jrmckinley

For the first time in over 20 years, I do not own a Toyota or Lexus product. Our 2010 LX570 was showing its age and had some costly repairs on the very near horizon, so I unexpectedly was forced to start shopping over the weekend. Our 3 requirements were a 3 row SUV, 2nd row captains chairs, and a sunroof. Our Tesla Y gets 75% of the mileage in the family, so the SUV is used when my wife and I are both needing to drive somewhere and will always be the vehicle we take on road trips. We are also in the stage of life where we are carting around our kids and their friends, so we need some space. I have always bought used, but I also looked at a few new vehicles this time around. Here's what we looked at and why it didn't win:

• 2021-2024 Tahoe: my favorite exterior styling. My wife didn't like the way it drove and she really disliked the lack of luxury feeling in the 2nd row and 3rd row. I was trying to get her over the hump but couldn't make sense of being able to buy a new one (2024 RST or high end LT with roof) for about $68k but a 2021 with close to 50k miles was $54k and I'd have to pay about $3k more to add a warranty. I refuse to get one without warranty due to what appears to be a substantial risk with engine issues on both engines. Biggest strike against buying a new one is there is a refresh coming in 2025 and I didn't want to spend $70k and then feel it's dated after 12 months.
• 2020-2022 Aviator: really nice interior. Obviously smaller than others we considered. Talked to some friends that had these and all of them had leaky sunroofs and ditched the car. Confirmed same leaking issue on a Lincoln forum. Disqualified but would've been a contender.
• 2021-2023 Expedition: Liked it, have friends that just got 2023's and like them a lot. Platinum trim is all I would consider. 2021 has different infotainment. Hard for me to justify the price tag on these, both new or used.
• 2020-2022 Navigator: Wanted to like it, but just like the Aviator I have a couple of buddies with these model years and while they love the truck, it has issues (suspension, one just reported a leaking moonroof)
• Lexus TX: Didn't think my wife would like the styling, but she was OK with it. Interior felt a little cramped for our liking (width overall and also 2nd row). I prefer a higher driving height but that wouldn't have been a deal killer. Turbo 4 concerned me as I'm coming from a monster V8, but I didn't get a chance to drive it because my wife didn't think it was a legit contender for us. We looked at 2 trims - one was $63k sticker, the other $68k.
• Range Rover LWB: didn't realize RR made a 3 row. Absolutely beautiful but not big enough for us. And the $130k MSRP didn't include the $50k dealer mark-up.... 2 year waiting list for these, so finding one on the lot means you pay a premium. Almost $200k.. out!

I wish this had all happened about 3-6 months down the road so we could've seen the Lexus GX. The GX and the 2025 Tahoe refresh both actually impacted our approach here, so we both agreed that what made sense was to get something that would get us about 2-3 years of worry free ownership but checked all of the boxes. That lets us see these 2024/2025 models and maybe lets us pick one up 1-2 years old.

So... the winner ended up being...... a CPO 2021 Infiniti QX 80 Premium Select. Here's why:

• Worry free: 1 owner, 32K miles leased vehicle, has brand new tires, new brakes, full warranty until 2027, roadside assistance for life, QX60 or QX80 as loaner any time vehicle is in the shop
• Best value, by far. Follows a depreciation schedule I'm more used to, especially compared to Tahoe. This truck new was $77k. Got it at $47k OTD (before trade value).
• Not our favorite overall exterior styling, but actually looks the most similar to the LX from the side which my wife liked.
• Really nice interior layout with soft touch material literally everywhere. Awesome 2nd row captain chair setup and insane amount of cargo space with 3rd row folded down (huge upgrade from LX). Good amount of space when 3rd row in use.
• Had every feature: blind spot, proactive braking, 360 camera, wireless CarPlay, etc. All of these are upgrades for us coming from a 2010 LX.
• Drives awesome - wife felt the most comfortable, great seating position and ride height, and by far the most quiet and refined of anything we drove at 80mph. I'd describe the drive as somewhere between the new Tahoe and a Lexus. It has the insulation and "precision" feel of a high end Lexus model but has some of the more loose/floaty feel of a big GM SUV (which I like)
• The Infiniti dealer was amazing. Did all negotiations directly with the rep, no back and forth to a manager, very low pressure, very professional. Best car buying experience I've had.

