The Sacramento Bee's view

Big as a backhoe, the 2004 Infiniti QX56 is not a politically correct sport-utility vehicle in this age of backlash directed at super-size SUVs. It’s a 207-inch long, 5,600-pound-plus hunk of unapologetic hardware, which can seat up to eight people – or seven stout adults in the layout of the tested vehicle’s interior cabin (four captain’s chairs in the first two rows of seating and a three-passenger bench in the back).

If you don’t like monster-size SUVs with fuel economy ratings of 13 miles per gallon in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway, you’re going to waltz past the QX56 without thought of a second glance.

But if you need ample seating, roominess and plentiful comforts in a full-size luxury SUV – and there are hard-working, law-abiding Americans who truly need such things – the QX56 should be on your short list of possibilities.

For a big brute, the QX56 sure is a lot of fun. It has class to go along with its imposing size … like that hulking high school football player who surprised you with his love of Mozart back in the day.

Power in the tested model was provided by a 5.6-liter V-8 with 315 horsepower and an even more impressive 390 foot-pounds of torque. That was matched with a five-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

It’s a nice combination, moving the QX56 with ease through freeway traffic and aggressively up steep hills. Acceleration from a standing start is no neck-snapping experience but adequate for a vehicle of this size.

Off-road, a two-speed electronic transfer case enables the driver to select high and low settings, and the tested QX56 proved stable in the dirt and a capable climber of unpaved surfaces.

The AWD system is designed to instantly distribute torque to all four wheels whenever road conditions make that necessary. Even rough off-roading can be done with some amount of relaxation, thanks to heavy-duty skid plates for the oil pan, fuel tank and transfer case.

On a mild off-road course about an hour’s drive north of Sacramento, the vehicle’s four-wheel independent, double-wishbone suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars handled the mass of the QX56 quite well. Please understand, this is no sedan-like drive. Hit a garden hose-size bump at 55 miles per hour, and you might wonder who dropped that barbell in the road, but for the most part, the tester was balanced and agile for a full-size SUV.

Chances are, few QX56 buyers are going to take it to play in the mud. It’s touted as a luxury vehicle, and with a starting price of $50,400, it’s a safe bet that most will avoid hurdling tree stumps and opt to enjoy the vehicle’s charms on paved surfaces.

And charms are many in the QX56 comfort-and-convenience department.

Standard features on the tester included a DVD navigation system with a 7-inch display screen, a premium Bose audio system with six-disc CD player and 10 speakers, steer ing wheel-mounted audio/cruise controls, leather seating surfaces, dual-zone climate control, heated seats in the first and second rows, power-adjustable driver/passenger seats, 10 cupholders, two large bottle holders, four 12-volt power outlets and power rear, flip-out quarter windows.

Not enough?

The tested model came with an $1,100 “Smart Vision” option package that included a rear-view camera that enables the driver to see the area behind the vehicle when backing up and cruise control that automatically manages safe driving distances among vehicles in traffic. The $1,600 “Entertainment System Package” included a DVD entertainment system with a 7-inch color screen that flips down from the ceiling (wireless remote headphones come with it).

A $1,200 power, sliding-glass sunroof brought the bottom line on the tested QX56 sticker to $54,980. If you can’t have fun with all those goodies, perhaps a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 is in order.

What’s not to like on the QX56? Well, there’s that awful annual gasoline bill you can expect to pay. And there’s the scorn you can expect to absorb from your holier-than-thou neighbor who just purchased a hybrid-powered Toyota Prius.

Also, the front end of the QX56 has some shapeliness, but the vehicle kind of reverts to the big-box-SUV look from the top of the windshield back to the rear bumper.

However, these are comparatively minor gripes in a vehicle that has so much size, luxury and gadgetry that there are a million factors to consider. For my money, Infiniti gets nearly 1 million of them right.

Infiniti QX56 at a glance

Make/model: 2004 Infiniti QX56.

Vehicle type: Seven-seat, four-door, all-wheel-drive, full-size sport-utility vehicle.

Base price: $50,400 (as tested, $54,980).

Engine: 5.6-liter V-8 with 315 horsepower at 4,900 revolutions per minute and 390 foot-pounds torque at 3,600 rpm.

EPA fuel economy: 13 miles per gallon city; 18 mpg highway.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic with overdrive.

Steering: Power rack and pinion with speed-sensitive feature.

Brakes: Four-wheel vented discs with anti-lock and special braking enhancement features.

Suspension type: Double wishbone on front; independent double wishbone on rear (stabilizer bars front and rear).

Cargo volume: 61.2 cubic feet.

Fuel tank: 28 gallons.

Curb weight: 5,631 pounds.

Track: 67.5 inches front and rear.

Ground clearance: 10.7 inches.

Height: 78.7 inches.

Length: 206.9 inches.

Wheelbase: 123.2 inches.

Width: 78.8 inches.

Tires: P265/70R18 all-season radials.

Maximum towing capacity: 8,900 pounds.

Assembly site: Canton, Miss.