The power of an automotive manufacturer badge is almost unparalleled in the world of consumer products. It can stand for so many different things, it can demand a premium price, it can also be an impediment to overcome, even with a fantastic product. When we were handed the keys to this 2024 Infinity QX60 Autograph all-wheel-drive SUV we had one major question on our mind and it centered around the ability of this Infinity, at its highest trim level to compete toe to toe with more expensive but perhaps more respected products in its class of competition. Does this SUV have the chops to lure buyers from a showroom carrying a german badge? That’s the question we’re going to attempt to answer as you read on.
For starters, it’s actually nice to see a company presenting a vehicle for what it actually is and what it’s most likely intended use and users are. Infinity, in marketing and selling the QX60 does not try to present this rig as some sort of escape machine designed to carry people into the wilderness for adventures. In the realm of SUVs, this thing is an indoor cat, one that is intended to swaddle its occupants in a luxurious, supple, and very quiet set of surroundings. There’s not a bunch of body cladding, not a bunch of angular styling lines that one would attribute to toughness or ruggedness. There’s no “trail rating” or anything of that nature. In so many ways, the QX60 Autograph is a luxury station wagon. With the basic bones of the Nissan Pathfinder underpinning it, the machine has a pleasant ride height and the entry/egress is far more passenger car that SUV. Running boards or similar steps are not warranted nor are they added.
Overall we found the exterior design of the QX60 to be really pleasing and while it does not have the visual impact of a more austere Mercedes, Land Rover, or BMW offering in this class, it still has graceful flowing lines that would blend very nicely at the country club or during a night on the town in a metropolitan environment. The doors are huge which equates to the ability to slide into your respective position in the interior without any wriggling or gesticulating that would wrinkle your nice duds on an evening out. Older passengers we had in the QX60 appreciated not only the right height but the generous room that awaited them inside.
Speaking of room. As a three row SUV, the QX60 packs a ton of it both with the rear seats up and especially when they are laid down. Getting into the third row seats is relatively easy when the middle row captain’s chairs are collapsed and slid all the way forward. Larger adults did not struggle to get into their seats and when they were seated, all of them were pretty amazed by the comfort and available leg room in what is typically not the most desirous seat to have in an SUV such as this. Third row passengers are not treated as second class citizens in the QX60 and it’s one of the best third row seating experiences available in this class of SUV from our experience.
The most impressive part of the QX60 and the one place where it’s as tested $69,000 price tag truly justified itself was in the interior. If there is one selling point in this class of SUV it’s the visual design of the interior as well as its functionality and comfort. While the QX60 may fall short to some of the more dramatic exterior cues of its competitors, the interior quality is 100% spot on and if we blindfolded 50 people and asked them to guess the manufacturer without any badging hints, we bet at least 40 of them would say that this was a German SUV. The leather quality was extremely high, the quilted stitching and very subtle white piping combined with the brown/saddle color was very nice. The black ash wood interior accents are very nicely done as well. In effect, when people are shopping this category of SUV they are truly making a buying decision on the refinement of the interior and how it makes them feel as they cruise down the road.
The driver’s area is very well executed in the QX60. While we were not totally crazy about the “virtual” buttons for controlling many of the HVAC functions (they’re likely not the best to use in winter when wearing a pair of gloves, for example) they did the job and once we were used to the needed level of force to operate them, it was pretty seamless. The screen jutting out of the quilted leather covered dashboard is a little odd but when looking at the layout of the dash as a whole, there wasn’t much in the way of other options to locate it. The sound deadening and insulation in the QX60 is 100% on point with any luxury SUV we have driven over the last several years. You glide down the road in virtual silence except for one particular element, which we’ll get to in a second. The leather wrapped wheel was pleasing and the shifter, a stylized sliding piece, fits the hand well but does feel a little chintzy when pulling the QX60 into gear.
If there is one area where the QX60 kind of tells on itself regarding its far more humble Pathfinder roots, it’s in the engine compartment. The 295hp V6 hooked to a nine speed automatic transmission has decent power but it’s constantly singing to high RPM to make it and as such you end up with more engine noise than other offerings in this class and it’s not of the sonorous rumbly kind, it’s of the screaming Infinity V6 kind, which definitely takes the luxury experience down a notch as compared to competing products. Acceleration is good for a very heavy machine like this. The QX60 can run the quarter mile in 15.2 seconds, the nine speed transmission really helping that program along. It is a thirsty rig as well. This is not to be wholly unexpected with a V6 having to really put in the work to move nearly 5,000lbs along. The QX60 has a 6,000lb towing capacity if hauling your boat to the lake is a buying concern for you.
In the end, this top level QX60 Autograph which for just under $70,000 is by no means inexpensive but when aligned with similarly equipped competition, it looks like a downright bargain. In reality you have about a $10,000 favorable gap to the European competition in this same class. Mercedes and BMW options, as well as some of the Audi offerings would run you $80,000 or more for this level of equipment, options, and driving experience.
The problem Infinity will have is convincing those European shoppers to give this QX60 a look. The Infinity brand does not have the cache or panache of its competition and while virtually everything we experienced in the QX60 was on par with the competition, the engine noise from the V6 may be enough to dissuade more discerning shoppers.
If you are in the market for a luxury SUV we highly recommend driving the QX60 AFTER driving its competition. Perhaps your ears and your wallet will be better aligned once you experience potential sticker shock from its rival models in the category.
