Infiniti’s new ‘Q’ a likely SUV survivor

There’s an elephant in the living room this weekend.

We can’t review Infiniti’s full-size QX56 sport-ute without commenting on the issue of fuel economy; like all large rigs, the new Q will experience fallout from this season of large fuel bills.

It’s small consolation to Infiniti dealers that all big, thirsty trucks and SUVs are struggling. The worthy will survive, however, and I’m betting the Q56 will be among them.

Infiniti has pulled off a neat trick with the QX56, giving it a sturdy, boxed ladder-frame chassis, front and rear sway bars and an independent, auto-leveling rear suspension. The result is a truck’s toughness married to surprisingly agile ride and handling.

The QX56 is strong, too, besting all comers in its price range with an 8,900-pound towing capacity. Unlike much of the competition, it has a two-speed transfer case, a huge help in demanding off-road conditions.

Pah!, you say; no one takes a beast like this off-road. No one has told Infiniti that; every QX56 with all-wheel-drive has three underbody skid plates and nearly 11 inches of ground clearance.

In the end, though, creature comforts and safety features sell more vehicles than off-road prowess does, and, as the up-level division of Nissan, Infiniti has that ground covered.

Available in a single edition, and with a choice of two- or all-wheel-drive, the Q56 comes completely outfitted for a base price of $49,050, including destination ($51,430/AWD). The only options are a DVD entertainment system, satellite radio, cargo mats and a moon roof.

It goes almost without saying that the interior is redolent of high-quality leather; Infiniti uses a soft, pleated-leather treatment they call “Sojourner,” which is influenced by handbag and apparel design and crafted in Italy.

Buyers choose between Dark Macore and Blonde Apaya wood trims (a Google search reveals the first to be a bona fide exotic hardwood, while the second is either a remote forest in the Philippines or a hellish state of mind in the Buddhist tradition, take your pick).

The steering wheel is trimmed in wood and aluminum, as is the center console and its gated shifter. The instrument control panel is trimmed in aluminum.

Too bad the dash is an unbroken expanse of bland plastic.

Happily, Infiniti has not yet fallen prey to the Great God of Confusing User Interfaces and instead provides the driver with an array of easily deciphered knobs and switches. A 7-inch navigation screen and Infiniti’s customary analog timepiece split the difference between the elegance of tradition and the benefits of modernity.

All the safety goodies are present and accounted for: a full complement of airbags includes curtain-style bags for all three rows of seats. The anti-lock brakes are discs at all corners and include electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Dynamic stability control, with traction control, and a tire-pressure monitoring system are standard.

The base seating package includes four heated captain’s chairs, each with eight-way power adjustments (the driver gets 10, but who’s counting?), and an elevated third-row bench. The middle-row captain’s chairs can be swapped for a two-person bench, bringing the passenger total to eight.

Second- and third-row seats fold flat, along with the passenger-side front seat, to create a cargo area measuring 97 cubic feet.

The 10-speaker Bose audio system includes a six-disc CD changer and the system can play the radio and CD simultaneously, with the second person listening on headphones.

With its snub nose and oddly drooping roofline, the exterior has been the source of some controversy. A tall hood, wrap-around headlights and strongly delineated fenders surround a chrome “waterfall” grille and the flanks of the QX56 are taut and muscular.

When it comes to that roofline, though, I’m on the side of the naysayers. It weakens the profile.

Underway, the Q is much more spry and maneuverable than its size (123.2-inch wheelbase; 206.9-inch overall length) implies. Its gearing, which is calibrated to take advantage of the engine’s powerful torque curve, provides decent acceleration even in low-speed, urban situations.

The 5.6-liter V-8 engine makes 315 horsepower and an impressive 390 pound-feet of torque. Nearly 90 percent of the torque is available at 2,500 rpms, where it’s needed to haul the boat out of the lake or the trailer up a steep hill.

As a designer and builder of “drivers’ cars,” Infiniti wanted to imbue its jumbo SUV with exemplary ride and handling characteristics, and succeeded. The QX56 displaces some 5,600 tall-in-the-saddle pounds, but even over railroad tracks and undulating, broken surfaces, body motion is controlled and predictable. The auto-leveling suspension and twin sway bars help keep the body flat in fast turns and quick transitions and under any normal condition, the Q imparts a feeling of stability and control. Like only a handful of the best SUVs, it feels connected with the road and with the driver.

And one never wrestles with the vehicle; the speed-sensitive steering is accurate, responsive and certain on center.

The steering wheel tilts and telescopes and the serially adjustable seats are large and supportive.

Large pillars can block the driver’s view at certain points of the compass, but large vehicles always require extra vigilance on the part of the driver, or should.

A rear-mounted camera was optional last year but is now standard. It’s especially useful in crowded parking lots — although the driver still needs to do a head-check — and in driveways, where toys, pets and small children are too easily not seen.

Let’s face it; this is not the best of times for large sport-utility vehicles with a thing for gasoline. The strong do survive, however, and I suspect Infiniti is in it with this one for the long haul.