2014 Infiniti QX80- thoughts or opinions?

[zombojoe]

Hey folks,need your thoughts on something. A family friend of mine owns a 2014 Infiniti QX80, one of those big, hippopotamus looking SUV's. She and her husband want to start RVing again sometime in the near future, but an unexpected issue has cropped up. Kid #3 that she is currently pregnant with is actually twins, so their idea of trading in the Infiniti for a 2500 pickup is now out the window. Does the Qx80 make a decent tow vehicle? Other than the TFLT Ike Gauntlet, I actually haven't seen any towing on the road. Her's is a 2wd 8 seater with the max 8500 lb towing capacity. They also have a weight distributing hitch that came with the vehicle. Short of getting them to trade it in for an older 3/4 ton Suburban (if they can find one) or a BOF passenger van, I'm not quite sure what I could suggest to them.
A few specs; 5.6 engine, 400 hp, 413 torque, 7 speed auto tranny with tow/ haul mode ( I think). not sure what the payload is. It's based off of the Nissan Patrol, which isn't sold in North America.

[alexleblanc]

Sounds like they should look at a unit like my old Dutchmen, was 5400lbs dry and was a full bunkhouse to boot. There's several other manufacturers who make similar size and weight models.


http://www.rvguide.com/specs/dutchmen/travel-trailer/2011/dutchmen-lite/295bhgs.html


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[Grit_dog]

Or they could get a big crew cab truck and just leave 1 kid at home each time.....
Maybe like a random drawing to see who doesn't get to go! Lol

[Grit_dog]

A 1T van really ain't the answer for towing either. They have great cargo capacity but anemic tow ratings compared to HD pickups. Even the Dmax van.
Plus you gotta drive a 1ton short bus around every day! Lol

Folks just gotta get around the weak sauce payload ratings and realize what full size 1/2 ton trucks and SUVs are capable of.
Newer ones with 150more hp, double the braking power, smart transmissions, bigger drivetrain components than a comparable sub, ram badger or Bronco from 20-30 years ago somehow magically have these super shatty payloads.
It's tough to explain to the weight cops who put every item going in the vehicle on a bathroom scale and add up the spreadsheet before driving out the driveway, but sometimes you just gotta do what works for you.
I would be far more concerned with tow-ability (notice I didn't say rating) than payload on any new truck/suv.
In short, you'll be able to safely tow a 7-8k trailer with the family loaded up with a new, properly equipped Armada/ Qx80. Only downside will be the hp on tap if you decide to start pulling mtn passes with it. And if you do, every road has a right lane!

[IdaD]

mkirsch wrote:
With four kids, you're going to need a "bunkhouse" type travel trailer. You're not going to want to settle for some lightweight hybrid where the kids have to share beds, especially in a couple years when they're older and more conscious of the world around them.

MAYBE there's a model out there that will come in around 7000lbs loaded, but the ones I know about are much heavier. The problem is your friend's wife will fall in love with the one that weighs 9000lbs, and absolutely will not compromise on something lighter.

All they can do is shop around and try to compromise on something.

Having a big family and towing a big trailer with one vehicle is a tough puzzle to solve. The vehicle best suited to this is a 1-ton full size van, but most people don't want to drive around something that big and bulky on an everyday basis.

KZ 2505 I think weighs around 7k gross. It has a quad bunkhouse in the front and a rear queen that slides out of the back. It doesn't have a slide on the side so it's tighter inside than some trailers, but it would give everybody a bed while still being pretty lightweight.

[APT]

Payload will be the limit, as well as receiver limit of near 900 pounds. Have them locate the Tire and Loading sticker on driver's door or door jam. For example if that is 1400 pounds and the weight of the family is around 600 pounds. That leaves 800 left for loaded TW, which is around 6500 pounds loaded and 5500 pounds dry.

[mkirsch]

With four kids, you're going to need a "bunkhouse" type travel trailer. You're not going to want to settle for some lightweight hybrid where the kids have to share beds, especially in a couple years when they're older and more conscious of the world around them.

MAYBE there's a model out there that will come in around 7000lbs loaded, but the ones I know about are much heavier. The problem is your friend's wife will fall in love with the one that weighs 9000lbs, and absolutely will not compromise on something lighter.

All they can do is shop around and try to compromise on something.

Having a big family and towing a big trailer with one vehicle is a tough puzzle to solve. The vehicle best suited to this is a 1-ton full size van, but most people don't want to drive around something that big and bulky on an everyday basis.

[Grit_dog]

1jeep wrote:
3 kids and one on the way, they could still buy a full size crew cab truck, you can still get them with a bench seat up front, this would seat 6.

Sure, but ever take a road trip with a little kid squirming and flinging Cheetos? Lol
Not sure how my dad did it with a single cab truck. Oh wait, we did it exactly once and took the car on every other vacation! Lol.
I'd actually take the 3rd row seats over a diesel pickup!

[1jeep]

3 kids and one on the way, they could still buy a full size crew cab truck, you can still get them with a bench seat up front, this would seat 6.

[2003silverado]

It certainly looks doable. Engine power is there, and I looked at a picture of the tread act sticker on a 2014 QX80 I found on ebay and the particular model I looked at had a payload of 1609 pounds, which is actually more than some half ton pickups.

In my opinion if they can keep the trailer to 6,000-7,000 pounds LOADED weight, and they are conservative on loading the QX80 they should be able to do it.

[camp-n-family]

Plenty of power to pull up to the tow rating, and then some. Limiting factor in determining trailer size will be the vehicle payload. It may work with a midsize tt, while the kids are small and light, but only a scale and actual weights will say.