Infiniti recently invited us to try out the 2013 QX56 at a media event. We were more than familiar with the QX56’s capabilities on the road, thanks to the long-termer we had in 2011. We didn’t explore its off-roading credentials at the time beyond mountain-driving, but since it is a reskinned Nissan Patrol after all, Infiniti wanted us to do more with it this time around.
The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is no more with us, having gone back to Nissan Middle East earlier this month. It was a good ride, initially overwhelming us with its size, but then proving to be very manouevrable in all but the tightest of cases.
This is the final hurrah for our 2011 Infiniti QX56 long-termer, which has already gone back to Nissan Middle East. The QX has some special features and details that can only be discovered in person. So what better way to highlight them than a walkaround video. Be sure to check out the cooler box that opens both from the front and the back, the numerous storage compartments, the abundance of clear buttons, the generous overhead a/c vents and the ease of access to the third-row seat.
It is confounding that Infiniti and Lexus are the only Japanese brands that are attempting to take on the German luxury marques. Who wouldn’t want a reliable luxury car? However, while Lexus is content with outdated models, Infiniti has been going from strength to strength, launching various all-new models in the past few years, with a bias towards capable performance, unique styling and original technology. We will now take a look at the technology found in our Infiniti QX56, and how well they actually work in real life.
If you’re wondering why we haven’t posted an update on our borrowed 2011 Infiniti QX56 for a while, it’s because it had gone back via tow-truck to Nissan on a working vacation a week ago, namely for test-drives by other magazines. It is due to be back with us today hopefully.
At the risk of sounding like an iPod on loop mode, we’ll say again that the 2011 Infiniti QX56 is a big car. That also made our latest economy test more interesting. Is it possible to drive one of the largest 4x4s on the planet without hurting the planet, or more importantly, your wallet?
As we experienced on our trip to Hatta, the 2011 Infiniti QX56 comes standard with a built-in living-room, complete with leather sofas and LCD televisions. The cabin is nothing like the one in the older Armada-based model that we tested a couple of years ago.
Our long-term 2011 Infiniti QX56 is getting easier to manage every day. It takes a while to get comfortable with a vehicle this size. It is, of course, made easier by a myriad of cameras and sensors making sure you don’t hit anything. We took the truck to Hatta this weekend, not for off-roading, but to use it as it was intended — as an all-terrain luxury picnic bus.
First things first, the 2011 Infiniti QX56 makes a big first impression. It is so big, in fact, that it makes us feel a bit embarrassed to be standing next to it, us appearing to be relative midgets. Of course, that bigness is generally regarded to be part of its appeal.
When we asked for an Infiniti M as a long-term car, it was unavailable, but Nissan Middle East offered us a QX56 instead, for a month. We hadn’t driven either the Nissan Patrol nor its sistership Infiniti QX56 yet, so we jumped at the chance.