Test drive Infiniti QX80 and Cadillac Escalade
In Russia, the American premium, which is not at all adapted to our realities, is more expensive than you might imagine. And driving an almost six-meter car in the city is not an easy task.
“It's too big, but it's not a truck either. Seryozha, come here, I don’t know how to count it, ”I had to gather a consultation at the car wash to decide at what rate to invoice the Cadillac Escalade ESV. "Yes, what's wrong with that? the administrator replied. “It’s like the Suburban we washed in September, just a little longer.
The Infiniti QX80, which was washed in the next box, did not raise any questions, but the “Japanese” each time attracted the attention of tankers, who offered to “fill in three thousand”. In Russia, the American premium, which is not at all adapted to our realities, is more expensive than you might imagine. And driving an almost six-meter car in the city is not an easy task.
Aston Martin escapes the chase, screwing into the Del Mascherino lane, turns onto Borgo Angelico, winning precious meters from the Jaguar C-X75, but runs into the Fiat 500 bumper at Delhi Ombrellari. Sports cars continue to circle at high speeds through the Roman streets and, finally, leave for the Tiber embankment. The chase in the last part of the James Bond film impresses with neither dynamics nor special effects, but I’m not interested: at every turn, be it the close intersection of Borgo Vittorio and Plauto or the narrow exit to Stefano Porcari, I think over the trajectory along which I could repeat the route of the heroes in driving an Escalade. This, it seems, is unrealistic: a stone flower bed interferes here, there are steps, and in the narrowest alley, passage is impossible due to a metal staircase. What are the Roman streets here, if even in the underground Moscow parking lot an SUV does not fit into empty spaces.
The Infiniti QX80, which is shorter than the Escalade ESV by 40 cm (length 5,3 m), at first does not seem too maneuverable either. The “inflated” hood prevents you from feeling the dimensions - the problem is solved by turning on the front camera if you need to drive in a cramped yard between two standing cars. Parking in parallel is convenient: the SUV has huge side mirrors and correct parking sensors that do not annoy with false alarms. But you can't just pick up and leave the QX80 at the edge of the roadway. It's too wide and risks blocking the passage for something big like another QX80.
Sitting in an elongated Escalade doesn't feel as secure as an Infiniti. The straight hood, not as big as in the QX80, the windshield and lightweight front panel make it difficult to realize that there is almost 5,7 meters of iron behind you. And now, on the go, you begin to believe that you are driving a mid-size crossover, but this feeling will definitely spoil the salon mirror. You will see in it the fifth door, which is somewhere out there, in Yuzhny Butovo, and immediately you begin to dream of a free space in the yard, or better, two at once.
Against the background of Escalade, the Infiniti QX80 seems too brutal due to the specifics of the finish and ergonomics. Here, no one will offer you to delicately adjust the seat heating and will not extend the footrest when you open the door. The materials in the interior are very rough, straight and devoid of frills: here is a tree covered with a greasy layer of varnish, thick leather, textured plastic, which can hardly be called soft, and cubic meters of air around. In spirit, the QX80 is very similar to the pre-styling Ford Explorer, where the wind also walks through the cabin. There are no creaks, rattles and other extraneous sounds inside the Infiniti, despite the fact that the test copy has already covered 35 thousand kilometers in a year.
The interior of the Cadillac Escalade is too gorgeous to provide the same monumentality. Alcantara, textured wood, leather, velvet, velor, aluminum - there are no precious stones in the interior of an SUV. But the overall impression is spoiled by an inconvenient multimedia touchscreen and black glossy inserts, on which prints are constantly left, and an unusual adjustment of the air conditioning system. It is also inconvenient to use the transmission selector, which, in the manner of old American SUVs, was transferred to the steering column. The clue is not the dashboard indicator - the one that rarely anyone looks at.
In general, the Escalade and QX80 exacerbate the need for options that were previously considered redundant rather than real helpers. For example, the front camera helps to maneuver in tight yards and drive as close to an obstacle as possible - it is not so easy to see a small fence behind the tall hood. The collision warning system is also a useful thing, given the not very informative and wadded brakes on SUVs. Monitoring of passing vehicles helps to prevent rearranging into a neighboring vehicle - these SUVs have such “dead” zones that a KamAZ with an autopilot can hide there.
