Better than: Four Miatas
But not as good as: A team of trained cargo elephants
GRM Bang For The Buck Index: 40.38
For a staff that's accustomed to seeing at least two Miatas in the parking lot on any given day, the QX56 arrives to wide-eyed shock. This almost three-ton vehicle is positively enormous. Three Miatas on top of one another wouldn't be this tall. It carries 58 percent of its weight over the back axle, the one supporting a greenhouse big enough to grow large quantities of illicit plant life.
It's an SUV with most of its emphasis on the middle word. It can tow 8500 pounds and includes the seven-pin trailer wiring to do so, or haul nearly a ton and a half of cargo—though the seats would probably have to come out to fit that much heft. It feels as though every component of this machine could be stamped with "Heavy Duty."
There's seating enough for seven or eight, depending on your choice of middle seats. The 5.6-liter V8 delivers 400 horsepower and slightly more torque, run through a seven-speed automatic. All the beefiness combined with its creature comforts come at a price, though: a likewise massive $61,800.
This big SUV is one of the worst vehicles I have ever driven. With the ride of a truck and the uselessness of a sedan, this thing did everything wrong. The 22 inch wheels didn't help any in the gas mileage department. Every single control was unintuitive. It was too plush and carlike inside to be truck, yet It rode hard and was tough to maneuver. I hated this one.
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