I have always treated huge luxury SUVs roughly the same as a phone studded with diamonds or a leopard on a leash — an expensive but completely useless toy. Unless I live on a family estate somewhere in the deep forest with twenty offspring, buying such a machine does not seem like a rational decision to me. The irony is that within a couple of months, the asphalted and polished Moscow, and not some impassable hinterland, will be filled with fresh Lexus LX 570s. Exactly like the one I got. And the Infiniti QX56, which we decided to take as a pair to the Lexus, is already actively cruising the capital's streets.
There are plenty of reasons to avoid both of these cars. They bite with their price, drink gasoline by the bucket, behave like clumsy hippos in the city, and require one and a half or even two parking spaces. Their practicality is as obvious as it is excessive. The one who really needs to load the cabin and trunk to the brim every day and transport crowds of people, alas, drives a car of a completely different caliber.
But as soon as you find yourself inside the LX 570, the part of the brain responsible for logic and cold calculation capitulates. Instead of thinking about how much I alone need such a mountain of metal, you look at the silver plateau of the hood stretching out ahead and enjoy looking down on the small fry in the traffic. It feels like the whole world has squatted down.
The Lexus interior is, in fact, Lexus. The architecture of the front panel is the same across the entire brand, but it hasn't gotten old for me yet. Ergonomics are top-notch, and the adjustment ranges are huge. Visibility also pleased: you can see perfectly back in the mirrors, and you can even look ahead right over the "heads" of those driving in front. The materials didn't disappoint — it's even harder to find fault with the build quality now. Although I managed to. Take, for example...
The LX 570 interior is assembled flawlessly, although it too has its Japanese quirks. Like the Infiniti, it has keyless access and power adjustments with memory. But the seating position in the Lexus is more comfortable, and you figure out the multimedia system noticeably faster. The front seats are equipped with heating and ventilation, and between them is a spacious cooled box. But in terms of small compartments for various odds and ends, the Lexus yields to the Infiniti, although there are plenty of them here too.
Wait, we've already arrived for the Infiniti. I switch to the QX56 and feel demoted. It seems like everything is there — leather throughout the cabin, decent trim materials. But something is elusively wrong. The instruments are simple (albeit optitronic), the buttons are scattered everywhere, feeling like they were borrowed from an old Nissan Sunny. There's a screen, but instead of a fashionable touchscreen, it's a regular "TV" with confusing controls underneath. And the seating position isn't as good as in the LX 570. The QX56's steering wheel doesn't even adjust for reach! Did they save money? The situation is slightly, but not completely, saved by the adjustable pedal assembly. And the side mirrors aren't as convenient. But a glance at the price tag is sobering: it's a sin to complain — yes, they saved money! A fully loaded QX56 costs almost one and a half times less than the Lexus. For that difference, you could cover the entire cabin with LCD panels, including the floor, ceiling, and trunk. And even install buttons made of natural granite.
The seating position in the updated Infiniti QX56 is far from ideal — the steering wheel is heavily tilted and has no reach adjustment, and the parking brake pedal catches the left foot from above. The power window buttons and door locks look cheap, but rear passengers get a DVD and a screen. In the armrest box, we even found a cassette deck! There's plenty of space for small items, and along the central tunnel on both sides, there are convenient niches.
The Lexus's equipment for its money, however, is richer. Here you have four-zone climate control, navigation, three video cameras instead of one, suspension with adjustable ride height and stiffness (the QX56 has pneumatic elements only at the rear to keep the body level under any load), and a whole bunch more. The Mark Levinson audio system with 19 thousand speakers throughout the cabin easily outperforms the Bose in the Infiniti, which has only 12. But in terms of engines, it's almost a tie — the Lexus's 5.7-liter unit houses 367 "horses," while the Infiniti's 5.6-liter has 325. The claimed acceleration to 100 km/h is 7.5 and 7.8 seconds, respectively. Not bad at all!
