It seems like every few days, there is a new crossover on the market. With my attending probably a dozen crossover announcements over the last few months and with there already being a lot of them on the market, it is really hard to stand out in this crowded space.
When Infiniti invited me to Los Angeles to drive the all-new 2019 QX50 luxury crossover along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, I was expecting to get some great pictures and to enjoy an ocean breeze. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with the vehicle.
The way my schedule worked out, I arrived quite early so I figured I would get a sneak peak of the vehicle before everyone arrived. I was told I would find the vehicle on the roof of the La Peer Hotel and in typical Infiniti-fashion, they had used a crane to get it there.
My first impression was that it had a consistent look with other Infiniti vehicles, right down to the signature kink on the rear D-Pillar (the chrome zig-zag). Somehow, this vehicle seemed to wear it better than the rest of the family (shown below next to it’s bigger 3-row brother the QX60). It also felt sportier and a bit edgier.
It sounds a bit cliche but to me, it is the inside that counts. When you have a family, the best looking vehicle in the world won’t make it past my wife and into the garage if it doesn’t have the room to carry the family.
The QX50 blows away the competition with an interior that has more than enough room for a this 6’3″, 275lb guy. I honestly had to move the driver’s seat forward so I could touch the pedals.
The back seat did not dissappoint either. Car seats can make used of the sliding back seat that makes them easy to install.
A full-size bike even fits comfortably in the cargo area without removing the wheels. There is so much functional space that I wrote a lot more about it here.
Infiniti put the world first variable compression turbo engine in the QX50 (VC-Turbo). This new engine increases torque by 13 (280 pound-feet) and improves gas mileage by 35% (27 mpg highway) over the 2018 QX50.
It is really pretty impressive that it can constantly be changing the compression without the driver knowing that something very unique is happening under the hood. It is a very smooth driving experience.
Peak output is 268 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 280 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 to 4,800 rpm. The VC-Turbo replaces the 3.7-liter V-6, which had 325 hp at 7,000 rpm and 267 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm. What this means is the even though the old engine had more horsepower, the new VC-Turbo engine delivers it where it counts, at much lower revs. This makes it a lot of fun to drive around town.
I’m so impressed with this little CUV that it honestly would consider it for my own garage. It is worth checking out for yourself.