I normally don’t like huge vehicles like this QX56. They are challenging to park, costly to fuel up and when you’re behind the wheel of one, people make you feel like you’re a shameless polluter. But when it’s time to go road tripping with the kids during vacation time, a big SUV like this Infiniti makes life a lot easier.
No need to play Tetris while loading up the QX56’s cargo hold. With lots of room to spare, I told my girlfriend that we probably forgot to pack a suitcase or three. The cargo area is so deep that grabbing stuff pushed against the 2nd-row seatback is hard to pull out without getting your shorts dirty on the fat rear bumper. You can always raise the power-folding 3rd-row seatbacks to get your stuff tumbling towards you, but the operation is nauseatingly slow.
This QX56 tester is equipped with the optional Technology Package, which adds all kinds of modern gadgetry, some useful, some annoying: lane-departure warning system, blind-spot monitor, intelligent cruise control, adaptive headlights, a wood-trimmed wheel, an advanced climate control system and massive 22-inch polished alloy wheels. In my humble opinion, the brainy cruise control is a keeper, the rest are all non-essential items.
As I’m loading up the QX for a 4-day jaunt from Montreal to Quebec City and back, I noticed that the rear-seat occupants benefit from dual LCD screens mounted in the front headrests as well as audio/video input jacks and a 115-volt power outlet.
So, like any loving father would do, I decided to test the motion sickness resistance of my kids by setting up my dusty but trusty Super Nintendo game console for them, which kept them occupied for a couple of hours. Then they got bored of Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Oh well.
Starting a movie also kept them quiet, but that’s after a family-wide dispute because the dual screens wouldn’t revert from the auxiliary input to the DVD. After an emergency stop at the first highway exit, in order to climb in back and figure out how to use the remote control (which I admittedly should have done prior to leaving home), we were happily on our way again. Using wireless headphones, it is possible to watch a movie in back and listen to the radio or music on a USB key up front.
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| The Infiniti QX56 was a great companion during my vacation with the family. (Photo: Michel Deslauriers/Auto123.com) |
No need to play Tetris while loading up the QX56’s cargo hold. With lots of room to spare, I told my girlfriend that we probably forgot to pack a suitcase or three. The cargo area is so deep that grabbing stuff pushed against the 2nd-row seatback is hard to pull out without getting your shorts dirty on the fat rear bumper. You can always raise the power-folding 3rd-row seatbacks to get your stuff tumbling towards you, but the operation is nauseatingly slow.
This QX56 tester is equipped with the optional Technology Package, which adds all kinds of modern gadgetry, some useful, some annoying: lane-departure warning system, blind-spot monitor, intelligent cruise control, adaptive headlights, a wood-trimmed wheel, an advanced climate control system and massive 22-inch polished alloy wheels. In my humble opinion, the brainy cruise control is a keeper, the rest are all non-essential items.
As I’m loading up the QX for a 4-day jaunt from Montreal to Quebec City and back, I noticed that the rear-seat occupants benefit from dual LCD screens mounted in the front headrests as well as audio/video input jacks and a 115-volt power outlet.
So, like any loving father would do, I decided to test the motion sickness resistance of my kids by setting up my dusty but trusty Super Nintendo game console for them, which kept them occupied for a couple of hours. Then they got bored of Super Mario and Donkey Kong. Oh well.
Starting a movie also kept them quiet, but that’s after a family-wide dispute because the dual screens wouldn’t revert from the auxiliary input to the DVD. After an emergency stop at the first highway exit, in order to climb in back and figure out how to use the remote control (which I admittedly should have done prior to leaving home), we were happily on our way again. Using wireless headphones, it is possible to watch a movie in back and listen to the radio or music on a USB key up front.
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| A 115-volt power outlet allows plugging in a game console for the kids. (Photo: Michel Deslauriers/Auto123.com) |