Passengers in the second row of both cars have access to reclining backrests, heating, air vents (climate control is four-zone in both), and cup holders. In the Lexus, three people can sit in the back (there's electric adjustment for length), but two are better off in the Infiniti with its separate seats and large box between them. The third row is also more comfortable in the Infiniti, although the set of amenities is similar.
The massive LX 570 accelerates impressively, indeed. Powerfully, confidently, without strain. You press the gas — the six-speed gearbox downshifts without delay, and the car, nose raised, lunges forward. Impressive! But exactly until the moment a speeding Infiniti appears in the mirrors. Surprisingly: a weaker and heavier car with one fewer gear in the transmission doesn't give the Lexus the slightest chance.
The LX 570 is exemplary in comfort and quietness. The Mark Levinson audio system with nineteen (!) speakers sounds luxurious.
The QX is not only quicker. Its chassis is tuned much more aggressively. While I drive the Lexus around the city, everything is fine — for such a mastodon, it handles very decently, especially if you switch the electronically controlled dampers to Sport mode. But I switch to the Infiniti — and it feels like I've moved into a passenger car. Body roll is noticeably less, the steering wheel is filled with informative effort, and the "automatic" is perhaps even too bold. If the LX 570 responds to the gas promptly but smoothly, the QX56 tries to "launch from a standstill" at every opportunity. Great for driver-oriented driving, but passengers are unlikely to like it.
But... these cars feel cramped in the city. By the end of the day, the thought of escaping the concrete jungle into nature became obsessive. So the next morning, we grabbed food, water, and things we didn't mind getting dirty from home, filled the tanks to the brim (which, by the way, totals 198 liters!) and headed out of town.
When I drive outside the metropolis, I often encounter SUVs speeding past. Many consider them ideal for the highway — get in the left lane and fly at a serious cruising speed in complete comfort. The road quality doesn't matter, and you can turn into any village — it'll get through without issues!
But here I am driving the Lexus on the highway, and I don't really enjoy it. Yes, the car doesn't care about road quality, it won't deviate a millimeter from its course in ruts or on bumps. It's just that I don't feel the course myself — the steering wheel is empty, the car sways, and I constantly have to stay alert: am I going where I should? A very American tuning... Sport mode slightly corrects the situation, and the swaying on waves noticeably decreases. But gentle arcs, oddly enough, the car handles very confidently. And bumps don't bother it.
Finally, we stopped to swap cars. I get into the Infiniti. Oh, now that's a different story! Now I can relax and even sprawl out in the seat. And, holding the steering wheel with one hand, watch the kilometers fly toward me. The steering wheel's informativeness is sufficient. However, the suspension spoiled things again — even on small bumps, the body shakes with unpleasant vibrations. Not scary, of course, but not pleasant either. And the steering wheel twitches as if stung. Fortunately, this doesn't particularly affect the course. An SUV created for good roads. Funny, right? But if you close your eyes to the shaking, the noise (in the Lexus, it's as quiet as daytime in a strip club) and the confusing interface of the onboard computer, then I prefer the Infiniti — you get less tired behind the wheel.
In fact, that's how it should be. After all, the Lexus is still an SUV, and the Infiniti is a crossover. The QX is generally more spacious. The Lexus's passengers have no reason to complain — a person of almost any build can easily sit in the second row, and you can even fit in the third if desired. But in the Infiniti, the space in the second row is completely different. It's simply royal! Two separate seats with individual armrests, a huge box between them, a TV, and other benefits of civilization. And even the third row of seats, although it remains conditionally suitable for adults, is also more spacious.
A familiar place — it was here a year ago that Vitalik managed to beach his Cadillac Escalade on its belly. That trip to the tractor was not remembered with any enthusiasm. But this time the risk of getting stuck was much smaller: we had two cars, and we also brought tow straps and shovels.
The Infiniti's electronic stability control allows the car to slide quite noticeably, but the behavior remains confident and predictable. The all-wheel drive here is on-demand — unlike the Lexus — and if desired, the QX can even be made rear-wheel drive.
