork down below the midline of the wheels, again adding to the impression of mass.