In the ivied precincts of Larchmont and Old Greenwich, there are driveways that must be served. And so, the Infiniti QX60 Hybrid: It’s a mid-to-large luxury crossover, about $60K with its full slew of tech and amenities onboard. This particular vehicle occupies an unusual spot in the luxury segment in that it offers three-row, seven-passenger seating, four hinged doors, all-wheel drive and hybrid efficiency. City/highway mileage: 25/28 mpg.
Family friendly? The QX60 practically has childbearing hips. For example, the passenger side of the QX60’s second row of leather seats will slide forward and fold, even when a child’s safety seat is in place. (One assumes, come to think of it, that measures have been taken to ensure said car seat is unoccupied!) Both rows of seats can be folded into a flat-load floor (76.5 cubic feet), which is useful when transporting delicate middle-school science projects, like “Why Chickens Mutate” or “Fun With Bees.”
In this respect the QX60 has nearly the utility of a minivan, which is sort of the point. The crossover segment exists only because people who empirically and functionally need a minivan—with three-row seating, flexible cargo space, a top-hinged hatch—won’t buy one because they don’t want to look like somebody’s mom. That ship has sailed, Larry.
If you are a casual shopper of the competitive set—including BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Acura MDX, Buick Enclave, Audi Q7—you might have lost track of Infiniti’s entry. Until the 2014 model year, our test car was known as the JX35, but in accordance with Infiniti’s current reign of brand chaos, it was renamed QX60, in 2014.
The rundown: The QX60 Hybrid is a handsomely appointed, fully accessorized version of the Nissan NSANY, -1.68% 7201, -3.69% Pathfinder Hybrid, with the same mechanical and electrical underpinnings and some of the same cabin amenities and displays. This fact, in itself, isn’t a bad thing, agreed? It’s all about execution. Your $10,000 step up to the premium Infiniti brand buys you more in-camera refinement (noise abatement, ride quality), some excellent maple veneer and a wider spread of infotainment options. But, shoppers, please note, the Pathfinder also has that folding baby-seat thing.
Under the QX60’s hood is a light hybrid-assisted (20 hp, or 15 kW), supercharged 2.5-liter in-line 4-cylinder gas engine with total system output of 250 hp and 243 pound-feet of torque, backed up by a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The power delivery is front-biased with an on-demand AWD system able to shuffle as much as 50% of system torque to the rear wheels.
The addition of the hybrid hardware adds about 200 pounds to the QX60’s weight and $3,000 to the sticker price, as compared with the 3.5-liter V6 version. In return the big crossover delivers quite respectable nominal fuel economy of 25/28 mpg, city/highway. At that rate buyers would recoup the hybrid premium in six years. They are going to seem like long years, I’m afraid.
If I’m painting a picture of a big, fat, electronically sedated cow, then I’ve succeeded. Nimble she ain’t. The steering is as numb as a well digger’s bottom, the suspension extra plush, and body motions are sometimes hilariously undamped. The ride is pretty comfortable, but the whole affair feels a bit unstuck.
Thanks to some artful powertrain-control logic, the slightly heavier, slightly less torquey QX60 Hybrid manages to reach 60 mph as quickly as the V6 version, roundabout 8 seconds or less. I’m not saying the Hybrid enjoys being treated so roughly—the CVT kind of moos sadly—but it matches the pace.
There are lots of ways to unpack the QX60 Hybrid’s numbers, but please note that most of the benefits of a more fuel-efficient powertrain have gone to defraying the manhole-denting weight of the thing. A QX60-H with AWD officially weighs 4,625 pounds (on Car and Driver’s scale a fully loaded model weighed 4,762), plug-holed with a long list of lust-haves including dual panoramic sunroof; 20-inch wheels; voice-recognition infotainment, navigation and connectivity and three-zone cabin entertainment; heated front and midrow seats; and, in a final gush of luxury, some really splendid maple veneer—or you may opt to retain the standard Kasane Washi metal trim, evocative of rice paper.
Our tester was upholstered in fine-grained chocolate-brown leather with a stitched pattern like the trail of a sand rake in a Zen garden. I have to say, I’m not heartily persuaded by Infiniti’s case with the consumer in general, but the color-and-trim department does an excellent job.
Infiniti is banking on driver-assistance technology, and the full-boat QX60 was bristling with surveillance. It includes the bird’s-eye-view system (a composite image taken from four cameras), with front- and rear-parking sonar and dynamic cruise control; as well as a crisp, hires rear camera with graphics in the display that bend according to the steering angle, to help drivers see which way they are backing. Infiniti’s system also includes “moving object detection,” to alert the driver if pedestrians or animals are near the vehicle.
The QX60 Hybrid could teach Henry Kissinger a thing or two about intervention. Bundled into the car’s forward-looking radar is dynamic cruise control with “Forward Collision Warning”; if the driver doesn’t go for the brakes in time, the computers will activate the brakes automatically to mitigate crash deltas. Likewise, the vehicle will alert you if you are drifting out of your lane and will nudge the brakes to bring you back in line (Lane Departure Prevention).
If I’m painting a picture of a big, fat, electronically sedated cow, then I’ve succeeded. Nimble she ain’t. The steering is as numb as a well digger’s bottom, the suspension extra plush, and body motions are sometimes hilariously undamped. The ride is pretty comfortable, but the whole affair feels a bit unstuck. Cornering- and handling-wise, the BMW X5 and Acura MDX murder the QX60.
The QX60 Hybrid exhibits mixed feelings toward driving generally. It has a 0.6 kWh lithium battery neatly tucked under the rear seat, and the gas-hybrid control logic is stingy with the power and slow to respond, always eager to hand off the propulsion to the EV side. At one point in my test drive I needed to turn right onto a busy street. I squeezed the throttle. Uh-oh! I had to fully mat the throttle before I could persuade the computers of my intentions.
Infiniti USA Why would anyone buy a QX60 Hybrid? You would if the choice were between it and the Infiniti QX80 full-size SUV, the company’s Political Officer Special. Also, logic: The QX60 Hybrid is a luxury family hauler; therefore, you’d buy it if you have a luxury family to haul.
As for styling, the QX60—enriched with dramatic bows of brightwork at the daylight opening and rocker panels—carries mass-class luxury off just fine, I say. Actually, Infiniti’s “fluidic” styling drapes nicely over this anything-but-a-minivan package. But it is a beast of suburban burden.
And the point is some people really like to ride nice, sweet cows, especially ones with lowered greenhouse flatus. Just don’t let them eat the ivy.
Infiniti crossover is a beast of suburban burden
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