Honestly, we weren't expecting any surprises. In fact, even the trunk tells a lot about the character of these cars. The Infiniti's is neat, lined with pleasant beige carpet. It's better not to go in there without being spotless, especially after mud. But the Lexus has a large, rough rubber mat on the floor, and the third-row seats, when folded, don't hide in a recess but stand upright along the sides. However, transformation in both cars is elementary: press a button in the trunk — and the servos do the rest.
The third row in both vehicles folds electrically. True, in the Lexus — only partially: the seatbacks can also be folded manually by pulling the handles on the rear side. The tailgates of both cars also open and close automatically.
The Lexus is equipped with permanent all-wheel drive with a rigid locking Torsen center differential, a low range, a bunch of useful electronics, and more aggressive tires. The Infiniti, on the other hand, has only a low range and two pairs of wireless headphones from its off-road arsenal. So the question of who was pulling whom out answers itself.
The LX 570 has huge suspension travel and impressive energy capacity. Combined with high ground clearance, advanced transmission, and suitable tires, it allows it to hooligan off-road without much effort.
Don't think the QX was completely helpless. The role of lockers here is taken by the traction control system, which brakes the spinning wheels, and in many situations it proved to be a good help. The 270 mm ground clearance and short overhangs provide quite decent geometric off-road capability. For most cases when you leave the asphalt where the road ends, this is more than enough.
The Lexus responds to the steering wheel even sharper than the Infiniti. But body roll in corners is large, and the steering lacks feedback — you constantly have to correct the line. During hard braking in a curve, the car may try to slide — good thing the stability control is on guard.
But where you start to feel uneasy in the Infiniti (and, admittedly, not without reason), the Lexus goes as if nothing happened. Just engage low range — and the car raises by 75 mm. A very useful thing is Crawl Control, essentially cruise control for off-road. When you need to crawl carefully at low speed, under even power and without wheelspin, the electronics manage the throttle and brake the wheels, maintaining the set pace — from 1 to 5 km/h. Plus, the Lexus has smart ABS that recognizes the surface type and adjusts its operation algorithm accordingly. In short, the tractor driver was left without a treat today.
For such a huge SUV, the QX56 handles excellently. But it doesn't like bumps — they transmit unpleasant impacts to the body and steering wheel. The large unsprung masses take their toll.
Apart from handling and dynamics, the Lexus LX 570 left a more pleasant impression: it's quieter, more comfortable, with a higher-quality interior and excellent off-road capability. But the Infiniti also has something to boast about — not only more confidence on asphalt but also almost a million rubles saved.
In the evening, we were already back home. In the parking lot near the house stand one of these elephants and my GTI. The phone rings — they ask me to urgently leave for a couple of hours on personal matters. "No problem," I reply. I walk out with two keys in my pocket. Which one to take? It would seem more logical to take the Golf — it's faster, handles great in corners, no worse at speed, and consumes more than two times less. But without hesitation, I get into the Infiniti. No, there is something about these huge cars...
If you think about it, it's not all that bad. These monsters do take up more space on the road, of course. But it's often the case: if there's a parking spot for a golf-class car, then one of these two can fit there too. Especially since they have front and rear parking sensors, rear-view cameras (too bad the Infiniti's doesn't show the trajectory like the Lexus's — that's convenient), and the LX 570 also has one camera each at the front and rear. Just keep an eye on the mirrors and screens. You can climb curbs (and not only) again. But a regular crossover can do much of this too — much cheaper, more economical, and handling truly like a passenger car. However, no matter how you look at it, an expensive car is still a toy. And if so, why can't a toy be big? People grow up too.
And you know, these Lexus and Infiniti have something that crossover owners are deprived of. You get into either of them — and the world around changes. The road hogs stop annoying you, people let you in just by turning on your blinker, no one honks from behind when you stop to let pedestrians cross. It feels like everyone around has become kinder. You switch to a regular car — no, they haven't. The day of courtesy on the roads is over.
