First Drive: 2011 Infiniti QX56 overcomes the odds
Ask any braniac elementary school student what happened to the dinosaurs, and they’ll tell you they turned into birds. While the mechanics are a bit more complicated than a momma T-Rex hatching a brood of yellow finches, modern science would seem to agree with the concept. When we were in school, the common perception was that those massive lizards parted ways with terra firma courtesy of a jumbo-sized meteor smack. Our Earth Science books called it a mass extinction, and they accompanied the definition with helpful illustrations that depicted contemplative Brontosaurus and Triceratops herds looking off into the distance as a chunk of orange sky plummeted toward the horizon.
So you can’t really blame us for thinking that the SUV would follow a similar natural path. When fuel prices shot up, many rejoiced at the thought of global body-on-frame extinction. This was the event some had been patiently waiting for since the high-riding people movers first supplanted the minivan as the family cruiser of choice. And while we’ve certainly seen weaker species succumb to the heat of pressure from more efficient breeds, the strong continue to soldier on, slowly adapting to a world grown hostile to anything big and thirsty. If you believe Infiniti, that’s exactly what the 2011 QX56 has done – evolved.
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Infiniti, SUV Tags: Infiniti
Leaked: 2011 Infiniti QX56 drips onto web prior to NY debut
When Nissan unveiled the all-new Patrol SUV in the Middle East last month, we already knew that we’d be seeing the rebranded Infiniti version as the 2011 QX56 at the New York Auto Show. Furthermore, spy photos left little to the imagination. Today, leaked official images leave exactly zero to the imagination.
Despite what appears to be an effort to infuse a dollop of FX style to the front end, the 2011 Infiniti QX56 manages to retain an awkward-looking “forehead” (much like its predecessor) that’s reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster, thanks to the not-insubstantial amount of bodywork that rises above the headlamps. There’s also a garish fender vent the approximate size of Martha’s Vineyard. While the QX56’s front and rear end treatments are unique to the Infiniti, the basic profile and daylight opening are identical to the new Patrol, as is the lavishly-appointed interior, which appears to just swap steering wheel logos.
Categories: Auto Show, Infiniti, New York Auto Show, SUV Tags:
