The Infiniti QX80 (formerly called the Infiniti QX56 until 2013) is a
full-size
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
...
luxury SUV
A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars.
The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...
marketed by
Nissan's luxury division
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
. The first-generation QX56 was built in the United States, and is based on the
first-generation Armada. The second-generation model was released in 2010 as a model produced in Japan, which used the
sixth-generation Patrol (later also marketed as the
second-generation Armada since 2016) as the base vehicle instead. Since the 2014 model year in 2013, the vehicle was renamed to the QX80 as Infiniti renamed their entire product line under a new nomenclature.
First generation (JA60; 2004)
![Infiniti QX56 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Infiniti_QX56_02.jpg)
The first-generation QX56 (model code JA60) is based on the
first-generation Armada, while also sharing the
F-Alpha platform with the
first-generation Titan. It is the first
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
built in the United States. The QX56 was only marketed in the United States, Canada, Russia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Development on the JA60 QX56 began in early 2000 alongside the WA60 Armada. A final design by Masato Takahashi was reached in early 2001, with an August 2001 design freeze for early 2004 start of production.
The rear door handles were installed on the
C-pillar as a Nissan design tradition started with the
D21 Pathfinder released in 1985 to visually make it appear like a two-door truck with a camper shell, with conventional door handles on the front doors.
The first-generation QX56 was powered by a 5.6-liter ''
VK56DE''
V8 engine
A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...
( at 4,900 rpm and torque at 3,600 rpm) and a 5-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
with an overdrive. As is common with aluminum blocks, each cylinder in the engine was lined with cast iron. The
valvetrain
A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...
was a
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
design with four valves per cylinder.
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
designed the QX56's throttle responsiveness to correspond to specific drivetrain modes: when the driver selects
all-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
, the throttle becomes less sensitive, presumably to allow easier regulation of acceleration when off-road.
The QX56 had around of towing capacity. Mileage at peak performance drain is . It comes in one trim level, with only key options such as: DVD entertainment system, 4WD/
2WD
Two-wheel-drive (2WD) denotes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to be driven, and receive power and torque from the engine, simultaneously.
Four-wheeled vehicles
For four-wheeled vehicles (and by extension, vehicles with six, eigh ...
, and a bench instead of captain chairs as the second row. Other features which came standard were a ten-speaker
Bose system, DVD-based navigation system, leather trim for all seats, dual-climate control, 18-inch chrome alloy wheels, and an
adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an available cruise control advanced driver-assistance system for road vehicles that automatically adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. As of 2019, it is also called by 20 un ...
system. A
Precrash system
A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...
was a unique feature in the market as well.
Since the demise of the
Q45 (which was priced above the QX56) after 2006, the QX56 was the most expensive
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
sold in North America, and was
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
's only full-size vehicle.
In early 2007 for the 2008 model year, the
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
QX56 received a minor facelift which included a revised grille, a redesigned interior and new intelligent key system, more standard equipment and standard 20-inch chrome wheels. Introduced at the 2007
North American International Auto Show in January 2007, the facelifted model went on sale in April 2007.
After the 2010 model year, the QX56 and Armada no longer share the same body, as the first-generation Armada continued to be produced in the United States until the 2015 model year, while the second-generation QX56 switched to the body used by the
Y62 Patrol.
Second generation (Z62; 2010)
![2014 Infiniti QX80 rear right](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/2014_Infiniti_QX80_rear_right.jpg)
On 31 March 2010, Infiniti debuted the 2011 QX56 at the
New York International Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first S ...
. No longer sharing a platform with the
F-Alpha-based
Nissan Armada
The Nissan Armada is a full-size SUV manufactured by Nissan for the North American market. From 2003 to 2015, the first-generation Armada was assembled in Canton, Mississippi based on the Nissan Titan. From mid-2016 onwards, the second-generatio ...
, the QX56 shares the same body with the
Y62 Patrol, which also marked the first time that a Patrol-based vehicle had been sold in North America since 1969.
Development of the Z62 QX56 began in 2006 following the concurrent Y62 Patrol program (since 2003), after Nissan management voted to move QX56 production back to Japan and separate from the Nissan Armada, after the JA60 QX56's production run concluded. By 2007, a styling proposal by Shinya Momokawa and Akihiro Sugita was approved by the board and frozen for production.
Compared to its predecessor, the Z62 QX56 is 1.4 inches longer, 1.1 inches wider. Most of the frame's body mass is made from high-tensile steel, but the QX manages to be more rugged with its
body-on-frame concept. Both the front and rear feature
independent suspension double wishbone
A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckl ...
suspensions combined with the new
Hydraulic Body Motion Control System. The QX comes standard with 20-inch wheels with 22-inch wheels available. 4WD versions have a four-setting terrain control which include rock, snow, sand and dirt modes. This generation abandoned the disguised rear door handle design that were installed in the
C-pillar.