Specifications
| Specifications | Infiniti QX56 | Lexus LX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| Body | ||
| Number of doors/seats | 5/7 | 5/7 |
| Length, mm | 5255 | 4990 |
| Width, mm | 2015 | 1970 |
| Height, mm | 1998 | 1920 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2754–2759 | 2660 |
| Gross weight, kg | n/a | 3300 |
| Trunk volume, l | 232–1160 | 259–1267 |
| Engine | ||
| Type | Petrol, with port injection | Petrol, with port injection |
| Location | Front, longitudinal | Front, longitudinal |
| Number and arrangement of cylinders | 8, V-shaped | 8, V-shaped |
| Number of valves | 32 | 32 |
| Displacement, cm3 | 5552 | 5663 |
| Max power, hp/rpm | 325/5200 | 367/5600 |
| Max torque, Nm/rpm | 553/3400 | 530/3200 |
| Transmission | ||
| Gearbox | Automatic, five-speed | Automatic, six-speed |
| Drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Chassis | ||
| Front suspension | Double wishbone with anti-roll bar | Double wishbone with anti-roll bar |
| Rear suspension | Independent, multi-link, with anti-roll bar | Dependent link with anti-roll bar |
| Front brakes | Disc, ventilated | Disc, ventilated |
| Rear brakes | Disc, ventilated | Disc, ventilated |
| Ground clearance, mm | 270 | n/a |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed, km/h | 203 | 220 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h, s | 7.8 | 7.5 |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km | ||
| Urban cycle | 21.9 | n/a |
| Extra-urban cycle | 11.5 | n/a |
| Combined cycle | 15.3 | n/a |
| Emission standard | Euro-4 | Euro-4 |
| Fuel tank capacity, l | 105 | 93 |
| Fuel | AI-95 | AI-95 |
Trim levels of the tested vehicles
| Trim level | Infiniti QX56 | Lexus LX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| Front airbags | + | + |
| Side airbags front and rear | + | + |
| Side curtain airbags | + | + |
| Knee airbags | - | + |
| ABS | + | + |
| Traction control system | + | + |
| Dynamic stability control system | + | + |
| Seat belts with pre-crash pretensioning during emergency braking | + | + |
| Front active head restraints | + | + |
| Electrically folding exterior mirrors with heating and electric adjustment | + | + |
| Sunroof | + | + |
| Front fog lights and rear fog lamp | + | + |
| Parking sensors front/rear | + | + |
| 20" alloy wheels | + | - |
| 18" alloy wheels | - | + |
| Light sensor | + | + |
| Adaptive headlights | - | + |
| Xenon high beam headlights | - | + |
| Leather seat upholstery | + | + |
| Headlight washers | - | + |
| Power-adjustable front seats with driver memory function | + | + |
| Bose audio system with 12 speakers | + | - |
| Mark Levinson audio system with 19 speakers | - | + |
| Touchscreen display on center console (EMV) | - | + |
| Optitron instruments | + | + |
| 8-inch screen for rear passengers | + | - |
| DVD player | + | + |
| 6-disc DVD changer | - | + |
| Full-size spare wheel | + | + |
| Rear air suspension | + | + |
| Active hydropneumatic suspension with height adjustment | - | + |
| Rearview camera with guidelines | + | + |
| Front and side view camera system | - | + |
| Four-zone automatic climate control | + | + |
| Heated seats for 1st and 2nd rows | + | + |
| Ventilated front seats | - | + |
| Cruise control with steering wheel controls | + | + |
| Keyless entry system | + | + |
| Power tailgate | + | + |
| Steering column with electric tilt adjustment | + | + |
| Steering column with electric tilt and telescopic adjustment | - | + |
| Navigation system | - | + |
| Electrochromic rearview mirror inside | + | + |
| Price of tested vehicle | 2,489,000 RUB ($103,700) | 3,450,000 RUB ($143,750) |
The most curious thing is that this time the whole trip went surprisingly smoothly. We set off on schedule, washed the cars without delays, managed to shoot all the footage and had plenty of driving fun. No silly getting stuck. And when we ran out of food one day, we quickly found a solution — in the trunk of the test car we discovered a whole stash of Tula gingerbread.