If there was a rumble to decide the baddest sport utility vehicle on the planet, the Infiniti QX56 4WD would be one of the last combatants standing.
The QX56 oozes with overindulgence, but as a full-size luxury SUV, it has few peers.
Base price, as in the minimum you can pay to drive one, is $58,150. That "low-end" model includes such basics as 8,900 pounds of towing capacity, 20-inch chrome-finished alloy wheels, satellite radio, Infiniti navigation system, XM Nav Traffic -- with real-time traffic information -- rear sonar system, 12-speaker Bose Premium Audio System, heated first- and second-row captain's chairs, dual front and rear climate control, driver's seat memory system, fold-flat second- and third-row seats and a Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, among many others. Again, those are just base features.
The model as reviewed included a $1,150 technology package, with intelligent cruise control and a front sonar system. The $1,700 Infinity Mobile Entertainment system extra included a flip-down 8-inch color monitor and a front console-mounted DVD player with wireless remote and two headsets.
And, the QX56 is big enough to fit every one of those features, groceries and an army of a family. ... And probably a couple friends with pets, too.
With the back row of seats folded down -- and when I say folded, understand that they slowly fold themselves with the push of a button -- you'll have more cargo space than most SUVs. Fold down the second row of seats and flip the proper flaps, and the cargo area is as cavernous as the bed of a full-size pickup.
All of the space and size -- the QX56 rides higher than most everything you'll pass on the road with four wheels -- comes at a price in the gas mileage department. The company's published stats are 17 highway and 12 city, but you're going to have to work to meet those numbers.
The 5.6-liter DOHC V8 chugs gas, but produces 320 horsepower, so it never feels like the QX56's bulk puts strain on the motor.
It handles well, wheel base and girth considered, on winding country roads. No blindspots creeped up while trying to merge onto the highway. And despite it's imposing size, the QX56 was fun to drive and relatively easy to park.
The backup camera and front and rear sonar systems included on the tested model aid the driver in that last department. Obviously, you wouldn't want to rely on it solely for parking, but the sonar system impressively registered a half-inch thick rope suspended off a couple wooden posts in the parking lot of a local golf course. The system also provides directional feedback -- the warning originates from the quadrant of the car nearest to an obstacle, an extremely helpful feature.
The Infiniti QX56 as tested cost $61,865. For that much money you could buy a couple houses in some of the communities in the area.
However, if you're in the market for a car of this magnitude, you're going to have to search really hard to find a more fun and feature-packed, full-size SUV.
Homepage
Related Photos
-
Robert Inglis
-
Robert Inglis
Massive Infiniti QX56 offers plenty of space, gadgets
- News
-
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts.
-
Mom: Keller's response left her cold
Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
-
Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
-
Persing truck fee idea stalls
While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
-
Barber draws a crowd
The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St.
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
- Sports
-
Bucknell's Charlie Streep pushes past Colgate's Greg Perkins during the Patriot League lacrosse championship game Sunday afternoon at the Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg.
-
College Lacrosse: Bucknell men prepare to improve upon great season
It started a handful of years ago, when the Bucknell men's lacrosse team put a big 'X' on the national map in Central Pennsylvania with an upset of No. 1 Maryland.
-
High school football: Pratt says Kutztown the right fit
When Shikellamy's Tyler Pratt joins the Kutztown University football team as a free safety next fall, he will already have a good feeling for what his position coach will expect from him.
-
Todd Stanford On high school boys basketball: Increasing the refs' workload
If two heads are better than one, does that mean six eyes are better than four?
-
High School Roundup: Greenwood boys complete perfect TVL season
Greenwood capped off an unbeaten 2011-12 Tri-Valley League season by crushing Halifax 61-38 on Thursday Night.
-
College Lacrosse: Bucknell men prepare to improve upon great season
- Entertainment
-
In this image released by Universal Pictures, the character known as The Lorax, voiced by Danny DeVito, is shown in a scene from the animated film, "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax." Universal Pictures' (AP Photo/Universal Pictures)
-
Forget the Happy Meal. 'Lorax' gets green tie-ins
LOS ANGELES -- The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children's literature, is about to become a big-time corporate spokesman. With a host of comercial tie-ins -- albeit for eco-friendly products -- Universal Pictures will begin promoting "Dr. Suess' the Lorax" This month.
-
The Valley Players to present 'Roses in December'
SUNBURY — The Valley Players will celebrate this Valentine’s Day season with Victor L. Cahn’s “Roses in December,” a play that illustrates the beauty of the written word. In a script crafted exclusively from a series of letters, a young official in a college alumni office, played by Carrie Gilbert of Selinsgrove, invites a celebrated but reclusive author, played by Fred Hooper of Selinsgrove, to his 35th class reunion.
-
'Halftime in America' ad creates political debate
DETROIT — People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.
-
Forget the Happy Meal. 'Lorax' gets green tie-ins
