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ICE Chest

Chillin' in the ultimate gaming vehicle

In old-school slang, the term "ice" referred to diamonds, among other things. For automotive buffs, though, it has another meaning: "In Car Entertainment." Considering the price tag of the systems being installed into these rolling media centers, they're becoming almost as valuable as precious stones.

Rollin'

For example, take a look the dazzling setup in the Infiniti QX56 shown here. A select group of automotive industry leaders with a diverse range of expertise pooled their capabilities to produce one of the most upscale and unexpected SUVs ever seen. This QX56 is so jammed with ICE, it creates a whole new level of coolness.

Dubbed the EA Sports QX56 UGV, this alphabet soup is short for the "Ultimate Gaming Vehicle." Whatever you call it, this mobile entertainment palace represents a cooperative effort bringing together the products and skills from EA Sports, Alpine Electronics, Innovative Audio, Brembo brakes, BF Goodrich and Claus Ettensberger Corporation (CEC).

The idea was to build a vehicle that combined the love of gaming and cutting-edge electronics. With Infiniti providing an exclusive pre-production model of its all-new QX56 full-size luxury SUV, EA Sports set about to create a gaming lifestyle "room" that could accommodate a 340-pound NFL player or a 7-foot-tall NBA star. Unlike the double row of seats found in the rear of the production vehicle, the UGV has just one row of seats, providing generous accommodations. The centerpiece of this spacious play area is a flat screen TV that measures more than a yard across.

Cool Digs

That was just the start of filling this rolling ICE chest. Alpine Electronics supplied a 1,360-watt mobile entertainment system, complete with AM/FM/CD/MP3 tuner with DVD video player, CD changer, and XM Satellite Radio. These units all feed through a 20-speaker (you read right, twenty) 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS sound system to produce an intense, eardrum-blasting experience. Innovative Audio of Bellevue, WA handled the installation of this massive array of electronics in a high-tech housing styled to look like the latest supercomputer.

Matching the polished style of the interior is a classy outside treatment. CEC's contribution to the stylish exterior is a set of chromed, Italian-made 23-inch Antera Type 325 wheels. They're shod with BF Goodrich G Force T/A KDW tires measuring 305/40R23, and Brembo supplied binders to bring this righteous rig to a smooth halt.

For those not familiar with the Infiniti QX56 as it comes from the factory, it's basically an upscale version of the Nissan Armada. It's no secret that breaking into the luxury SUV segment with a new vehicle is a bit like applying for membership at a country club. When you try to mix company with uptown makes such as the Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade or Lexus GX470, you'd better show up at this high-society gathering in the right duds, or you just might get thrown out on your ear for crashing the party.

Players

That sort of challenge doesn't seem to phase Infiniti, which has already demonstrated upper-class breeding in the fine quality of its smaller SUVs. Now it's added yet another member to its cadre of upper-crust offerings with the QX56.

The QX56 is targeted to that tonier set of customers that Infiniti's marketing department internally refers to as "affluent mavericks." Based on Nissan's psychographic research, buyers of the Infiniti appear to be a more "inner directed" lot who eschew conspicuous status symbols. In other words, you probably won't see any bling-bling spinner wheels fitted to QX56 as you might on an Escalade. Nor is the QX56's interior quite as opulent as the Navigator's dashboard, which looks like something from the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. Instead, the execution of the Infiniti is one of understated elegance. In keeping with that theme, the UGV maintains a subdued color scheme.

The QX56's ride is softer than the Armada, and there's a bit more power on tap as well due to computer adjustments for premium-grade fuel. This posh land-yacht sips only the good stuff, and the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 purrs with a tuned exhaust. The all-aluminum 32-valve, DOHC mill generously provides 315 horses and 390 pound-feet of torque, giving it one of the top tow-ratings in its class. Speaking of towing, there's an option for a rear-mounted camera that makes lining up the trailer ball with the hitch a snap.

Kickin' Back

As for handling, the suspension is fully independent, both front and rear, for a compliant and pleasant ride. The optional AWD system has a smooth-operating switch-on-the-fly functionality, but leaving it in the automatic mode is the simpler approach.

We've checked out the traction in both auto and 4WD on some soft dirt roads in the desert north of Palm Springs, California. We found that when one or more wheels begin to slip, the ABLS (Active Brake Limited Slip) kicks in, transferring torque to the wheels with traction. Even when we floored the accelerator while intentionally driving on mounds of sandy soil, the system seemed to dampen and stabilize the handling for a smooth takeup. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get the chassis to shake loose or skate in the automatic setting. Infiniti's VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) system felt like a big hand safely guiding us through the grit.

A final word on the QX56's styling, which is a bit unconventional, at least in comparison to its slab-sided competitors. The pronounced arch of the roofline transitions to a squared-off section at the rear end. To the designers' credit, this sudden shift in body shape ensures that this SUV isn't going to be mistaken as a "me too" design. Instead, it has the look of, well, a maverick. That might raise a few eyebrows at the country club, but it won't prevent the QX56 from joining the party. Especially when it's the Ultimate Gaming Vehicle.

Photos by Steve Temple and courtesy of EA Sports.