[Helios]

GM is considering creating off-road versions of the redesigned large sports utility vehicles it has in its portfolio, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL. Customers apparently love off-roading in large SUVs, which are seen as more off-road capable that crossovers.

Is there a demand for a QX80 with off-road capability as well, or does the luxury aspect of Infiniti make off-roading capability less of a draw for consumers?

 

[drmchsr]

Infiniti shouldn't this is why they have Nissan. When last have you heard of a luxury car maker that has a cheaper non-luxury brand under it do this? This is usually left to the cheaper brand, in this case... Nissan

 

[fleetwood]

Oh now they want to go back to this... LOL when SUVs first became popular they were all off road capable, but as popularity grew more and more capability dwindled as manufacturers realized people weren't actually going off roading, they just like the idea of maybe being able to go someday.

This can go a couple of ways. First, they bring back off road capabilities and the vehicle suffers in another area. Makers arent just going to add capability for free, budget allocation from another part of the vehicle will be appropriated to beef up the suspension. Or the total purchase price goes up, which then makes people even less likely to buy these off road capable SUVs...

Infiniti has no business playing in the mud, neither does Nissan for that matter. QX80 is for the city or for suburbia leave brush bombing to the Jeeps and SxS'. Off roading is dead, the next big fad is environmental protection.

 

[gbe300]

Oh now they want to go back to this... LOL when SUVs first became popular they were all off road capable, but as popularity grew more and more capability dwindled as manufacturers realized people weren't actually going off roading, they just like the idea of maybe being able to go someday.

This can go a couple of ways. First, they bring back off road capabilities and the vehicle suffers in another area. Makers arent just going to add capability for free, budget allocation from another part of the vehicle will be appropriated to beef up the suspension. Or the total purchase price goes up, which then makes people even less likely to buy these off road capable SUVs...

Infiniti has no business playing in the mud, neither does Nissan for that matter. QX80 is for the city or for suburbia leave brush bombing to the Jeeps and SxS'. Off roading is dead, the next big fad is environmental protection.

Yup, it wouldn't make sense, if they try, they will be competiting with Range Rover and we all know Infiniti will lose that battle, people will rather spend their money on a Range Rover for obvious reasons

 

[fleetwood]

Yup, it wouldn't make sense, if they try, they will be competiting with Range Rover and we all know Infiniti will lose that battle, people will rather spend their money on a Range Rover for obvious reasons

Thats a good point as well, although the Range does command a higher price than QX80. Even so, disregard price for a second and think about this. Have you ever seen a Range Rover caked in mud? do you know anyone who owns a Range Rover who lets it near rocks? I don't even know a range rover owner whos willing to hop a curb....

True story, with a colleague of mine a few weeks back heading to a trade show in the city and we took his Range. Long story short as we were leaving traffic is naturally chaos at the end of day at a trade show. So as were rotting i spot an empty space and a small ridge that would need to be hopped. and keep in mind this is a range rover for gods sakes, adjustable suspension, locking diffs, low gears and multiple off road settings.

So i say lets hop it, eff this lineup, he turns to me in stone faced seriousness and says "I dont want to get stuck"

That pretty much sums up off road capability for you. I'm sure the range can do it, but their drivers wont

More status symbol than play thing..

 

[Bronie]

Off roading is dead, the next big fad is environmental protection.

I'll buy into that. It used to be that even if you never go off road, you still want to be able to if you choose, or if you get into a crazy car chase and need to drive through some bumpy field. But really, there is a minuscule amount of people who off road, especially in a full-size SUV.

I think it is funny that companies are making hybrid version of their biggest vehicles. No matter what you do to these things they will not be "good" for the environment. The hybrid motor won't even give you much range before you have to switch back to gas guzzling. So in that sense I think that that both "off road capability" and "environmentally friendly" are just terms attached to vehicles to give people what they think they want.

