2005 Infiniti QX56 Test Drive

Finally, A Biggie from Infiniti

The QX56 is good enough to outsell the Escalade.

"Wow, this looks like the interior of a private jet," exclaimed my friend sitting in the front passenger seat of the 2004 Infiniti QX56.

That's a pretty rarefied observation. Like comparing something to a 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild or a pair of handmade shoes from Lobb of London. It's based on personal knowledge of, for lack of a better term, the finer things in life. My friend spends a lot of time in private planes and he meant it as a compliment.

It's a well-deserved compliment. Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan, has introduced for 2004 what might be the most luxurious, comfortable and stylish SUV on the road today. The model we drove, which was a brilliant white (what Infiniti calls "Tuscan Pearl") with gleaming chrome finishing on the grille, 18-inch hubcaps, side mirrors and door handles, was a thing of beauty. Unlike many large SUVs and trucks, which are unapologetically if not defiantly macho, there is something almost elegant about the QX56.

In fact, the first word that came to our minds when it drove up in front of my apartment was "bling." This is a word which has been on my personal list of banned words, the kind of neologism and slang that becomes instantly tedious and trite. However, I couldn't help it. "Bling" it was in all its glory.

The "bling-ness" of the QX56 is obvious. From its massive size and xenon headlamps to its Bose Premium six-disc in-dash CD player with 10 speakers, this Infiniti is clearly trying to ape the Cadillac Escalade, one of the hottest sellers on the market. Popular with rappers and professional athletes, since it was reintroduced in 2001, Cadillac has sold more than 176,287of the $50,000-plus nameplate, including the EXT pickup version. 

However, no matter how refined and well-engineered the QX56, it is unlikely it will ever seriously challenge the Escalade's supremacy. This year alone, through July, the Escalade has sold 35,084 units. Since it went on sale in late January of this year, cumulative sales of the QX56 for the same period are only 5,975. This sales gap should be no reflection on the QX56's quality, however. It has to do with two facts: First, the Escalade was first to market, and second, that the Escalade is a Cadillac, meaning it is not only a famous luxury brand but also that it is "American."

Now, as the success of Japanese and German automobiles have amply demonstrated in recent decades, non-American cars have no problem selling in the U.S. However, as my colleague Jerry Flint likes to observe, there are plenty of U.S. buyers out there who prefer to buy American. That's great and we support patriotism as much as the next person. The only problem is that we have driven both the Escalade and the QX56 at this point and we know which is the better vehicle.

As close readers of this page may be aware by now, I am not a fan, and never have been a fan, of the Escalade, in spite of its success. The reason is that I believe that Cadillac is developing cars and SUVs (and, yes, pickups) to take on upmarket overseas competitors without spending the money to make the cars as good. Sure, the Escalade is fast and has tremendous torque, but for the most part it's just not as luxurious as vehicles as the $45,000 Infiniti Lexus GX 470 or $72,000-plus Range Rover, all of which it outsells although only the Rover costs more.

So, if you are shopping for a large luxury SUV, should you follow the herd and buy an Escalade or should you save a few bucks and get something even better? It seems obvious to us but to learn more, read on.