Video review: 2020 Infiniti QX80 in Dubai UAE

The 2020 Infiniti QX80 is based on the decade-old Nissan Patrol platform. But the much-needed facelift it received back in 2018 took care of the biggest design criticisms of the older version.

Changes included moving the headlights higher, replacing the front-fender vents and adding a chrome strip on the tailgate between the new LED tail lights, although moving the rear indicators down to the bumper was an odd move.

The car seen here is the Limited model, identified by its satin chrome exterior trim, darker lower-bumper garnishes and unique 22-inch wheels with a dark machined finish.

The interior has minimal changes, the most prominent being the new leather and alcantara materials, quilted upholstery, extra stitching on the wheel and dash, and the unvarnished wood trim.

The massive interior has no shortage of space, with big firm cooled seats and a wide central console armrest that has a cooler box underneath, with a double-hinged cover that can be opened by front or rear passengers.

While rear legroom is immense, even the third row is decently spacious, with regular-sized people easily fitting back there for long trips, but taller folks will have issues, as the second-row seats don’t slide front and back.

The third row can be folded up or down electrically, although the motors are painfully slow.

The second and third-row seats can split-fold down to create ridiculously-generous cargo volume.

The 8-inch touchscreen houses the navigation, phone etc. with convenient physical buttons below it.

The 2021 model will get major tech upgrades, but our 2020 model is already decent, with features such as the larger 8-inch rear screens, welcome lights, Bose sound system with 15 speakers, “smart” rear-view mirror, power tailgate, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning and intervention, 360-degree cameras and predictive forward-collision warning, among other features.

The refined ultra-smooth 5.6-litre V8 engine gets a 28 hp bump up in power for the Limited trim, making it good for 428 hp and 560 Nm of torque.

Mated to a 7-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive, the Limited managed a 0-100 kph time of 7.3 seconds and burned fuel at rate of 16.7 litres/100 km in our test, which is within class standards.

The Limited is actually 39 mm lower than the Patrol, but it still does not have height-adjustable air suspension.

It comes with four-wheel independent suspension and a unique “hydraulic body motion control” system that reduces body roll.

Diving into corners, it can occasionally still feel a bit lumpy, but it’s never prominent.

The power steering has now been made firmer, although not really adding more feedback.

Ride quality is generally good, but the 22-inch alloys with lower-profile tyres can make things a bit jittery on some rough road surfaces.

Wind hush is muted well, with some road noise cropping up only at 120 kph.

As for offroading, all the required gear is there, including a selector for 4-high and 4-low.

It doesn’t get the Patrol’s terrain-select system, ground clearance, final drive ratio or meatier tyres, but it can still do a good bit of dune bashing as long as you watch what you’re doing.

The 2020 Infiniti QX80 is a dinosaur in today’s world, but it is a friendly dinosaur, one that rewards you with old-school reliability and capability that few modern rivals are still able to match.