2021 Infiniti QX80 Review: Good Pricing, Good Power, Good Grip – What’s Not to Like?

Auto123 reviews the 2021 Infiniti QX80.

The Infiniti QX80 may just be one of – if not the most – misunderstood SUVs on the North American market today. Heck, the body-on-frame QX80 may be one of the most misunderstood vehicles in general.

That misunderstanding stems mainly from its looks. The SUV is a gargantuan thing, for a start. Then, with that big chrome grille, those headlights and ultra-glam 22-inch wheels, it has presence galore on the road. So much so that I don’t even mind the it’s-not-called-beige-but-let’s-be-honest-that’s-what-it-is paintjob, because well it fits this vehicle just so well. I do wish, however, that the wing mirror caps could be colour-matched with the body, alas these blinding chrome numbers are all you get on the higher trims.

Beyond that, the QX80 has typically come in one of the most distinctive styling packages both in terms of its lines and details, and that’s been a very divisive factor for it over the years.

Here's the thing, though. While the QX80 – and the QX56 before it – seemed to always dwarf the competition even if it actually didn’t (there are some bigger vehicles in the segment, though not many), styling in the full-size luxury (even non-luxury) SUV universe has become increasingly distinctive recently. The new Cadillac Escalade, for example, features the biggest styling departure that truck has ever had from its predecessor, the Lincoln Navigator is an absolute hulk on the road – especially in long-wheelbase form, which Infiniti doesn’t offer for the QX80 by the way –, and have you seen the grilles on the BMW X7, or even on the smaller Genesis GV80?

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