Millennial Mom’s Review: 2022 Infiniti QX80

During my week with the 2022 Infiniti QX80, I had to make a trip to the airport to pick up my mom and aunt. They compared the QX80 to being driven home in a limousine. It’s not quite that long, but the QX80 might as well be a small plane — that will never take flight.

I’ve never piloted a plane, but I am often the pilot of vehicles. Even when not the pilot, I’m the stewardess who is frequently passing back snacks and drinks to impatient passengers.

The 2022 Infiniti QX80 comes in two trims — LUXE and ProACTIVE — and each are offered with seven or eight seats, which doesn’t change the base prices of $81,695 and $89,695, respectively. The tested seven-seat ProActive had only one option added — the Hermosa Blue paint that is an additional $750. Only Black Obsidian paint is free of charge, but it’s only an option with Graphite Leather, as opposed to Wheat (the tested car’s seat colour) or Saddle Brown options offered with other exterior paint colours.

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2022 Infiniti QX80 Photo by Renita Naraine

The QX80 doesn’t guzzle as much fuel as an actual plane (duh), but for an SUV, it’s quite the guzzler of premium gas. It has an average fuel consumption of 15.1 L/100 km, 17.5 city and 12.2 highway.

From the pilot’s driver’s perspective, the QX80 is plenty comfortable. The heated and ventilated driver’s seat is spacious and easily adjusted to a range of preferences for someone of my short stature. However, for a big vehicle, it doesn’t have a ton of room for taller folks. My husband (6’) mentioned he didn’t feel that it went back far enough for him to be completely satisfied.

As expected of a giant vehicle, the steering — heated if needed — is heavy. In movies, when a plane is going down, you often see the pilot struggling with the throttle to level it — this never happened in the QX80, but it did feel a bit like the SUV was going to tip when I entered a highway on-ramp a bit too quickly.

If the QX80 is like a plane, the front seats belong to the pilot and co-pilot. The second row is for first-class passengers who can enjoy heated seats, and the squishy third row is undeniably economy, and I’m talkin’ the dreaded back row that’s right beside the bathroom.

The pilot has a bunch of buttons up front. The climate controls are fairly simple to use and aren’t too distracting, which is great because you’ll need to save your attention for the infotainment. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay or wired Android Auto, but if you plan on using the radio or SiriusXM then there are a couple of layers to dig through until you’ve preset your favourite stations.

2022 Infiniti QX80 Photo by Renita Naraine

I wouldn’t use the infotainment dial and buttons placed in the centre console, especially since I have my seat pushed forward a little more than average (I’m short), making it a bit uncomfortable to reach back for those controls. I appreciate that the QX80 gives the option of a touch screen, though the 12.3” screen is on a bit of an angle, tilting towards the front of the car. It’s odd, but it’s not a deal breaker.

If you’ve got antsy passengers, there’s a rear entertainment system that’s similar to the setup in an airplane. Some planes have one screen per seat, while some have a few screens placed above a few of the rows. Think of the QX80 like a mix of both of those versions. The second-row passengers have access to the touch screens right in front of them — I would have appreciated some access to those screens from the driver’s seat, since I couldn’t change any settings (other than the volume) without being back there. Unfortunately for the third-row passengers, there aren’t many options; they’re forced to watch, from a distance, whatever the passengers in the middle row choose.

2022 Infiniti QX80 Photo by Renita Naraine

Unless you’ve got a child seat tethered into the second row, it’s extremely easy for the third-row passengers to get to the back, as the captain’s chairs easily fold and tip up to provide easy access. However, similar to being in a squished airplane seat, the back seats have very little legroom — especially if there’s an adult in the second row — and probably means the second row is going to feel a lot of annoying kicks — truly the ultimate airplane experience.

The QX80 is big, but it isn’t as spacious as it could be. The QX60’s top trim has a removable centre console, but this one does not. Removing that centre console in the second row would open up a lot of needed legroom, at least for the person sitting in the middle of the third row, who is potentially already squished between two other passengers, with no window. The window seats are prime spots (in planes and cars), and in the QX80, if you can get a window seat, take it! There is a standard sunroof, but it’s so small that only those in the front seats can take advantage of the extra light.

2022 Infiniti QX80 Photo by Renita Naraine

The cargo space is actually fairly adequate for a three-row SUV, but it seems to come at the cost of minimal legroom in the third row, as well as reduced reclining options if the trunk is full. If the back seats aren’t being used, there’s also the option of some added space with the click of a button that can fold down one or both sides of the 60/40 split bench. When picking up my family at the airport, two large suitcases and two smaller ones easily fit into the trunk with the smaller seat left in place, treating my dad to the economy treatment without having set foot on a plane.

Overall, I can’t see myself driving the QX80 on a daily basis. It’s not a bad SUV; it’s just obscenely large and a tight squeeze in the third row. However, if you’re looking for a full-size SUV where your second-row passengers feel like they’re in first-class with enough cargo space to fit vacation-sized luggage (with the third row folded down), this could be an option.

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