First Drive: 2011 Infiniti QX56

[2hondas1BMW]

I think it looks great for a large SUV. I'd never need to buy one though.

[aknutson]

There's a lot of people who think SUVs are the root of all evil based on their economy....At least a full size SUV has a lot of usefulness. How much can you haul/tow with a car?

Only ignorant people think SUV's and trucks are the root of all evil - we need them to run our economy, from work sites to construction, moving things, etc. If anything, the manufacturers and oil companies are the ones to blame for our massive dependency on oil, which is the real root of the problem, not people choosing luxurious, excessive vehicles.

That being said, what pisses me off is the Lincoln LT in the fast lane, bullying everyone else off the road because he has a beef with the world and thinks because he's bigger he owns the lane. It is not inherent in all big SUV/Truck buyers, but the few people that buy it to make up for social inadequacies seem to demonstrate this behaviour - it's the ones on 24" chromes with low-profile tires that have never seen a dusty road. I don't judge everyone based on this stigma, but it's difficult when the stereotype keeps getting repeated - I'm bigger, get out of my way.

As far as the performance cars go, you're a bit off there. A Porsche Turbo is a marvel of engineering, it actually achieves 8.3L/100 Kms highway, all while having the power to pretty much outrun anything else on the road. But you know what? I don't often see a Turbo flashing his highbeams at me in the middle lane, tailgating on a winter morning or cutting into my lane because he's bigger. If anything, drivers of exotic and luxury cars seem to have more respect for fellow motorists (except 7-series drivers - they're all dbags, sorry) and that earns my respect in return. Besides, the Porsche is dong what it does best - blast along smooth roads - what's the point of driving a vehicle built for muddy/rocky terrain on a highway? That's like buying a pair of scissors to shave your facial hair...not what it was meant to do.

If you're a normal dude driving your SUV cause you tow a trailer or go to the cottage, and have the courtesy to respect me as you would any other motorist, that's cool. If you got picked on in college and have a bad marriage so you buy a dually to make up for it and take out your frustrations on the rest of the motoring world, that's not cool.

My two cents...

[Vmango]

It's a free country and we live in a capitalist society. If you have the money and want to buy the biggest truck or most egregious sports car on the road - it's well within' your rights.


It almost motivates me to buy a huge truck out of spite - just to get under people's skin. 

[evil_twin]

It's a free country and we live in a capitalist society. If you have the money and want to buy the biggest truck or most egregious sports car on the road - it's well within' your rights.


It almost motivates me to buy a huge truck out of spite - just to get under people's skin. 

hahaha....agreed.  I would certainly go with this: http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/superduty/trim/?trim=f450kingranch

Although, truthfully, I do agree with the masses that North Americans, in general, drive far bigger/polluting vehicles than we need to. 

The witchhunt against SUVs and sportscars is misguide though.  Sure, these things pollute more than necessary and mother earth would be better off without them on the road.  But the damage is miniscule compared to that of some of our manufacturing and power-generation facilities.  People should focus their attention there to put pressure on the development of greener technologies.

[ovr50]

It's a free country and we live in a capitalist society. If you have the money and want to buy the biggest truck or most egregious sports car on the road - it's well within' your rights.


It almost motivates me to buy a huge truck out of spite - just to get under people's skin. 

+1 

[aknutson]

It's a free country and we live in a capitalist society. If you have the money and want to buy the biggest truck or most egregious sports car on the road - it's well within' your rights.


It almost motivates me to buy a huge truck out of spite - just to get under people's skin. 

So when everything is relative to the value of money, this is what someone's attitude looks like... 

[Mozeby]

There's a lot of people who think SUVs are the root of all evil based on their economy....At least a full size SUV has a lot of usefulness. How much can you haul/tow with a car?

"If you're a normal dude driving your SUV cause you tow a trailer or go to the cottage, and have the courtesy to respect me as you would any other motorist, that's cool. If you got picked on i college and have a bad marriage so you buy a dually to make up for it and take out your frustrations on the rest of the motoring world, that's not cool."

My two cents...

I've got about 10X the examples of 20 year old punk asses driving Hondas that think the QEW is part of the Cannonball Run.  My point was that most people don't realize that many large SUVs are not that far off from the average minivan or V6/V8 sedan in fuel economy.  You don't hear people bashing 5/7 series, or E/S class sedans with their high horse engines that don't get much better than 15 mpg in the city or low 20s on the highway, yet can only carry 4 people comfortably and an average amount of cargo.   Any full size suv these days can carry 7-8 people, and their cargo, and still get 20 mpg on the highway.  To me, that's effeciency. 

[johngenx]

You don't hear people bashing 5/7 series, or E/S class sedans with their high horse engines that don't get much better than 15 mpg in the city or low 20s on the highway, yet can only carry 4 people comfortably and an average amount of cargo.   Any full size suv these days can carry 7-8 people, and their cargo, and still get 20 mpg on the highway.  To me, that's effeciency. 

Those luxury cars you're talking about are sold in small numbers, therefore their overall impact is small.  The large volumes of V-6 and V-8 minivans, trucks and SUVs gobble up resources at an alarming rate compared to expensive luxury sedans or exotic sports cars.

I would agree about the efficiency per person if I saw those large vehicles carrying 7-8 people.  Rarely do I see them doing more than carrying one person on a commute.

[Mozeby]

You don't hear people bashing 5/7 series, or E/S class sedans with their high horse engines that don't get much better than 15 mpg in the city or low 20s on the highway, yet can only carry 4 people comfortably and an average amount of cargo.   Any full size suv these days can carry 7-8 people, and their cargo, and still get 20 mpg on the highway.  To me, that's effeciency. 

Those luxury cars you're talking about are sold in small numbers, therefore their overall impact is small.  The large volumes of V-6 and V-8 minivans, trucks and SUVs gobble up resources at an alarming rate compared to expensive luxury sedans or exotic sports cars.

I would agree about the efficiency per person if I saw those large vehicles carrying 7-8 people.  Rarely do I see them doing more than carrying one person on a commute.

Yeah, but now you're bashing the vehicle because some people who buy them don't use them to their potential.  Almost every vehicle in daily commuting has only one person in the car.  By your logic, we should all be driving Smart cars or motorcycles.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've always found the styling of the QX to be hideous. I find this to be second only to the Navigator in the ugly department.

Fortunately, they sell poorly so I'll rarely have to see it on the street.

[johngenx]

By your logic, we should all be driving Smart cars or motorcycles.

Not a bad idea, actually.  Seriously, my wife has a Corolla that is more than needed for her commute, but a good compromise between ability to take her to work and back with excellent economy and a vehicle to transport us to the mountains all summer.

My Subaru is not used for commuting.  I cycle commute all year unless I need to take/bring something particularly heavy to school, like my skis!

If I owned something as large as the QX, no way I'd drive it around all the time empty.  I'd buy a $8-10K used Civic or Smart, or whatever, to drive on a daily basis.