Noob Hello

[unfamous]

Hello. I'm new here and am looking at replacing two birds with one stone. I'm no stranger to cars and have owned various forms of them over the years. From a 32 Ford to a top of the line BMW e66 and every thing in between. Trucks to rods to sports cars.

Currently I am working on replacing my e66 AND my work horse Durango with a combination of both in one vehicle. Could it be a QX56? I'll find out tomorrow!

I have been lurking and reading up on these things. I have also driven an older model, 2005, owned by a friend. In reality, what can I expect for gas mileage? On long trips the e66 gets around 24 mpg. The Durango, highway or city, 4x4 or 4x2, rain snow and everything else, get 11 -12 mpg on a good day. I'm not THAT concerned with fuel mileage, but with prices expected to ht $5.50 here in the Atlanta area this summer, I must at least add that to the purchase equation.

Also, I have never dealt with Nissan or Infinity. I have owned a Toyota or two, which were complete disasters, but never a Nissan product. How is service? I know it will vary from dealer to dealer, but in general, are they pretty good? How about warranty issues? Are they fairly easy to deal with or are they hard headed about things?

FWIW, I'm going to drive a 2011 QX56 tomorrow. 4x4, Theater package, Dark Currant/Wheat.

[Timmbo]

Welcome to NICOclub! Pleasure having you here in the QX56 Forum! Get the QX56! Awesome ride! Latest technology with features and the powertrain. Gas mileage is in the 15-17mpg overall range. That seems to be what people are getting. As far as service and reliability, Infiniti is awesome! Let us know how things turn out, good luck shopping!

[unfamous]

Thank you for the welcome. 15-17 mpg actually sounds pretty good to me at this point. 10 years of running around in the Durango getting 9-12 has gotten depressing.

I test drove the QX today. I must say it's an impressive truck. As luxurious as an e66 or A8L. Fit and finish is very good. I am a little worried about how well the leather will hold up against kids, dogs and the hot southern summers. It will not fit in my garage either! With the crossbars on it's about 1/2" too tall. I will say, that for the money, it's a much nicer, larger and comfortable than other vehicles in the same price range. With the VPP pricing it should be a pretty good deal in the long run.

Two things I don't like are the heavy feel of the steering and the height of the deck. The steering I can get accustomed to, the deck could be a problem. I have a huge, overweight Bernese Mountian Dog with a bad knee and I simply can't lift 203 lbs of reluctant canine in to the back! Even side entry is a bit on the high side. I'm going to have to take a very close look at this issue.

[Timmbo]

That is about the only complaint about the QX56 and the Nissan Armada, they are very high up for shorter people and especially women.