Built on the backbone of Nissan’s Titan pickup truck, but highly modified for its luxury pretensions, the 2011 QX will sport a redesigned suspension system and a version of the automaker’s refined 5.6-litre V8 engine making an estimated 400hp and 405 lb-ft of torque; more details will come with Infiniti’s largest debuts in Manhattan at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) later this week.
The QX56 should also get Nissan’s new 7-speed automatic transmission, plus electronic four-wheel-drive featuring driver-selectable modes and a hydraulic anti-roll system.
The new QX56 pulls styling cues from Infiniti’s G and M series cars, including its revised horizontally ribbed grille, rounded front fenders, free-form headlamps. Engine vents add character to the front flanks while the rear profile is rounded off much like Lexus’ LX 570, its main rival. A kink in the rear quarter window is unique to the QX, however, as are the shapely taillight clusters, rear glass and chrome appliqué, while the Infiniti is notably larger than the top-tier Lexus SUV.
Inside the new model should be every bit as luxuriously appointed as its predecessor, if not more so, and features will rival any premium SUV in the segment. Competitors in mind, the Infiniti QX56 not only goes up against the aforementioned Lexus LX 570, but also Land Rover’s LR4 and Range Rover models, Mercedes’ G and GL, Porsche’s Cayenne, Cadillac’s Escalade, Lincoln’s Navigator, and while not considered premium brands Volkswagen’s Touareg and Jeep’s Commander. Acura, Audi, BMW, Saab and the now Chinese-owned Volvo don’t offer off-road capable SUVs that would compete directly with the QX56.