“Hold my bag, I’m going in,” I shout to my plus one as I propel myself into the driver’s seat of the giant Infiniti QX80. Once buckled in, I take in my surroundings: the car is massive. I feel like I’m about to operate a small plane. Actually, not even a small plane, an actual, regular-sized aircraft.
I’m giving the Infiniti QX80 a test drive from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah and I’m a little bit excited. This is definitely the biggest (it seats eight) and fanciest car I’ve been let loose in. As I peer behind to the luxurious, leather-laced backseat, I see that beyond it, there is another row of backseats. Wow.
I used to always ‘shotgun’ the front seat of my friend’s car, but if they were driving this glorious beast I wouldn’t have minded riding in the second-row. These passengers get mass legroom, heated seats, their own climate controls and USB ports. Seriously.
The exterior of my mobile is gold-beige, and the interior leather sticks to this too. And yes, it’s incredibly comfy. As we set off on our journey, I notice how powerful and fast (it’s powered by a 5.6-liter V8) the car is, while making little noise. Impressive.
I will say that the Infiniti QX80 is heavy to handle (and I work out). I imagine performing a U-Turn was a similar feeling to the ship crew attempting to steer the Titanic away from the iceberg. Fortunately I made the turn successfully.
The drive up to RAK was nothing short of a dream (minus the traffic, obviously). Spacious, elegant and powerful – let’s just say I really didn’t want to give the keys back after the weekend. Now, back to reality I go.