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2023 Infiniti QX80 gets higher base price and Amazon Alexa compatibility

Infiniti has released pricing information for the 2023 QX80, its biggest and most expensive SUV. The body-on-frame family hauler costs more than during the previous model year, but it gains a handful of additional tech features and the Infiniti Premium Care maintenance plan. Offered in three trim levels, the 2023 QX80 carries a base price of $74,395 including a $1,695 destination charge. That figure corresponds to the rear-wheel-drive Luxe model, but "entry-level" is a relative term: it comes standard with 20-inch wheels, a 13-speaker Bose sound system, leather upholstery and wood interior trim. For context, the 2022 QX80 Luxe cost $71,995 including a $1,395 destination charge. Pricing for the full range is as follows: QX80 Luxe rear-wheel-drive: $74,395 ($2,400 more than in 2022) QX80 Luxe four-wheel-drive: $77,495 ($2,400 more than in 2022) QX80 Premium Select rear-wheel-drive: $78,995 ($2,215 more than in 2022) QX80 Premium Select four-wheel-drive: $82,095 ($2,215 more than in 2022) QX80 Sensory rear-wheel-drive: $86,045 ($2,415 more than in 2022) QX80 Sensory four-wheel-drive: $89,145 ($2,415 more than in 2022) While prices are up across the board, which is par for the course, Infiniti expanded the QX80's list of standard features with Amazon Alexa compatibility and a haptic feedback function in the steering wheel for the lane departure warning system. And, like every member of the 2023 range, the QX80 comes with the Infiniti Premium Care plan that includes up to three years of inspections, oil changes, and tire rotations. Built in Japan, the 2023 Infiniti QX80 will reach dealers across the nation in the coming weeks. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Q50 Eau Rouge to kick off series of performance Infinitis

Infiniti is desperate to position itself as a brand for performance enthusiast. It's tried to create that impression by attaching its name to the Red Bull Racing team, by sprucing up the G37 Coupe and G37 Convertible as part of its lack-luster Infiniti Performance Line, and by bringing Sebastian Vettel on board to create a special edition FX crossover. But the Japanese luxury brand knows it's going to need something more comprehensive if it's going to go up against BMW and its M models, Mercedes and its AMGs, or Audi and its Quattro GmbH-tuned RS range.
That's why the Q50 Eau Rouge concept unveiled just last week at the Detroit Auto Show was so important to the marque. But Infiniti has more in store than just a concept. Nissan desires to put the Q50 Eau Rouge - named after the notoriously challenging turn at the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium - into production with a 500-horsepower engine. But in speaking to Automotive News, Infiniti chief Johan de Nysschen hinted at more good news to come.
That could include a performance version of a new flagship sedan Infiniti is said to be working on, positioned above the current Q70 to fill the void left by the discontinued Q45 that capped the brand's range before it shifted its entire naming scheme behind it. The flagship sedan would need some serious muscle to challenge the likes of the Mercedes S63 AMG and Audi S8, but Infiniti seems bent on getting there. To cap it all off, Infiniti has long been rumored to be working on a halo sports car. Whether they'll all carry the Eau Rouge name, the IPL badge or some sort of other designator remains to be seen, but we'll enjoy seeing this development progress.

The yin and yang of the 2017 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400

When we first drove the Q50 Red Sport 400, Infiniti had the car out at a prepared slalom-and-cone course in a large, open parking lot. The car was stacked up against another Q50 without the Direct Adaptive Steer steer-by-wire system, and the course was designed to show that the DAS-equipped Red Sport 400 (it's a $1,000 option) required less steering input to master the same course. With all due respect to Infiniti, which is invested in this unfortunate system and has been working hard to revise it, the comparison doesn't make a lot of sense. The non-DAS Red Sport 400 has a steering ratio of 15:1 in RWD and 16.7:1 in AWD forms. The DAS system can vary between 12:1 and 32.9:1 in RWD and 11.8:1 to 32.3:1 in AWD flavors. At its extremes, the DAS system's ratio is vastly different than the fixed-ratio cars. So sure, with a super-quick steering ratio available, the DAS driver's going to do less work. It's all in the gearing. Does this mean it's better, that the steering feel is more natural, that it's easier to hustle quickly? The amount the driver saws at the wheel isn't an indication of that, necessarily. After a few days in a rear-drive Red Sport 400, I'm saying that the spooky disconnection between the driver and the front wheels would be a severe deficit to a driver on a real autocross course. It's not like the DAS system is choosing bad ratios within its range, it's just not supplying the feedback to make it enjoyable. Knowing what your front tires are up to is critical. I can hear you saying right now, "But what Q50 Red Sport 400 owners are going to autocross their cars?" Sure, but it was just a means to an end: showing off the DAS in a good light. And in that case, it probably did. The thing is, in isolation, not back-to-back with a non-DAS car with a slow steering ratio, the DAS system has the same issues it's always had: It simply doesn't feel natural. It doesn't feel intuitive. There doesn't seem to be any real advantage over a slightly quicker rack. I don't hear about people making buying decisions based on how much work they have to do sawing at the wheel, do you? So, that's one side of the Q50 coin – one that's hard to ignore if you're an enthusiast and steering feel is an important connection between you and the vehicle you just dropped a large hunk of change on, and will be spending a lot of your time in. The other is that there's a really compelling reason to drive a Red Sport 400: The 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 is a monster.