2011 Infiniti QX56 at the 2010 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Cadillac Escalade, Lexus GX 460, Lincoln Navigator
• Looks like: Infiniti applied its wispy styling to a big SUV … with questionable results
• Drivetrain: 400-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 with seven-speed automatic transmission; rear- or four-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Summer

Now in its second generation, Infiniti’s gigantic QX56 adopts the brand’s brush-stroked styling to look a bit more like its smaller cohorts. Whether the brand’s styling translates at all to a full-size SUV, of course, is up to you. We’re torn on it. Inside, the redesigned interior sports more three-dimensional gauges, a four-spoke steering wheel and gathered leather inserts along the doors. An available rear entertainment system can play two sources off separate screens.

The QX hits dealerships this summer with a starting price of $56,700 for rear-wheel-drive models. Four-wheel drive adds $3,100; both prices are unchanged versus the 2010 QX56.

Available high-tech features include lane departure warning and prevention systems, a blind spot warning system and Infiniti’s Around View Monitor. Twenty-two-inch wheels are packaged with Hydraulic Body Motion Control, which Infiniti says fights body roll while cornering. Thanks to direct injection and a new seven-speed automatic, the QX gets another 80 horsepower under the hood for a total of 400 hp, and Infiniti says gas mileage is up 10 percent. That means combined EPA ratings could hit 15 or 16 mpg, which is not thrifty by any measure but keeps up with the Escalades and Navigators of the world. Towing capacity drops slightly to 8,500 pounds; last year’s QX topped out at 8,900 pounds.