Infiniti QX80 rental - what a POS

[HOTCIVIC]

Went out to Colorado with the wife last weekend and we used Budget for a rental. We had originally selected a full size, and when we got there the options were a Hyundai Sonata or a Kia Optima. I was kinda surprised that those were full size, I thought those were a little small and I'm not really a big fan. I was hoping for an Impala or a Charger.

Anyway the guy at the desk offers to upgrade us to an Infiniti QX80 and it wasn't that much more. I said whatever I just wanted to get on the road and I figured having a big SUV in the mountains with a V8 would be better than driving a little Hyundai or Kia.

Apparently these things start at like 65k new:



Man let me tell you - drive one of these and then turn around and drive a Tahoe or a Yukon. If you choose the Infiniti you must be brain dead.

Now, I try to keep an open mind. Yes the thing is hideous, but it's also a rental and not in brand new condition so I shouldn't expect that it drive like it's off the dealership floor. It had some positives - the leather was nice, it had Nav that was easy to use, and it had giant windows because the damn thing is taller than it is long so it's easy to see out of.

I didn't have much complaint with the powertrain. It felt a little doggy but we were up at 10k feet so pretty much everything runs like crap at that altitude. The transmission was ok - seemed to go from gear to gear ok when going up the mountains.

My main complaint was the ride/suspension. The suspension felt like you are sitting on a bubble. Top heavy, bouncy, no confidence at all going into any corner. You feel like you are going to tip over with even a gust of wind. The seats were subpar. I adjusted the lumbar 10 different ways and couldn't get comfortable. If you drive for more than an hour your back starts to hurt. Shouldn't be like that in an SUV. You should be able to take a road trip and not have to worry about having a sore back after an hour of driving.

The front suspension was terrible. If you go over a bumpy surface in even a slight corner, the front end shifts/jumps around like a solid axle rear end does when it hits bumpy road in a corner. I've never felt that in a Tahoe/Yukon. And there was nothing broken in the suspension. It's not clunking/rattling or anything like that. It just seemed poorly engineered.

I don't know if anyone here has any experience driving one of these but I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the comparison between it and any 3rd or 4th gen GMT vehicles or even an Expedition.

At least now I know I sure as hell won't opt for one of these next time I rent something.

[Z28SSMAN]

Yeah, the import companies haven't figured out how to build big SUVs. GM pretty much dominates the full size market. Kinda like Toyota tried to compete in the FS pickup market with the Tundra. How many do you see on the road? Better than Titan but no comparison to the big 3. We had a fellow car enthusiast join TCO and get mad and leave after I pointed out that his Tundra didn't compare to GM/Ford and was also ugly.

[MR.hp]

My son has a Hyundai 2015 Sonata and he loves it. The car gets around 32 mpg most of the year except in the winter months when mpg is crap anyway. I worked for Hyundai 5 years and IMO the cars were better than the GM cars I used to have and easier to work on too boot. I agree, Infinity's are butt ugly, they are big slugs. As for me next truck will be a Toyota Tundra as with the last one we bought GM did not take care of the warranty issues on it. My Brother is in town and came over the other day, He has a 2016 crew cab 6.2, 2 wheel drive and when you get on it hard the truck has a nasty vibration. He thought it was something he had to live with, I told him to get it in and fix that before something breaks. The truck for being new also has a very rough idle, he has said it was that way new, looks like he got one of those Chevy Shake trucks, no more for me unless they are cheap and used, I am done with new GM stuff.

[Z28SSMAN]

So...for those reading Patrick's review about an Infinity comparing it to other SUVs, they should still consider buying an Infinity rather than a new GM. Or, maybe they should go buy a Hyundai Veracruz or Santa Fe or a Toyota Sequoia. lol. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[HOTCIVIC]

My son has a Hyundai 2015 Sonata and he loves it. The car gets around 32 mpg most of the year except in the winter months when mpg is crap anyway. I worked for Hyundai 5 years and IMO the cars were better than the GM cars I used to have and easier to work on too boot. I agree, Infinity's are butt ugly, they are big slugs. As for me next truck will be a Toyota Tundra as with the last one we bought GM did not take care of the warranty issues on it. My Brother is in town and came over the other day, He has a 2016 crew cab 6.2, 2 wheel drive and when you get on it hard the truck has a nasty vibration. He thought it was something he had to live with, I told him to get it in and fix that before something breaks. The truck for being new also has a very rough idle, he has said it was that way new, looks like he got one of those Chevy Shake trucks, no more for me unless they are cheap and used, I am done with new GM stuff.

That sucks about your brothers truck. Definitely don't think that's the norm with GM trucks. Generally they are very nice. No way I'd ever take a Jap truck over a Silverado or F150.

I havent driven any Hyundais but it seems owners like em. Not a fan of the looks but for those types of cars I suppose it's more about gettin from A to B instead of looks. Every Kia I've ever rode in or driven was a giant pile of shit. My wife's dad bought a Sorento new and by 20k miles it was a rattle trap. I have two coworkers who drive Optimas and there is no other way to describe them other than literal pieces of shit. I won't even ride with them if they offer to drive to a training or work function. Like it's not even about how bad they look - and there's no doubt about it, they look like they were designed by a 9 yr old with aspergers - it's about the fact that it objectively feels unsafe riding in them. No thanks :rotfl:

[MR.hp]

That sucks about your brothers truck. Definitely don't think that's the norm with GM trucks. Generally they are very nice. No way I'd ever take a Jap truck over a Silverado or F150.

I havent driven any Hyundais but it seems owners like em. Not a fan of the looks but for those types of cars I suppose it's more about gettin from A to B instead of looks. Every Kia I've ever rode in or driven was a giant pile of shit. My wife's dad bought a Sorento new and by 20k miles it was a rattle trap. I have two coworkers who drive Optimas and there is no other way to describe them other than literal pieces of shit. I won't even ride with them if they offer to drive to a training or work function. Like it's not even about how bad they look - and there's no doubt about it, they look like they were designed by a 9 yr old with aspergers - it's about the fact that it objectively feels unsafe riding in them. No thanks :rotfl:

I am not sure about the Kia's Pat, but I worked on the Hyundai's for 5 years and they were the most trouble free cars I have ever seen (up to 2014) they were quiet, rode good and got decent mileage. One thing you should know, I was the rattle guy for GM for 20 years, I cannot tell you how many rattle trap GM cars I worked on, 100's and 100's of them. They were so bad that new cars on the lot would rattle on test drives, the Buicks were the worst, glad I do not have to work on them anymore. Most of the Buick owners were just assholes, except for Joel, LOL. No doubt all newer car are made better than years past and the price have just jumped too high for me to waste on some of this stuff. Wifey's truck now has 16K on and any dealer I have asked tries to low ball us, I just do the same thing they do, I tell them here is my best trade in price just like they sell theirs. They sure hate it when I just walk away.