2025 Infiniti QX80: A Look at the Model’s Complete Redesign

Infiniti’s flagship utility vehicle had been getting a little long in the tooth riding on the same platform for the last eight years, but the 2025 QX80 is now reborn, combining traditional styling influences, premium comfort and convenience features, and next-generation technology.

“One of the baselines that we always had when it comes to design language for the QX80 was Japanese artistry. So really holding onto our Japanese heritage but at the same time taking inspiration from everything around us: whether it’s nature, whether it’s architecture that we see in daily life,” says Neel Surve, Infiniti Canada marketing manager, during a Canadian first drive event held in Whistler.

Cue the intricate trapezoidal grille, framing slanted vertical slats inspired by a swaying bamboo forest, the piano-key-like daytime running lamps, or the full-width tail lamp bar containing individual LEDs reminiscent of ripples in a pond. The theme carries over into the interior where the wavy lines on storage surfaces resemble a Zen garden.

The full-size SUV has certainly grown since the original model debuted in 2004—then known as the QX56—and is even larger than the most recent outgoing example, now measuring 25 millimetres longer, 2,116 millimetres wider, and 33 millimetres taller. Sitting on big 22-inch wheels, the top-of-the-line Autograph grade offers a cool two-tone look with a contrasting colour-roof.

A bigger footprint translates into additional interior space, and there’s ample legroom across all three rows. The cargo compartment behind the rearmost bench sees a 28 per cent increase in capacity (for a total of 623 litres) compared to before.

The cabin boasts higher trim levels with lots of luxurious materials like quilted semi-aniline upholstery, open pore ash wood, and aluminum accenting, though the piano black plastic along the dashboard and around the centre stack looks a little out of place. Autograph passengers in the first and second row enjoy heated/ventilated/massage seats, while the third only has a heat function.

A Klipsch 24-speaker Reference Premier stereo complete with front headrest speakers emits crystal-clear audio and showcases a nifty sound-isolating mode for phone conversations. Using a kind of reverse active noise cancellation, the driver can take incoming calls in virtual privacy so the rest of the occupants continue to listen to music or podcasts uninterrupted.

Following the industrywide trend of downsizing engines, the previous V8 is replaced by a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 mated to a smooth-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission. Infiniti says the unit is an evolved version of the ones that power the soon-to-be-retired Q50 Red Sport and Nissan GT-R performance sedans.

Producing 450 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, the output feels sufficient to propel the nearly 6,000-pound QX80, though the motor sounded a tad noisy at full throttle. Towing is rated at a healthy maximum 8,500 pounds thanks to the platform remaining body-on-frame. Standard dynamic electronic air suspension provides a supple ride over most surfaces and impressively mitigates body roll.

Entry Luxe and midtier Sensory grades trims bundle ProPILOT Assist 1.1 driver assistance tech, but Autograph debuts version 2.1 semi-autonomous capability. It takes advantage of advanced camera, sensor, and navigational data to allow what the brand calls “hands-off, eyes-on” operation on prescribed highways throughout Canada and the U.S. When activated, an icon on the instrument cluster lights up blue on compatible stretches of road to alert the driver. The system can even perform a one-button-touch automated lane change under certain conditions.

While the starting retail price is as premium as the vehicle’s many features, the 2025 Infiniti QX80 proves that it is deserving of the flagship title. It is available at dealerships now.

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