@liquid1
Personally, this is my experience about the 2012 QX56 vs my 2009 Armada.
Because the QX56 has a better engine with 400hp and 7 speed, it accelerates very fast, shifting is fast too and so it reaches top speeds pretty quick too. Plus at speeds of 100 you do not feel it as much as you do in the Armada. The Armada has only 5 speed. So, that is is a big difference. But you know people that buy these do not buy for the speed. It is just there, if you need it. These are more for taking the family around, on road trips and basically cruising on the freeway. As for me, I like to know what I am working with and hence I put it through all kinds of tests to make sure I know my machine.
One very interesting thing to know is that my 1,500 miles trip cost me $230 in premium gas in the 2012 QX56. I Honestly think I may have spent more if I was driving my Armada on the same 1,500 miles trip using regular gas (which is cheaper than premium). And mind you, I was fast. So, my guess is if I was cruising only, then I may have saved some more in gas with the QX56. So, QX56 beats my Armada in fuel consumption.
And if you do not know, the Armada gas tank is 28 gallons, while the QX56 is 24 gallons.
I think I was getting 14mph when punching it. But at cruising speeds, this QX56 can truly save gas. I think you get great gas mileage on the QX56 at speeds of 70mph or below. I think better than the Armada. I did not measure it at cruising speeds, lol.
I think the Armada is bigger than the QX56 and heavier than the QX56. Maybe that is why the Armada can tow more than the QX56 because the Armada has brute force.
Since my QX56 has the HBMC, it definitely handles curves better than my Armada. I don't know how a QX without this option feels like around curves, but I sure can tell you how this QX56 I got handles the curvy roads in Kentucky.
Oh, as for the CB radio on my QX56, I think it looks great also. It just flows with the color and stance. And I listened to a lot of stories on the road from these truck drivers. It is pretty cool and entertaining. Channel 19. From Nashville, TN to Little Rock, AR, the whole highway was full of these elephants. I must have passed about 50 of them or more on this stretch of about 250 miles. They even talked about me and I had to respond. So, I got into a convoy of about 8 18wheelers next to each other. Man, did I feel stuck. You know it takes a while before one of them can over take like 2 or 3 more. So, I must say I made the 2 18 wheelers on the fast lane know that I was behind them. All of a sudden I hear on the CB radio that "Hey buddy, you want to let that Infiniti get by. It seems to be in a hurry." All of a sudden, the other 18wheelers made way on the left for these 2 to fit in. I was shocked. I radioed back "thanks for letting me by". Then I got "No problem. Nice car", as I gunned it down and watch them disappear in my rear view mirror.
I personally think both vehicles are awesome. But since Infiniti is Nissan's luxury division, Nissan has given it some more goddies to justify someone moving from the Armada to the QX56.
What makes the QX56 better than the Armada? I think comfortable leather, new body style and technology advancement. Apart from that, the Armada definitely is better in that it truly has more room than the QX56, tows more, cheaper to maintain and you can take it to more places, lol. Because of the cost of parts for the QX56 and maintenance, I can see why this 4x4 may end up being a mall crawler where one will engage 4lo only to go over speed bumps at parking lots. So, no offroading for this beauty. This truly looks like a garage queen.