In the summer of 2025, Infiniti announced the QX80 Sport, a new “sporty” take on their premier SUV. The vehicle includes new 22-inch rims, a “dusk-blue” interior, a new audio system, and a few more color choices.
But what’s it like to actually drive? Infiniti let me borrow a vehicle for a few days so I could find out for myself. Having driven the Nissan Armada a few months ago, some of it felt very familiar. However, I did spend a lot of the loan pondering one big question. What’s so sporty about the QX80 Sport?
The cameras are exceptional
As with the Armada, the camera system inside the Infiniti QX80 is absolutely exceptional. It takes most of the challenge out of driving such a large vehicle and makes navigating through what would normally be difficult situations an absolute breeze.
During my time with the vehicle, I managed to work my way through several narrow drive thru lanes, dodged some creatively laid out traffic cones, and most impressively worked my way through a congested farm store parking lot while a large bus was unloading a group of elderly people and clogging up the lane. With the camera system’s help, I squeezed the vehicle through an incredibly tight spot then maneuvered it into a space near a barn.
It’s also something that would give me a bit of confidence in the QX80 Sport’s off-roading abilities. I’m not saying you should take this thing to MOAB, far from it. But if you live in a rural area and need to squeeze past some trees or make your way around a fallen log on a narrow trail, the camera system will get you through without a spotter.
It’s pretty practical
The third row, should you decide to use it, also has a fair amount of space. You can cram a fully grown adult back there without too many complaints, which is saying a lot. If you choose to put the seats down, which can be done with some easily accessible buttons in the trunk, you have a good amount of storage space available. While transporting a TV on its back isn’t ideal, I did manage to shift a 65” television with the QX80 sport. The suspension was good enough to spare that television any damage on the 15-mile drive home.
In terms of off-roading, there is some ability there. The all-wheel drive system and ground clearance are certainly an advantage in a snowstorm. However, this does lack the necessary tools for any kind of serious offroading. This isn’t really a criticism; there are very few truly off-road-capable luxury SUVs, and the likes of the QX80, Navigator, and Escalade are closer to limousines than they are to a 1997 Jeep Wrangler.
Fuel economy is what you would expect
The QX80 Sport is packing a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and weighs about as much as a pair of baby hippos sitting on a depleted uranium bobsled. As a result, moving it around takes a fair bit of gas. During the testing period the vehicle peaked at around 20mpg and spent a lot of time running at around 16mpg, which puts it on par with the Cadillac Escalade.
This obviously drops when you’re riding around town, and drops hard. I got below 13 mpg in certain circumstances. It also plummets when you open the taps, but you’re not likely to notice. Despite the 0-60 time being close to seven seconds, the QX80 Sport feels oddly pacy. It’s probably more to do with something of that size moving at any kind of speed, but it definitely seems faster than it actually is. Maybe this is the sportiness the vehicle’s name alludes to? Or, maybe not.
The “sport” trim takes things to the next level visually, but doesn’t add much else
The “sport” side of things seems to be purely cosmetic. Unlike with other vehicle’s sport trims, you don’t get a boost in the horsepower department, nor do you get a more aggressive powertrain, tweaked suspension, or a stack of new drive modes. It’s pretty much as is. This feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, but doesn’t take away from the vehicle on the whole.
It’s also incredibly large, which again isn’t that “sporty” but does have its benefits. You’re sitting at what can comfortably be termed “school bus driver height” and while the width is more substantial than most other vehicles on the road it somehow seems more manageable than the QX80’s cousin, the Nissan Armada.
Is it worth the cash?
While the QX80 starts at just over $80,000, the “Sport” trim pushes into six figures with an MSRP of $106,000. This puts it on par with lower end Escalades and Navigators, while sitting just below the starting MSRP of a Range Rover SE. So it’s definitely playing with the big boys when it comes to pricing.
As for if it’s worth it, the Infiniti badge obviously doesn’t carry the same level of prestige as the aforementioned luxury SUVs. However, in terms of trim and features, you probably won’t be disappointed if you pick the QX80 Sport over a lower end Lincoln or Cadillac. It’s definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for a luxury SUV, but don’t want to go too far beyond the $100,000 mark.
