Final design has been changed a little from the QX Monograph Concept shown at last year's Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Image: Infiniti
Having started the official teaser campaign last month, Nissan-owned Infiniti, in the early hours of Thursday morning, officially unveiled the all-new QX80 as the preview model for the next generation Patrol.
Admitted by Nissan as having been in development since 2019, the reveal of the QX80 brings to an end not only five years of speculative reports, but also the production run of the current Z63 that debuted in 2010.
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Twice facelifted since then, including bespoke to North America where Nissan uses the Armada name instead of Patrol, the production version of the QX Monograph adopts Infiniti’s latest Artistry in Motion styling language, which will most likely be swapped-out for a Nissan specific look when the Y63 Patrol arrives.
Appearing little changed from the Monograph that debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last year, the QX80 sports a split headlight design, an expansive grille with vertical slates supposedly inspired by the shape of bamboo, alloy wheel sizes between 20 and 22-inches, and the option of a contrasting dual-tone black roof.
The Infiniti logo being illuminated for the first time, the two-part headlight design takes centre stage as it provides illumination up to 300 metres on full beam.
In addition, the pop-out door handles from the concept have been carried over, while step-steps feature on higher-end trim levels, together with a blacked-out D-pillar.
At the rear, the change from QX Monograph to QX80 has also been minor with the final look bearing more than passing resemble to that of the current Nissan Pathfinder.
Underneath, and while still based on a body-on-frame platform, the QX80 retains the permanent four-wheel-drive system, but debuts a new air suspension called Dynamic Digital Suspension.
Using sensors to determine the QX80 motion, before constantly adapting, the setup is said to reduce body roll and improve handling by as much as 57%.
Able to lower the body by 71 mm and raise it by 61 mm when selected to the Off-Road mode, the suspension also contributes to quieter ride Infiniti claims amount to four decibels in suburban areas.
Also new is a retuned steering rack and a drive mode selector with six settings; Eco, Standard, Sport, Snow, Tow and Personal. Reserved for four-wheel-drive models is an Auto function, as well as the mentioned Off-Road.
Not seen at any stage during the teaser campaign, the QX80’s interior represents a dramatic departure from the model it replaces, which in Patrol guise, last received a market specific refresh in 2019.
Conforming to an artisan design principle called miyabi, the button-heavy dashboard and centre console from the Z62/Y62 departs in favour of a single layered dash housing a pair of 14.3-inch displays for the infotainment system and instrument cluster.
Down the centre, the console recieves a new nine-inch display for the climate control functions, in addition to three storage areas hiding the cupholders.
In terms of specification, the QX80 range spans four trim levels; Pure, Luxe, Sensory and Autograph, with all being privy to the dual display, as well as a new surround-view camera system complete with a transparent view of the bonnet.
Also fitted with Infiniti’s latest ProPILOT semi-autonomous driving system, the Pure additionally gets Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Trailer Blind Spot as standard.
Completing the spec list is a 14-speaker, 600-watt Klipsch sound system, which carries over to the step-up Luxe.
In this instance, the Luxe boasts the Digital Air Suspension, heated and ventilated front and second row seats, a Head-Up Display and a remote control third row.
Stepping up to Sensory adds a massaging functions to the front seats only, an ambient lighting package with 64 colours, a frameless rear-view mirror, wood inserts and a 24-speaker, 1 200-watt Klipsch surround sound audio.
The biggest inclusion though is a segment first biometric cooling system. Using roofliner integrated infrared sensors, the climate control adjusts automatically according to an occupant’s scanned body temperature whether it be hot or cold.
Applicable not only to the delivery of hot or cold air, the setup also applies to the heated and ventilated seats.
At the range’s summit, the Autograph adds heating to the third row, semi aniline leather upholstery, wood and metal inlays, unique 22-inch alloy wheels, a cooled centre console storage area, separate climate controls for the second row, an in-car camera, uprated ProPILOT system and the dual-tone roof.
As previously reported, the QX80’s equally big change resides underneath its bonnet where the normally aspirated 5.6-litre V8 makes way for a brand-new 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6.
Part of Nissan’s VR family comprising the smaller 3.0-litre unit from the Z and the 3.8 used in the GT-R, the VR35DDTT develops 37kW/138Nm more than the outgoing VK56VD for a total of 335kW/698Nm.
Sending the amount of grunt to all four corners is a brand-new nine-speed automatic gearbox with a 40% wider ratio tuning than the old seven-speed ‘box.
Going on sale later in the North American summer priced from $82 450 (R1 544 281) for the rear-wheel-drive Pure, to $110 595 (R2 071 434) for the four-wheel-drive Autograph, the QX80 will most likely be sold as the Armada in Nissan form, albeit with some of the mentioned spec items removed.
The same will most certainly also apply to the Patrol Nissan has so remained mum on discussing so far.
However, given the QX80 as now being an open secret, expect details surrounding the Patrol to emerge soon, the most plausible being spy shots of the prototype undergoing testing.
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