2016 Infiniti QX50 RWD Review - Long, Strong, But Same Old Song

2016 Infiniti QX50 RWD

3.7-liter VQ37VHR V-6, with Variable Valve and Event Lift (325 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm; 267 pounds-feet of torque @ 5,200 rpm)

7-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode and Downshift Rev Matching

17 city/24 highway/20 combined (EPA Rating, MPG)

19 mpg on the 70/30 city/hwy grocery loop (Observed, MPG)

Tested Options: Technology Package — $2,750 (Intelligent cruise, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning); Deluxe Touring Package — $2,400 (19-inch wheels, power folding up second-row seats); Illuminated Kick Plates — $440 (!); Premium Package — $500 (Bose 11-speaker sound system, maple interior accents, aluminum roof rails); Premium Plus Package — $2,000 (Navigation, 7-inch touch-screen display, Bluetooth).

Base Price:

* All prices include $995 destination fee.

Cars will be built in China.

Scratch that — cars are being built in China already, but cars sold in America will soon be built in China.

It’s an inevitability that American car buyers will understand when Volvo brings over its long-wheelbase S60 that promises to be the first Chinese-made car sold in America. It’s already happened in most markets around the world — including Canada — but Americans are averse to cars being built in the C-word like, well, the C-word.

The 2016 Infiniti QX50 (formerly the EX35 in old-Infiniti nomenclature) was not built in China — but for all purposes that we’ll discuss, it was made in China. That’s because the car, which sold at a phenomenally slow pace in the U.S., has been thrown a lifeline from overseas. In China, the QX50 launched six months ago with a longer wheelbase to satisfy that country’s appetite for driving everyone, everywhere, all the time. It was a no-brainer for the U.S., but to justify significantly updating the car for our market, it needed sales — and to sell, it needed to be upgraded. And you can see where this is going.

We’ve had plenty of chances to buy one before now, it’s that just Infiniti hasn’t really ever given us a reason.

As one of the first luxury compact crossovers launched in 2007, the Infiniti EX35 had plenty of head start on the competition. The athletic crossover didn’t suffer in its first eight years from anything other than a helping of Nissan’s parts inside and an aging mill up front. That car — with its 3.5-liter V-6 — never gained traction with U.S. buyers, who were enamored with more efficient cars from the likes of Lexus and Acura. In following years, its biggest selling point — available rear-wheel drive and Nissan’s potent 3.7-liter V-6 — would be eclipsed by other automakers including, ahem, Porsche.

To make a long story longer, the “driver’s” compact crossover has been swamped in the race for buyers, despite having an eight year advantage out of the gate.

Exterior

The 2016 QX50 over here now sports the same 3,2-inch longer longer wheelbase sold in China, which benefits rear passengers who get more than 4 inches of additional legroom versus the last iteration. That may seem like a common sense decision in the States, but sales of the EX35 languished heavily because of that car’s cramped rear quarters. It’s large enough now for my lanky frame, but we’ll talk about that more later.

If I had to sum up its initial pitch, the QX50 separates from competition such as the Lexus RX and Acura RDX in two ways: first, its squat stance and curvy lines are moderately attractive; and second, the limited sales mean that it’s relatively uncommon in a sea of compact luxury crossovers. (The rear end looks a little too wagon for me, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like the short spoiler over the rear glass though, for some reason.)

The extended wheelbase has one casualty: the rear doors are impossibly huge. Not AMC Pacer-huge, but abnormally big, in my opinion.

Interior

The interior materials and optional maple accents were pleasant, and probably something I’d find room for in the budget if I were inclined to buy. The $440 illuminated kick plates — which cost almost as much as the maple accents, Bose 11-speaker stereo, power tilt steering column and intelligent keys combined — are something you may want to pass on.

The complex array of controls in Infiniti and some Nissans have their fans, but I’m not one of them. [I am. Aaron also likes MyLink and I don’t, which just emphasizes how much personal preference factors into infotainment usability. — Mark] It took a long look for me to discover the power folding rear seat button (it’s not in a weird place, it’s just awkwardly positioned flush with much of the rest of the D pillar inside) and I’d give $100 to an average car buyer to tell me what the IBA Off button does. (Intelligent Brake Assist, after I looked in the manual.)

Like I said before, my 6-foot-3-inch frame fit well into the back seat, making use of the newly found 35.3 inches of rear legroom. Indeed, rear legroom is dramatically improved in the new QX50, but context is necessary — the Volkswagen Golf has 35.6 inches of rear legroom and doesn’t have abnormally long rear doors like the QX50.

Cargo volume is a respectable 18.6 cubes, slightly larger than the 2016 Lexus RX, but much less than the BMW X3’s 27.6 cubes if you can stand how the Bavarian looks/drives. (If you can’t, the X4’s cargo room is an unshockingly smaller 17.7 cubes.)

Technology

Infiniti has also added a suite of available safety features including lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and forward collision braking, which I dutifully tested in a parking lot behind a nervous grocery getter. The added tech and features add up quickly: The base retail price of $34,450 swelled to more than $43,500 in our tester.

Oddly, Bluetooth streaming audio isn’t available with the $500 sound upgrade, but rather it’s part of a $2,000 Infiniti Premium Plus Package, which feels like a big ask to stream Sir-Mix-A-Lot from my phone to the car.

Powertrain

The throaty 3.7-liter sounds great and presses forward with urgency — especially when you engage “Sport” mode — but its 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway/20 mpg combined range penalizes any enthusiasm. Its peak happens at 7,000 rpm, which is impossibly high for an SUV designed to comfort people in the rear.

Mileage in the Lexus NX (22/28/25) and Acura RDX (20/28/23) is predictably better, although both of those cars power the front wheels first, which is less fun than homework on a Friday night.

It’s wholly accurate to say that rear-wheel drive models are the most fun to drive, but as someone who can honestly say that I’ve been stuck in a snowstorm in an EX35 without all-wheel drive, I wouldn’t have one without four-wheel locomotion.

Drive

When comparably equipped, the Infiniti QX50 ranges some $500-$1,000 less than its rivals, but it’s noticeably older in key areas such as mileage and powertrain. In a car without towing capability and costing more than $34,000 to start, not including direct injection or other powertrain improvements to reduce fuel consumption seems like a massive oversight.

But then again, this car may not have been developed for my American tastes.