The QX56 features a new 5.6-liter ''
VK56VD
The VK engine (formerly known as the ZH) is a V8 piston engine from Nissan. It is an aluminum DOHC 4-valve design.
The VK engine was originally based on Nissan's '' VQ'' V6 rather than the '' VH'' V8 used in previous Q45/ Cima models. Change ...
'' V8 engine with
direct injection and
VVEL variable valve timing, also found in the Patrol, which is rated at and of torque. The more powerful engine helps give the QX56 an increased towing capacity of up to . The engine is tied to a seven-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission with an all-new 4WD system.
The QX56's interior design includes a number of the standard and optional luxury features in the 2010
Infiniti M, such as semi-
aniline leather
Aniline leather is a type of leather dyed exclusively with soluble dyes. The dye colours the leather without producing the uniform surface of a topcoat paint or insoluble pigmented sealant. The resulting product retains the hide's natural surface. ...
seats, tri-zone climate control, a
Bose 2-channel, 13-speaker Premium Audio surround sound stereo system with hard drive memory storage, hard-drive based navigation system, an Around View Monitor system, and Infiniti Intuitive Park Assist, a parking assist feature which uses the around view monitor. Curtain Vent, new for this generation, directs air flow from the air conditioning system from above each side window down towards the floor.
The QX also features the updated
Infiniti
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...
hard drive based navigation system with an eight-inch VGA display. Infiniti
keyless SmartAccess
A smart key is an electronic access and authorization system that is available either as standard equipment, or as an option in several car designs. It was first developed by Siemens in 1995 and introduced by Mercedes-Benz under the name "Keyless ...
with an "Intelligent Remote" key is standard along with 8 airbags including knee airbags for driver and front passenger as well as second-row side torso airbags, the
Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) is standard, while the
Pre-Collision System (PCS) and
lane departure warning system
In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads. These ...
are available options.
First facelift (2015)
In 2013 for the 2014 model year, Infiniti renamed their entire product line, so the QX56 was rebadged as the QX80 in April 2014. Coinciding with the renaming, the QX80 arrived at the
New York International Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first S ...
with a mid-generational refresh, receiving new headlights and taillights with new front and rear fascias, restyled bi-xenon HID projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, front LED turn signals (located on front bumper with new LED fog lights), new wheel designs (including a new 22-inch forged-aluminum version), three new exterior colors, and a number of interior refinements for the 2015 model year. The new flagship trim level for 2015 is the QX80 Limited which features all the QX80 packages and optional equipment that is available on other QX80 trim levels, while its standard on the new QX80 Limited trim level, standard Intelligent All Wheel Drive (AWD), and restyled LED clear lens taillights instead of the LED red lens taillights, however the QX80 Limited trim level is not available with the second row bench seating which increases the passenger capability from 7 seats to 8 seats. Naoyuki Ohkoshi was responsible for exterior design work on the facelift QX80 in 2012.
As of 2017, the Infiniti QX80 is available in the United States (including all US territories), Canada, Mexico, China (including Macau and Hong Kong), the GCC markets, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Dominican Republic, Guam, Panama, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. An RHD version was available in some markets as part of the facelift in late 2014.
In late 2016, the 2017
Armada was released and it switched to the Y62 Patrol body, so the Armada is once again a mechanical twin of the QX80 (formerly QX56) since the 2010 model years.
Second facelift (2018)
The QX80 Monograph Concept was a design study that previewed a significant second facelift to QX80 for the 2018 model year, launched in December 2017. It retained its 5.6-liter V8 engine and basic architecture. The QX80 Monograph was unveiled at the
2017 New York International Auto Show. The revised QX80 debuted at the Dubai International Motor Show, on 14 November 2017. The facelift has redesigned grille, hood, new LED headlamps, and full LED taillamps with bumper-installed rear turn signal lights.
In 2021 for the 2022 model year, Infiniti updated the QX80
[https://paultan.org/2021/08/23/2022-infiniti-qx80-gains-new-12-3-inch-intouch-display-wireless-device-charger-apple-carplay-android-auto/ ] featuring an all-new infotainment system and a 12.3 touchscreen display, replacing the dated two-screen setup.
The QX80 also features new climate control switches, wireless charging,
Android Auto
Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit.
Once an Android device is paired with the car's head unit, the syst ...
and
Apple CarPlay with navigation standard is included with the QX80 and Infiniti's InTouch connected services.
The interior revision is almost identical to the related Armada with its 2021 refresh.
Sales
References
External links
Official Infiniti USA siteOfficial Infiniti USA QX56 homepage* https://web.archive.org/web/20080112155523/http://www.infiniti.com/qx/
{{infiniti
QX80
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