The Infiniti QX80 can and should be used as a family car. It has easy access to the third row of seats, which can accommodate three adults. However, in terms of comfort level for all passengers, including in the gallery, Escalade is unattainable. Making his way between the second-row seats (it is only possible to go to the end of the SUV's cabin), it does not leave the feeling that you are in a minibus. The real purpose of the Escalade is immediately given by monitors in the headrests and ceiling and expensive finishing materials - even in the gallery, passengers are surrounded by Alcantara and wood. Not a new Pullman, of course, but there's nothing to complain about here at all.
In the "Japanese" there are no false feelings - it seems that you are just sitting in a very large SUV. To get to the third row, you do not need to suck in your stomach, squeezing between the seats, but simply recline the back. There is enough space in the back for three, but only two can comfortably triple there. Comfortable means driving for several hours and not complaining about knee pain.
I was so afraid that all the seats in the yard would be occupied that I missed the tram a little. The Escalade-sized vehicle flew into the port side of the SUV at full speed and did not seem to be about to give up. The brake pedal squeezed to the floor on my cruising 80 km / h at first inspired hope, but after a moment it turned out that the effort was not enough. I had to go to the oncoming lane. In general, the brakes on the Escalade are its weakest point. The pedal travel is too short, so the driver receives a minimum of information. The collision avoidance system helps to calculate the braking distance, which tells you when to press with all your might.
If sparrows suddenly scatter in the yard in the morning, staining the windows of parked cars, it means that a cold QX80 has started up somewhere. The atmospheric "eight" in the middle rev range sounds menacing, cutting through the silence first with a hysterical whistle, and then with a velvet rumbling. It seems that the SUV will go like this now: reluctantly, imposingly and very slowly. But the three-ton Infiniti falls short of expectations: on the move, it is extremely lightweight, understandable and very predictable.
Long bends, of course, are not for him, but in Moscow lanes, an SUV with an integrated frame maneuvers perfectly between the cars parked in the second row and quickly slips onto a blinking green. Infiniti engineers have achieved this responsiveness to steering turns and a smooth ride, among other things, thanks to the hydraulic roll suppression system. The naturally aspirated V8 produces 405 hp. and 560 Nm of torque - not so impressive figures for a heavy SUV the size of a GAZelle. But the first "hundred" QX80 is gaining even too recklessly, spending only 6,4 seconds on the exercise - in the style of the best hot hatches.
In the Cadillac you expect the same lightness, responsiveness and dynamics, because it is even newer, more powerful, and therefore more technologically advanced and more perfect than the Infiniti. But barely getting under way, you realize that the Escalade, built on a supporting frame, if ever heard of dynamic driving, it was only from the CTS-V. On paper, it is almost as fast as the QX80, but in fact, the American 8L V6,2 (409 hp and 610 Nm) is more tailored for economical driving. As soon as the SUV accelerates to 40 km / h, the system immediately muffles half of the cylinders. If you carefully play along with the gas pedal, smearing the dynamics between traffic lights, then the "eight" will never work at full strength.
Every time you remember about the Cadillac's ability to juggle cylinders at a gas station - in the combined cycle, a heavy and very long SUV burns only 16-17 liters per 100 kilometers. In the urban cycle, consumption sometimes rises to 20-22 liters, but even these figures are nothing compared to 30 liters for the QX80. A 100-liter tank is enough for the Escalade for more than a week, and on the "Japanese" you have to call in to refuel twice as often. In addition to gasoline, there is nothing more to try to save the owners of Escalade and QX80: transport tax - $ 799, OSAGO - $ 198, comprehensive insurance - at least half a million.
The American premium is expensive not only in maintenance - the cost of large SUVs has already approached the price of a two-room apartment in a new building. The top Escalade in the Platinum package (namely, this was the one we had on the test) will cost at least $78. There are absolutely all the options that can only be imagined in this class. The Infiniti QX764 in the Hi-Tech version is noticeably cheaper - from $80. In terms of comfort and power reserve, only executive sedans can compete with these SUVs, but today they are even more expensive. Those who choose sedans can save only on their operation, refueling less often than on the Escalade, and receiving a check at the car wash for $ 59. No rugs.
