AURORA | Right now, gas prices look better than Girl Scout cookies at a Phish concert.

A gallon of gas may have risen a dime or so in the last two months, but strictly speaking you’re paying less for a gallon of dinosaur juice than you paid for a slap bracelet in 1992. And only one of those was drilled from the center of the earth half a planet away, shipped to a refinery in a coastal town you don’t want to visit, trucked by a driver you’ll never meet across a state you don’t care about, into a pump that is tightly regulated by a state official whose salary is probably too high and deposited neatly into a tank that can take a bullet without blowing up. The other comes in zebra prints. To paraphrase Special Ed: We got it made in the shade, folks.

Car buyers have noticed, too. SUV sales have risen in the last five months, according to Edmunds. More than 54 percent of new car sales are SUVs, which is up from 51 percent from the end of last year when gas prices were more than $1 higher.

Floating cruise ships like the 2015 Infiniti QX80 probably have a few “Thank You” letters to write to OPEC nations.

According to the manufacturer, sales for Infiniti’s seven-passenger, body-on-frame SUV have shot up nearly 33 percent over last year — despite being relatively the same car — in part, because a 64- oz. can of gas costs less than an 8-oz. can of liquid candy mixed with caffeine.

As much as I want to marvel at the things that cost less than a gallon of gas, it’s time to focus attention on the palatial Infiniti QX80. The big, bulbous SUV is so indulgent that the drive thru Good Times attendant didn’t bother asking if I wanted cheese; it’s a given with rear-seat DVD entertainment systems. Make it Swiss.

Let’s take the walk. The 5.6-liter V8 up front produces 400 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft. of torque at the cost of sacrificing 14/20 city/highway mpg at the altar of fuel economy. That brute engine is married to a 7-speed automatic transmission that can run power either to the rear wheels only or four wheels simultaneously via Infiniti’s automatic All-Mode computer controlled transfer case.

On all four corners, the QX80 looks like a smoother, slicker, suburban runner. The trend with the QX80’s contemporaries, such as the Cadillac Escalade and Ford Expedition, has been sharper, harder edge — a protractor’s workout in many places. The Infiniti QX80 looks like it’s holding on to Frank Sinatra’s approach: a smoother, rounder delivery has lasting appeal. (Curiously, Infiniti still stuffs three small vents near the driver and passenger side door that can be purchased at your nearest AutoZone for $13.85 plus tax. Don’t ask me why.) You can be the judge.

The cavernous interior of the QX80 is complemented by buttery leather everywhere, wood trim and copious amounts of legroom for the first two rows of seating. A final, third row can be accessed via easily foldable second row seating, but it’s not a place I’d like to fold and store my 6-foot-2-inch frame for very long. Cargo space behind the third row when it’s folded up is surprisingly scant for an SUV this large. It’s possible to stuff most of a youth soccer team in the QX80’s supple seats, but stick five soccer balls, a cooler and a chair in the back and you may be pressed to leave the goalie at home for more space.

The nearly 3-ton SUV is a mountain to move (as evidenced by its fuel economy) but is surprisingly fleet once in motion. The optional hydraulic motion control system (part of the $5,500 Technology Package that also includes semi-aniline leather appointments, burl wood trim, etc.) keeps the QX80 from spilling over around corners, and despite the 22-inch optional wheels, the suspension soaks up imperfections in the road.

New for 2015, the QX80 Limited doubles down on the menace with 22-inch, dark-chromed wheels, darkened headlights and taillights, dark chrome interior trim, and yup, you guessed it, new dark colors with names such as “Imperial Black.”

But the QX80 is running out of tricks to keep up with the competition. Despite its massive presence, it’s not the biggest SUV anymore, and options from Cadillac, GMC and Ford are newer and more competitively priced.

Our tester, fitted with all-wheel drive, technology, bigger wheels and safety systems came in at just over $80,000 — roughly the same price as a comparably equipped Escalade, which received a much-needed and well-done overhaul last year.

It’s unclear when the QX80 will be updated by Infiniti — its architecture is shared with the Nissan Patrol, an SUV not sold in the U.S. —  but considering that gas is cheaper than a salad at Wendy’s, it might be a good time to speed along that process.

The future of big, seven-passenger SUVs may not be as bright as it once was, but its clear that with rising sales and a relative dearth of options compared to 10 years ago, there may be a market.

Maybe we’ll bring back the Double Gulp too.