 

[1nfinatt1]

The thing is, it's always like this, not just with cars. With just about anything you buy it's like this. People buy Arctic rated Canada Goose and Nobis jackets to wear during winter in cities like New York that get just a taste of winter as compared to the real arctic. Did they really need arctic grade jackets? no. Same thing goes with our QX80/QX56's

 

[fleetwood]

The thing is, it's always like this, not just with cars. With just about anything you buy it's like this. People buy Arctic rated Canada Goose and Nobis jackets to wear during winter in cities like New York that get just a taste of winter as compared to the real arctic. Did they really need arctic grade jackets? no. Same thing goes with our QX80/QX56's

FANTASTIC point.. if you wanted to stretch the parallel even farther look at it this way. People who buy Canada Goose spend a lot of money on them, and they feel that becasue it was expensive it means it is fancy. So i see people all the time downtown in a Canada Goose and a suit. I'm sorry that is inappropriate. Just becasue it was expensive doesnt mean it is stylish.

Now where the parallel lies is that QX80 is expensive, lets say average cost of a QX80 is ~$70K. Thats like treating the QX80 as your weekend track car because it costs the same as a corvette Z06. Just becasue QX80, Escalade, Navigator are expensive doesn't mean they are capable...

 

[gbe300]

FANTASTIC point.. if you wanted to stretch the parallel even farther look at it this way. People who buy Canada Goose spend a lot of money on them, and they feel that becasue it was expensive it means it is fancy. So i see people all the time downtown in a Canada Goose and a suit. I'm sorry that is inappropriate. Just becasue it was expensive doesnt mean it is stylish.

Now where the parallel lies is that QX80 is expensive, lets say average cost of a QX80 is ~$70K. Thats like treating the QX80 as your weekend track car because it costs the same as a corvette Z06. Just becasue QX80, Escalade, Navigator are expensive doesn't mean they are capable...

or go even lower and suggest a Nissan Armada, is just a QX80 without the luxury. Going about it this way, you're buying what serves your needs not your wants

 

[snowplow]

Not sure why you would take a fullsized SUV off-roading.

Maybe dirt roads. But serious off-roading? Get a Jeep.

 

[Luxurious]

Not sure why you would take a fullsized SUV off-roading.

Maybe dirt roads. But serious off-roading? Get a Jeep.

serious off-roading is definitely not for the QX80, i can see it taking on the same trails a Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX can, but not the extreme's. The QX80 has it's place.

not everyone is as rich and crazy as the saudi's

 

[snowplow]

i mean its not impossible.

a big car like this should have a real low range anyways.

should have a limited slip intelligent 4x4 system regardless

the question is the skid plates, the tougher and raised suspension. the torque.

those are things that they will need to spend money on to make it a bit more capable for off-roading

but like said above. who really takes their QX80 off road?

 

[fleetwood]

i mean its not impossible.

a big car like this should have a real low range anyways.

should have a limited slip intelligent 4x4 system regardless

the question is the skid plates, the tougher and raised suspension. the torque.

those are things that they will need to spend money on to make it a bit more capable for off-roading

but like said above. who really takes their QX80 off road?

its definitely not worth it for Infiniti, they just dont have the type of clientele to demand or support an offroad capable SUV like QX80. People who want the illusion of ruggedness buy Range Rover, people who want real ruggedness buy Jeep. But people who buy ranges and QX80s dont cross shop Jeeps....

So no, no market for them..

 

[Bronie]

its definitely not worth it for Infiniti, they just dont have the type of clientele to demand or support an offroad capable SUV like QX80. People who want the illusion of ruggedness buy Range Rover, people who want real ruggedness buy Jeep. But people who buy ranges and QX80s dont cross shop Jeeps....

So no, no market for them..

Interesting about Range Rover. Are Range Rover's more capable of going off road? Does Range Rover make a vehicle that is as big as the Infiniti QX80?

Have to agree that Infiniti drivers never take their cars off road. Maybe they drive to go on a camping trip, but that is hardly off-roading.

 

[snowplow]

Of course Range Rover makes big cars.

Almost all of their cars are big.

And they do have a reputation for being capable off-road.

Maybe not so much today as compared to back then but still very capable.