The 2012 Infiniti QX56 hasn't been crash-tested. (Full-size SUVs seldom are.) It features driver and passenger front airbags and seat-mounted side-impact airbags, as well as standard side curtain airbags for all three rows of passengers. As required of all 2012 and later models, the QX includes antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system. Hill start assist is also standard.

The lower anchor Latch points in the second row captain's chairs are nicely stowed in the seat bight and accessible via a slit in the seat bottom. The flat seat bottoms and wide, reclining captain's chairs make it easy to fit a child-safety seat of any shape or size. This feature is also helpful for accommodating booster seats of any width, with enough leftover space for kids to reach down and access their own seat belt buckle. For kids in booster seats, the seat belt buckle receptors are on stable bases, making it very easy for them to buckle up independently in the second row.

The third-row seats have flimsy seat belt buckles on nylon bases requiring much more advanced dexterity to buckle up. The seat belts also have highly sensitive automatic locking retractors, causing my girls (ages 7, 9 and 11) to "lock" their belts almost every time while buckling up in the third row. While the older two understood how to let the seat belt retract all the way back in before trying to pull it out more slowly, this concept was lost on my youngest. On more than one occasion, I had to climb into the third row through the cargo area to help out. I'd reserve these seats for the "big kids" in the family.