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Infinity QX56 People Carrier with 8 Seats

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Jul 252011

With Infiniti slowly starting to bring its top players to the UK, there seems to be more and more scope to integrate the rest of the range into ‘Blighty’. The G35 and G37 are already sold in the UK and have had an excellent response, and there is room for a fresh range of SUVs and people carriers to be brought over. The new QX56 is an odd-looking seven-seater, but strangely appealing. It’s huge, and is luxurious, and would take on the likes of the Audi Q7 or the BMW X5.

Infinity QX56 - SUV People Carrier (8 Seats)

With Infiniti showrooms cropping up around the country, and older generation (2004 models) already available to buy from second-hand dealers, it’s not a completely new name to Brits. The QX56 has a thumping V8 engine that delivers a lazy, but punchy, wallop of torque that would make hills a cinch. The weightiness and the strong engine mean that it is an incredible tow car, and would have no problem hauling a caravan or a boat along.

Infinity QX56 - SUV Boot Space

As the Infiniti is built on the same chassis as the Nissan Patrol, which we’re all familiar with, there is a strong workhorse underneath the extravagant styling and interior. It’s not only a seven-seater, but there is another seat making it able to carry eight passengers although the rearmost seats are best kept for children. The 2-3-3 seating is a handy layout for most families, but there still isn’t much boot space with all seats being used, as with many seven-seaters.

Rolling on 20” rims, it’s certainly not as rugged as a Nissan Patrol, but it doesn’t claim to be. Most off-roaders stay on the road anyway, so why not have tyres that grip the road rather than have knobbly ones. Inside the cabin the dashboard is well laid out, with easy to reach buttons and controls, and there is tri-zone climate control which is handy on summer drives. The third bench seats fold away electronically, which makes it perfect for loading the boot space with shopping. There is active suspension, so when you’re carrying a lot of weight, the back end doesn’t drag along the floor. The rear passengers are spoilt rotten, with entertainment systems, and the front seats are ventilated to keep the driver and navigator feeling fresh.

Infinity QX56 SUV People Carrier Interior

There is a myriad of safety equipment, designed to help out when the road conditions are slippery and tame that throbbing V8 with traction control. Being such a heavyweight, having stability control nipping the brakes during cornering or evasive manoeuvres is also welcomed. The engine, a 5.6-litre V8 pumps out 400bhp and 413 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox which has manual override buttons and blips the throttle for seamless down shifts.

Whether you’re carrying your friends and family, pulling a boat or carrying lots of items on board, the Infiniti QX56 deals with its tasks admirably. As there aren’t many on UK roads, it will stand out from the so common Audis and BMWs, and thanks to the potent engine and self-levelling suspension, it’s arguably more usable than those two for all-round driving needs.

Ssangyong Rexton makes greater steps into the market

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Apr 102011

The Malaysian car manufacturer Ssangyong has been around for years, always just missing the mark with their cars and pitting them against rivals such as Mercedes, Ford and other well-established car makers. New Rextons in the UK do not currently have 7-Seats, but older models do. I’m sure they will be re-modelled soon to include a 3rd Row of bench seats.

Ssangyong Rexton Similar to Chevrolet Captiva

In a bid to turn the tables, in a ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ fashion, the latest Rexton is powered by an older generation Mercedes engine and the styling is far better than that of past models such as the Musso.

While it still looks very similar to other Asian cars, the design is clean, sophisticated and similar to the Chevrolet Captiva 7-Seater, which is also a funky-looking SUV. With sporty addenda, such as alloy wheels, a rear roof spoiler, side skirts and lower front air dam, the option-ticked Rexton certainly does look the part and will appeal to a wider audience.

Chevrolet Captiva - 7 Seat 4x4 with 5 year guarantee

The two Mercedes-sourced engines, both 2.7-litres, are fantastically reliable and a good move for Ssangyong. There are 163 or 183bhp models, which are mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox. The lower-powered one needs thrashing a little to get it moving and can sound coarse. The more powerful model is still a little lethargic but it is the choice motor for a vehicle with the Rexton’s bulk. If using it off-road, which the chassis is more than capable of doing, the extra grunt is much appreciated.

