2019 Infiniti QX60 Drivers' Notes Review | Past its prime

The 2019 Infiniti QX60 is a three-row crossover from Nissan's luxury brand. It's based on the Nissan Pathfinder, sharing the same basic platform and powertrain. It sits near the top of Infiniti's lineup, above the new QX50 and just below the body-on-frame QX80. That said, the car-based platform underneath the QX60 means its actually more spacious than its truck-based sibling. Power comes solely from a 3.5-liter V6 making 295 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive is available, though our tester was a front-wheel drive model.

The 2019 QX60 starts $46,795, but our tester has nearly $20,000 worth of options. The $5,000 limited package adds upgraded leather on the seats and steering wheel, dark wood trim, 20-inch wheels and chrome trim on the exterior. The $3,400 proactive package adds safety features like lane-departure warnings, blind-spot monitoring, backup collision intervention and adaptive cruise control. Other options include back-seat entertainment ($2,150), a wifi hotspot ($495) and the $3,500 sensory package (a Bose audio system, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a motion-activated liftgate and a moonroof for the second and third rows).

Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I'm immediately struck by the interior. It's quiet and comfortable. The quilted leather on the door panels is almost decadent. Infiniti is really going for it with this kind of interior styling. Some might say it's a little bit much, but generally, I think the company gets it right. Same with the outside. Infiniti tries to make a statement, and this swoopy, creased design is reason enough to buy the QX60. Our tester has the 295-hp V6, which is plenty capable. There's a lot of torque steer with the front-wheel-drive setup. It's kind of fun, but not really the dynamic most buyers are going for it. Overall, I like the QX60. It's big, comfortable, luxurious and powerful. Get AWD, though, as FWD in the snow is a little squirrely in something this large.

Road Test Editor Reese Counts: Unlike Greg and Joel, I wasn't bowled over by the interior. I couldn't find a comfortable seating position for the life of me. The bottom cushion wasn't deep enough and the back seemed to protrude out at odd points into my spine. The leather looks and feels OK, but that was my only highlight. The overall interior design looks fat and boring, especially compared to models from Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Just look at some of the details like the vents and steering wheel. It's a Nissan Pathfinder with a thin veneer of luxury, and it feels every bit as bland as that sounds.

Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: I spent over a week in this thing, and was quite happy to get out of it. There's nothing completely terrible about the QX60, but it's thoroughly uncompetitive. The engine, while adequately powerful, is far too noisy and coarse for a luxury cruiser, especially when the urgent engine note doesn't match the unhurried acceleration. The ride is par at best. It's smooth enough over small bumps, but feels a bit crashy over larger ones. The handling is definitely subpar, with lots of body roll and numb, imprecise steering.

Offsetting the mediocre driving experience is an admittedly nice interior, at least in our well optioned Luxe model. The quilted leather upholstery is attractive and feels good. The wood trim has an attractive grain and is applied generously to the doors and dash. I was also able to find a nice comfortable driving position while knocking out hours of highway driving to the Chicago. There's plenty of space, too, and the second row seats even slide and recline. But even the interior has drawbacks, primarily with the infotainment. It's clear it's an old system, and it works OK, but the screens are low-resolution with dated graphic design. Also, the rear-view camera is a muddy joke.

The QX60 is just a very so-so crossover in a world where crossovers are becoming seriously good. Spend your money elsewhere.

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