2024 Infiniti QX60 – Old-school Luxury

If you are old enough to know, Infiniti once led the charge in the Japanese luxury sedan market back in the 1990s. In recent years, the brand has shifted its focus to premium SUVs due to changing consumer demand, which is why the QX60 is the bread and butter for the brand. The QX60 offers a nice balance of stunning exterior with a surprisingly luxurious interior with a competitive price tag. Still, unfortunately, it cannot hide its shared roots with the Nissan Pathfinder, especially regarding the drivetrain choice.

The Looks – Exterior and Interior

Unlike its corporate cousin, the Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti decided to give the QX60 a completely different look with less boxy lines, but more sharp angles. The QX60 makes a strong visual statement with its sleek and modern aesthetics. It doesn’t look as rugged as the Pathfinder, or other entries, but it still has the road presence. It has an aerodynamic silhouette characterized by smooth and flowing lines throughout the vehicle. The signature double-arch grille is the most significant design feature in the front fascia, and the distinct LED headlights integrate into the overall design.

The Infiniti QX60 offers dual colour options with premium paint finishes allowing it to cater to a variety of tastes. Our tester has the champagne colour, which would not be my first choice, but it still gives the premium feel. The gently sloping roofline gives it a less boxy and rugged look, and it doesn’t affect the overall interior space. Adding to the premium feel, the chrome trims and accents provide the right amount of premium feeling without being too flashy.

The rear end of the Infiniti QX60 continues the theme of elegance and striking looks. The horizontal LED taillights stretch across the rear end, which is the centrepiece of the rear design and it visually widens the SUV. There are more chrome accents with fake exhaust tips on each side, I wish they were either real or completely hidden inside the rear bumper.

There is only one word to summarize the whole interior – “impressive”. Infiniti has done a terrific job of differentiating the QX60 and designed a completely different interior design. What’s more impressive is the interior quality and material choice. Everywhere you can reach, and touch are wrapped with quilted leather, including the dashboard exclusively for the top trim. It gives more soft-touch areas in the interior compared to any other entries in this price range. It also offers a great balance of tech and physical controls. There are some haptic feedback buttons for HVAC controls, but it still feels great to have dedicated buttons for essential features.

The QX60 also comes with a large 12.3-inch colour touch-screen display with the latest Infiniti infotainment system that can also be controlled through the rotary knob located in the center console. There is also another 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster in front of the driver. There are some missed opportunities here, especially the infotainment screen. The resolution should have been better, the 360 camera and rear-view camera should have better image quality, the Android Auto should be wireless, and there should be an option to disable the dual screen feature, which makes everything look small. Other than that, the infotainment system is easy to use and gets the job done for the average user.

Just like the dashboard, the first two rows are also wrapped with Semi-Aniline Leather seats with quilting, contrast stitches and piping that gives the extra premium feeling. In typical Infiniti fashion, the seats are exceptionally comfortable thanks to its “Zero Gravity” seats, it supports certain points of your upper body better than the competition, even though it does not have certain features like the extendable thigh support. Both front seats come with ventilating and memory seat functions, a must-have if you compete in the luxury segment.

Even though the QX60 is not the largest entry, it offers one of the most family-oriented features available, especially if you have a front-facing child seat. The rear seats move forward without folding down, meaning that you can keep your child’s seat and still have access to the third row. Some non-premium entries offer this feature, like the Nissan Pathfinder and Volkswagen Atlas, but if you are looking for a luxury 3-row, the QX60 is the only available option, which would have been more comfortable for third-row passengers.

Unlike the Nissan Pathfinder, the QX60 is not available in an 8-seat configuration, as the third row can only accommodate up to two passengers. If you are buying the top trim, it is only available in a 6-seat configuration, which makes it less practical, but acceptable for a luxury entry. The third row offers a decent amount of legroom and headroom for shorter adults, and the third-row seats can be reclined for extra comfort.

Even though the QX60 is a large 3-row SUV, there are newer and bigger 3-row luxury SUVs available, therefore you get less interior space for the third row, and less cargo space compared to the other entries. However, QX60 offers a hidden storage space under the cargo floor for smaller items, which is quite large and can be useful for longer trips, or carrying grocery bags.

The Drive – Specs & Experience

Like its corporate sibling, the Infiniti QX60 relies on a naturally aspirated 3.5 litre V6 engine that generates 295 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. The horsepower and torque figures are a little bit higher, as it runs on 91 octane instead of 87. All QX60s come with a 9-speed torque-converted automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel-drive system. Lower trims come with a maximum of 3,500 lb of towing capacity, but the top two trims offer the class-leading 6,000 lb of towing with the standard pre-wiring.

Even though it uses the same drivetrain as the Pathfinder, the QX60 has a different ECU mapping for more horsepower and torque, but the engine feels much more responsive at lower RPM. The mid-range is more lively, and it doesn’t want to do gear hunting as much. Speaking of gear hunting, the 9-speed ZF transmission has come a long way, but it is still not the most refined choice and can be sluggish at low-speed acceleration. It may take up to a few seconds when you want it to downshift at wide-open throttle. The drivetrain itself lacks the refinement and premium feel for a luxury 3-row SUV due to the higher noise, vibration and harshness levels of this drivetrain.

Unlike the Pathfinder, it does not have any kind of off-road modes or features, it only offers a few driving modes for pavement. With those large 20″ wheels, you would not want to take the QX60 off the beaten path, except for very light-duty off-roading on gravel roads. The all-wheel-drive system has a decent amount of grip, it feels sure-footed on any surface. However, the AWD system is not very aggressive in sending power to the rear wheels for better fuel economy, therefore it tends to torque steer when you try to get off the line quickly.

The QX60 is a terrific daily driver, despite not having an electronic suspension system, the softly sprung suspension offers great ride quality regardless of the road surface. The cabin noise is relatively low when you do not ask the engine to rev at higher RPMs. Even though the engine has a decent amount of power and torque, the QX60 does not want to be driven in a spirited fashion. Behind the steering wheel, it feels heavier and bigger than its rivals like the Acura MDX.

The Verdict

There is a reason why the QX60 is Infiniti’s best-seller since it was first released in 2022. It offers an old-school luxury feel combined with family-friendly features on the inside, with a great value proposition. Even though it is not the most exciting to drive, it offers better practicality and interior space than most luxury entries thanks to its front-wheel biased platform, while still offering an old-school analog interior experience with physical buttons, which makes it one of the easier luxury 3-rows to live with.

Engine	3.5 litre naturally aspirated V6
Transmission & Drivetrain	9-speed automatic & all-wheel drive
Max power (combined)	295 hp @ 6400 rpm
Max torque (combined)	270 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
0-100 km/h	7.1 sec
Curb Weight	4710 lbs – 2136 kg
Fuel Economy (observed)	19 MPG – 12.0 L/100 km
Price (starting)	$76,803 CAD
Website:	www.infiniti.ca