The drive train is either part-time or permanent four-wheel drive, depending on the model selected. The 270ES, for example, has selectable four-wheel drive while the SPR edition always has power running through all of the wheels. There is a low-transfer gearbox too, for when the rough conditions get even rougher.

The ride and handling of the Rexton aren’t of Mercedes quality, but there are very few off-roaders that are as good on the road as they are off. The suspension is a little wobbly and that causes body roll through the corners, but on the rough stuff it helps absorb big compressions. The steering is heavy and sometimes can feel unassisted, but that again gives a truer feel of which way the wheels are pointing. It’s certainly not a full-time school-run type of car.

BMW x5 - 4WD

The big, knarly off-road tyres don’t help the handling on the road either. They can be changed to something that would suit a BMW X5, but as standard fitment, the tyres don’t bite into the road as much as they do the dirt and mud. Again, that blend between off-roader and on-roader simply can’t appease everyone.

With the big frontal area and those tyres, the wind and road noise is fairly high, but there is plenty of sound-proofing and a good CD player to drown it out. The interior is spacious and for those with large families, seven seats are a blessing. There are airbags aplenty, climate control, traction control and large, comfy, arm chair-like front seats. The further back in the cabin you go, the less space there is, but the capacity is adequate for short journeys and great for carrying luggage, too.

New Ford Explorer Is Bigger, Better and Manages 25mpg

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Dec 172010

The monster petrol V6 motor delivers almost 300bhp yet is still frugal amongst the 7 Seater Cars competition. The first Ford Explorer was based on the old F250 pick-up chassis and was a replacement for the ‘boxy’ Ford Bronco which had run its course. The Explorer has always been a useful vehicle, being used for the school run, transporting big items and comfortably fitting six or seven people in with ease.

Unfortunately the old Explorer started to get beaten in terms of handling, practicality and reliability by the newer German SUVs such as Audi’s Q7 and the BMW X5 cars. Now, Ford might be a little behind the times as of late but it still manages to churn out some excellent cars which sell by the bucket-load. For 2011, the new Ford Explorer is now based on the D4 platform chassis which is shared by the Focus, C-Max and the Kuga, albeit with slight changes. There is a third row of two seats folded in the boot, making the new ford Explorer a 7 Seater. There is 43.8 cubic feet of space in the boot when all 7 seats are upright.

Ford Explorer 2011 7 Seater Cars

By running on what is 99 per cent a car-based chassis, the new Explorer is still a large SUV, but it has MacPherson suspension, double wishbones and finely tuned damping by the new chief engineer Jim Holland, famous for his Land Rover past. The new Explorer is said to handle much more predictably, which is handy as with a thumping V6 under the bonnet the SUV will need to be able to react to corners more like a car than an old truck.

Ford Explorer 2011 Interior

There will be two engine variants, although most buyers will opt for the 3.5 V6 Duratec. The staple 2.0 four-cylinder I4 EcoBoost engine is on offer but the figures are not too different to those of the V6 and it cannot compete with the torque-load lugging capabilities of the larger engine. The I4 engine is a 170bhp engine whereas the V6 pumps out a massive 297bhp, coupled with 250lb-ft of torque yet still manages 25mpg on the motorway!

The Explorer heads back to its roots as a ‘proper’ off-roader. The Terrain Management dial on the centre console allows the driver to select the torque distribution, traction control system threshold, ABS brakes and throttle response for optimum off-road driving. There is also the option of selecting knobbly tyres from the dealer should you be spending most of the time in muddy conditions.

Ford Explorer 2011 Concept Interior 7 Seater Cars

This comes as a breath of fresh air to the SUV industry as we’re bombarded by the gargantuan beasts which look like they could take on off-camber hills and slippy slopes, but have road tyres and suspension which would wince at a comically small pothole.

The Explorer is jam-packed full of safety equipment as well, with dual rear safety belt air bags, curtain, driver and passenger airbags, as well as collision warning buzzers and electronic stability control; proving that Ford have come a long way since the old pick-up truck Explorer of the 90s.

Ford Explorer 2011 7 Seater Cars Back View

When you’re looking for a large car, which can handle off-road conditions and take the kids to school, but one that won’t handle like an old barge, the new Ford Explorer 2011 might just fit that bill. Shame there’s no diesel engine because Ford has really excelled with its ‘oil-burner’ engines since the turn of the century.

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