So, do you know how the California burger ‘n fries restaurant chain Big Boy got its name?
Seems it was after one Richard Woodruff, a young kid who helped out with chores at founder Bob Wian’s original Bob’s Pantry restaurant. Because he was a chubby kind of kid, Wian called him Big Boy.
The name caught on, and Bob Wian changed the name of his restaurant to Big Boy, named his flagship burger the Big Boy, and created that too-cute Big Boy mascot with its red-and-white checker coveralls after young Dickie Woodruff.
So what does Big Boy have to do with the flagship 2026 Infiniti QX80 Autograph I’ve been driving this week?
Well, if there’s an automotive equivalent of Bob’s Big Boy it’s this. Towering over six-and-a-half feet tall and measuring 17.5 feet long, this 6,200-pound whopper is bigly in every way.
Infiniti gave the old QX80 a major facelift a year ago, slathering on a lot more luxury and technology, and re-jigging the powertrain, going from V8 to V6 power.
Sticker-wise, the QX80 range kicks off with the Pure at $85,940, and climbs through the Luxe at $93,040, the new Sport at $104,140, and topping out with the flagship $113,690 Autograph, which I’ve been driving.
With its makeover, this new QX can truly butt heads with big-boy rivals, like Cadillac’s Escalade, the Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes’ GLS, Jeep’s Grand Wagoneer, Land Rover’s Range Rover, Lexus LX and BMW’s X7.
Just look at the thing. It’ll turn heads faster than Taylor Swift waiting in line at Starbucks for a mocha latte.
I love that cascading grille – Infiniti says it was inspired by a bamboo forest – and those quite magical slivers-of-LED daytime running lights mounted high up. And those side body creasse that run front to back, look sharp enough to slice fingers.
Just as sharp is what’s beneath that curvy, big-as-Texas hood. Gone is the previous-gen’s 400-hp 5.6-liter V8 and seven-speed automatic. In its place is a Teflon-smooth 450-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 mated to a nine-speed auto.
Yes, I miss the ol’ V8 burble, but those 50 extra horseys, two extra speeds, zippier acceleration plus slightly improved fuel economy, make it a worthwhile sacrifice.
But it’s the sexy new interior that will likely have hearts all aflutter. This might be the coolest, classiest, most opulent cabin this side of a Range Rover or Bentley Bentayga.
All that diamond-quilted semi-aniline leather, open-pore wood, satin aluminum accents and soft-touch surfaces. And, in addition to heated and cooled front and second-row seats, each is available with a built-in massager.
There’s also room inside for up to eight in three, pretty-spacious rows. Even that third row way back can accommodate full-size people. There’s a ton of space for luggage too, with 22 cubic feet behind that third row.
The new dash is also a standout, with its wall-of-glass, dual 14-inch screens. And between the seats is perhaps the piece de resistance, a cooler big enough for a six-pack.
Out on the road, the big QX drives as good as it looks. Air suspension is standard which does a fine job of controlling body roll through the curves. And the steering is nicely-precise and well-weighted for confidence.
But there’s no mistaking this for anything other than a portly, three-ton, XXL-sized truck-based SUV.
That new twin-turbo V6 delivers surprisingly brisk acceleration – think 0-to-60 in around 6.1 seconds, which is speedy though no match for the BMW X7 and Range Rover. Its forte is super-relaxed, mile-munching 75 mph cruising on I-75.
Sure, this latest QX80 faces some pretty stiff competition in this luxury full-size SUV market, some of it coming from parent Nissan’s own Armada 4×4, on which the Infiniti is closely based.
But for lovers of bold styling, a truly decadent interior and Big Boy proportions, this new QX80 is definitely worth a look.
