Previously known as the QX56 due to its 5.6-liter V8, the Infiniti QX80 will be thoroughly redesigned for 2025. Previewed at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance by the QX Monograph concept, the luxury sport utility vehicle is the first of four next-gen Infiniti models coming by 2030. Before going any further, the remainder comprises the QX65 crossover coupe, an electric sedan with Vision Qe styling cues, and an electric SUV known as the QXe.
For this year's edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, the luxury automaker has confirmed a segment-first audio system for the all-new QX80. The system in question comes from Indianapolis-based Klipsch, a loudspeaker company founded by Paul W. Klipsch back in 1946. The peeps at Voxx International purchased Klipsch in 2011.
Regarding the Klipsch Reference Premiere Audio System of the 2025 Infiniti QX80, the Nissan-owned automaker confirmed a staggering 24 speakers, including an 8.0-inch subwoofer, titanium tweeters, and a 24-channel amp. There's no denying that a pricey SUV needs a banging audio setup, but alas, the release attached below doesn't mention anything else about the new QX80's hardware.
With Nissan pivoting to electric vehicles, it would be hardly surprising to see the luxury-oriented leviathan coming with electric motors only. But in truth, Nissan won't bid farewell to internal combustion just yet. Multiple reports about the Y63 Nissan Armada, Patrol for global markets, and QX80 suggest a twin-turbo V6 engine, and one report citing a dealer source claims a max output of 424 ponies.
Nissan revealed the all-new Armada to US dealers back in August 2023, with one dealership reporting Range Rover-inspired styling. A wise man once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in this context, that stands true 100 percent. Regardless of how much Nissan tries to bring the Infiniti brand closer to Range Rover, the QX80 and lesser models will never live up to the British marque's brand awareness, sales figures, and transaction prices.
Photo: Infiniti
Turning our attention back to hardware, said twin-turbo V6 is a bit of a mystery in the sense that we don't know its displacement or codename. Hearsay suggests a derivative of the VR30DDTT in the Nissan Z sports car and Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 sports sedan. The 3.0-liter unit is rated at up to 420 horsepower, with said tune being exclusive to the automatic-only Z NISMO. The automatic in question isn't a bonafide Nissan transmission, but the Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic produced under license by JATCO.
The JR913E is rated at up to 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) in its current form, which suggests a bit more peak torque from the mysterious twin-turbo V6 than the free-breathing V8 of the 2024 Infiniti QX80. The soon-to-be-discontinued VK56VD develops 413 pound-feet (560 Nm) of twist.
We're looking forward to the seven-speed automatic of the current QX80 being replaced by the aforementioned JR913E, which is standard in the Frontier mid-size pickup truck and Titan full-size pickup truck. The newcomer's twin-turbocharged sixer will have to prove itself against a couple of rivals, namely the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the Lincoln Navigation and 3.4-liter i-FORCE V6 in the Lexus LX. The Ford Motor Company advertises the Navigator with 440 ponies and 510 pound-feet (691 Nm), whereas the LX 600 offers 409 and 479 (650) at full chatter.
Both Ford and Toyota offer hybrid versions of their force-fed sixers, and one cannot help but wonder if Nissan will follow suit with the V6 engine of the 2025 model year Nissan Armada and 2025 Infiniti QX80. To debut "later this year," the all-new QX80 may be Infiniti's final combustion-engined sport utility vehicle in the full-size class.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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