2025 Infiniti QX60 Luxe Black Edition AWD Review & Test Drive : Automotive Addicts
Automotive
The current automotive market is quite interesting as manufacturers clamor to gain more ground while balancing their electric vehicle and hybrid market shares. Infiniti, however, has not yet entered this fray. Infiniti has made some changes to their powertrains in order to make them more efficient. They have opted for smaller turbocharged engines instead of larger ones. In the past I have praised the 2.0-liter variable-compression turbocharged 4-cylinder (VC-Turbo), but felt it would work better with a conventional automatic transmission rather than the CVT it had traditionally. Infiniti listened to the feedback and has brought the engine into the QX60. It is paired with the 9-speed auto transmission. After a week of driving the vehicle, I can say that the two work well after a learning curve. The V6 engine in the QX60 kept it somewhat refined. However, the new engine has lost some of that refinement and could be affecting the luxury aspect of a vehicle. The new variable compression turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 268 horsepower and a torque of 286 lb.-ft. seems to fill this space well, but not often, as the VC Turbo engine isn’t as smooth or predictable. The VC-Turbo engine is lighter and has 16 more pound-feet than the V6. It also produces 27 less horsepower. The new QX60 equipped with VC-Turbo is able to reach 60 mph within 7.5 seconds. This is about a half second slower than its predecessor. The new VC-Turbo seems to have a lot of performance issues. It is slow to downshift when you need more power, and it is also slow to put the vehicle into Park, according to the digital gauge cluster. This is very disconcerting, as you worry that your car will roll away once you let go of the brake. The VC-Turbo engine is not only noisy, but it also has a tendency to jerk the RPMs when you want mid-level throttle. The engine will rev to the top of the RPM range when you demand mid-level throttle. This is because it thinks that you are stomping on the gas pedal. It’s possible that the overall driving feel and decent ride quality of the new QX60 may overshadow some of VC-Turbo’s shortcomings for powering a 4,671-pound crossover. It’s possible that the overall driving feel and decent ride quality of the new QX60 may overshadow some of the VC-Turbo’s shortcomings for powering a 4,671-pound crossover.
Overall, the good about the new QX60 and its new VC-Turbo powertrain marginally outweigh the bad as you do benefit from better fuel economy to the tune of matching the EPA estimates for 22 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined in most cases in the real world. The only problem is that you have to sacrifice some other features to achieve the same fuel economy as before and to drive a vehicle which is fundamentally slower than it was. Hopefully, for Infiniti, there’s a good majority that will overlook the shortcomings and welcome the attempt to be more efficient as the key win-over for what is still considered to be a good value for a midsized three-row luxury crossover.
Much else about the Infiniti QX60 remains the same as the brand attempts to find a solid footing in the highly competitive automotive landscape. The QX60 is the best-selling model for Infiniti. It will continue to attract attention, as the trim on my test vehicle tries to do, with its $1,900 Black Edition package that accents the Harbor Gray paint. The QX60 has a lot of work to do in order to remain competitive, but the new VC-Turbo-powered QX60 may still have a chance of winning over many. The QX60 has its work cut out for it to stay competitive. However, since most people don’t rely solely on performance, this new VC Turbo-powered QX60 may still have a shot at winning over many.
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