The cons of the 2021 QX:

• Has a 2 screen setup for the UI instead of the new 12" screen that came in the 2022's. Not a huge deal for us given what we came from, but the '22 has a more modern infotainment setup for sure. A 22 was about $8k more than the deal I got on this and I just couldn't justify that price for a screen.
• Was the only thing we looked at without a pano roof. My wife and I both love sunroofs and would have preferred pano. Just have to live without one for another 2-3 years.
• Back up camera is great in the day, but mediocre at night. I think it's more the screen resolution than anything.

Overall, an absolutely gigantic step up for us from our LX. The LX was good to us, but it had its shortcomings - in particular I always hated the jump seats crushing my usable cargo space on trips. The QX is not perfect, but it's big, comfortable, reliable, and came with a warranty and price tag that can't be beat for our 2-3 year needs.

TangoRed

Despite how old the QX80 is, I always enjoy them when I have one as a rental. I think you made a great choice given your needs!

jrmckinley

Couple of pics. I don't know the name of the exterior color, but it's a very deep navy blue.

jrmckinley

Yeah, it's kinda like the GX to me. It's been in the same skin for a while and is due for a design change (I think Infiniti is refreshing in 2025 or 2026). The subtle moving of the headlights to be higher up the hood was a nice change. And yes - it checked the most boxes and provided what we thought was the best value as a "bridge" vehicle for 2-3 years and is a major upgrade from our LX.

swajames

Congratulations! I’ve owned a couple of Infinitis over the years, and found them to be great to drive, trouble-free and like you found the dealer we worked with to be excellent. I think you made a good choice. Enjoy!

Blaze876

iTrader: (1)

Congrats! I briefly sat in a 2023 Armada a few days ago and the materials felt very nice. From inside you could tell me its an Infiniti and I would have agreed. For some reason the curve dashboard that goes into the door card on the passenger side looked dated.

Side note, one of the Catalytic converter was stolen on the one I sat in and it sound great! haha.

SW17LS

Congrats! these are really nice, and I love the styling...

JDR76

Congratulations!

Moonman89

I enjoy the QX80 I had a 2018 as a rental & that N/A V8 is smooth as silk. My current car is the IS500 (my 3rd one) & every-time I punch it puts a smile on my face.

jrmckinley

Thank you!

Thanks! My wife was just group texting with another couple friend who is shopping to turn in their 2020 GX lease and suggested they look at these. The wives comments back and forth to each other were "the seats are like first class seats on an airplane". LOL - it's actually a decent comparison. The seats are very wide, comfortable, and the thickness of the leather is substantial. And the 2nd row seats appear to be almost identical to first row seats.

I haven't sat in the Armada but I'm sure it's basically identical. Funny you mention the curved dashboard on the passenger side. I hadn't noticed that until driving it home last night, I actually think it's kinda cool. It would look nice with ambient lighting at night. I think this is where Infiniti will make changes to the 80 soon. Pano roof, ambient lighting, all new exterior design, big modern touch screen.

. Thanks, I hope that is the case for us as well. I read a lot of great reviews on these and feel that it should be overall reliable, which is one of the things I loved about Lexus. I was very impressed with the dealership - from the first couple of minutes meeting the sales person I had a sense it would be easy to work with them. He proved me right.

Margate330

Awesome looking ride.

Enjoyed the pics.

jrmckinley

I'm not really a die hard V8 guy, but I do like the feel of this engine, especially on something of this size and weight. Very smooth to your point.

mmarshall

Excellent points. I have pointed out, in Car Chat, more than once, the fact that sunroofs take rigidity out of the roof structure, often decrease headroom because of the ceiling-housings, and make leaks/rattles/squeaks and other issues more likely. I would not have one on any vehicle I own. I, too, have had friends/colleagues that have had sunroof problems, in Toyota Siennas, no less........a brand otherwise known for reliability.

jrmckinley

A decent amount of what I read on Lincoln forums talked about poor drain design. The drains would get clogged and the water had nowhere to go but in the car. Sometimes it seemed the dealer could fix the issue, other times they'd attempt to fix it to no avail or it would be temporary. Seemed like there was something more than just drain design.

A sunroof was mandatory for us, and given the torrential rains that happen across FL 4-6 months of the year, there is no way I could take that risk. I saw YouTube videos of standing water in someone's car.

SW17LS

Just because one company designs sunroofs poorly doesn't mean sunroofs are a problem.