Ten. 10. X. It has been expressed in so many ways throughout history. Sometimes, “ten” is small, like when you’re counting the value of pennies. Sometimes, “ten” is huge, like the difference between Infiniti’s QX60 and QX70.
Different by just “ten” in Infiniti’s ever-more-confusing naming scheme, my impression of the QX60 I rented this week is miles apart from that of the QX70 I rented last time. Hertz is 0 for 2 now on having the type of vehicle I reserved, but I can handle getting upgraded to Infinitis every time I rent something! Despite having a smaller number, the QX60 is larger than the QX70, and it is one fantastic vehicle, and I don’t think I could have enjoyed it much more than I did.
For context, here is my QX70 review.
First, let me compliment its engine. Whether its 3.5L engine is inherently smoother than the rowdy 3.7L in the QX70 or whether its engine mounting system is just tuned for more isolation, I found the NVH of this package to be very good. You could tell there was some growl to it, but they had tuned a lot of it out to create a refined experience.
Beyond the engine, I REALLY enjoyed its CVT. I had it in ECO mode for most of the trip and, under most light acceleration, it would keep the engine below 2,000 rpm while it idled you up to speed. Give it a little more gas, though, and the programming was smart enough to let the engine rev a little bit. There was also standard mode and sport mode, and the responsiveness of the engine and the CVT changed appropriately. In all modes, the CVT acted like a CVT under most circumstances, but if you really stood on it, it would rev the engine up and then would cycle it a little bit to make it seem like it was shifting gears. There was zero “shift shock” (the “shift” was imperceptible other than listening to the engine or watching the tachometer), and it was just a very well-behaved unit. I thought it was perfect.
It was an AWD model, and over the 750 miles I drove it, with two co-workers, luggage, and 75-80 mph speeds on I-95, it returned 24.5 mpg on the trip, which I thought was very good.
The rest of the vehicle was great as well. The interior was huge, but the seating position a little higher, so I didn’t feel entombed by high door sills like I felt in the QX70. The seats were sublimely comfortable, and I quickly found the perfect driving position. The rear seating area was massive, but I don’t know how 3rd row legroom is with the rear seats where they were. I also don’t know if the second row slides fore-and-aft; if so, they could have been all the way back to create all that leg room.
The chassis reminded me a lot of my folks’ 2014 MDX. The ride was boulevard smooth in a straight line, but handling was still very smart in the bends. Getting out of it and stepping right into our MDX after returning it to Hertz today, I could tell what I presume to be an electric power steering system in the Infiniti was lacking somewhat in road feel compared to a hydraulic system, but it was at least weighted appropriately. The tires were Michelin Latitude Tour in 235/65R18, and they were very smooth and appeared to be wearing very well. I put the 20,000th mile on this QX60, and the rear tires looked new and the fronts had some wear commensurate with likely never having been rotated. I imagine that, had the tires been rotated, they’d all have at least 3/4 of their tread. I imagine these to be easily 60,000 mile tires in this application.
In the end, I told my wife I’d sign papers tomorrow on a QX60 if we were in the market for a replacement for our MDX right now...either that or a premium trim Pathfinder if it has similar amenities and powertrain and chassis refinement. The Pathfinder/QX60 was never on my radar until I rented this, and this may be the rental vehicle that I’ve enjoyed the most. The QX70 was fun to rent in a “I’d never buy one of these” sort of way. The QX60 was so much more satisfying to me in a “man, I could OWN this” sort of way, and was a perfect vehicle for carrying three folks up to DC and back in an extremely quiet and comfortable way.
Different by just “ten” in Infiniti’s ever-more-confusing naming scheme, my impression of the QX60 I rented this week is miles apart from that of the QX70 I rented last time. Hertz is 0 for 2 now on having the type of vehicle I reserved, but I can handle getting upgraded to Infinitis every time I rent something! Despite having a smaller number, the QX60 is larger than the QX70, and it is one fantastic vehicle, and I don’t think I could have enjoyed it much more than I did.
For context, here is my QX70 review.
First, let me compliment its engine. Whether its 3.5L engine is inherently smoother than the rowdy 3.7L in the QX70 or whether its engine mounting system is just tuned for more isolation, I found the NVH of this package to be very good. You could tell there was some growl to it, but they had tuned a lot of it out to create a refined experience.
Beyond the engine, I REALLY enjoyed its CVT. I had it in ECO mode for most of the trip and, under most light acceleration, it would keep the engine below 2,000 rpm while it idled you up to speed. Give it a little more gas, though, and the programming was smart enough to let the engine rev a little bit. There was also standard mode and sport mode, and the responsiveness of the engine and the CVT changed appropriately. In all modes, the CVT acted like a CVT under most circumstances, but if you really stood on it, it would rev the engine up and then would cycle it a little bit to make it seem like it was shifting gears. There was zero “shift shock” (the “shift” was imperceptible other than listening to the engine or watching the tachometer), and it was just a very well-behaved unit. I thought it was perfect.
It was an AWD model, and over the 750 miles I drove it, with two co-workers, luggage, and 75-80 mph speeds on I-95, it returned 24.5 mpg on the trip, which I thought was very good.
The rest of the vehicle was great as well. The interior was huge, but the seating position a little higher, so I didn’t feel entombed by high door sills like I felt in the QX70. The seats were sublimely comfortable, and I quickly found the perfect driving position. The rear seating area was massive, but I don’t know how 3rd row legroom is with the rear seats where they were. I also don’t know if the second row slides fore-and-aft; if so, they could have been all the way back to create all that leg room.
The chassis reminded me a lot of my folks’ 2014 MDX. The ride was boulevard smooth in a straight line, but handling was still very smart in the bends. Getting out of it and stepping right into our MDX after returning it to Hertz today, I could tell what I presume to be an electric power steering system in the Infiniti was lacking somewhat in road feel compared to a hydraulic system, but it was at least weighted appropriately. The tires were Michelin Latitude Tour in 235/65R18, and they were very smooth and appeared to be wearing very well. I put the 20,000th mile on this QX60, and the rear tires looked new and the fronts had some wear commensurate with likely never having been rotated. I imagine that, had the tires been rotated, they’d all have at least 3/4 of their tread. I imagine these to be easily 60,000 mile tires in this application.
In the end, I told my wife I’d sign papers tomorrow on a QX60 if we were in the market for a replacement for our MDX right now...either that or a premium trim Pathfinder if it has similar amenities and powertrain and chassis refinement. The Pathfinder/QX60 was never on my radar until I rented this, and this may be the rental vehicle that I’ve enjoyed the most. The QX70 was fun to rent in a “I’d never buy one of these” sort of way. The QX60 was so much more satisfying to me in a “man, I could OWN this” sort of way, and was a perfect vehicle for carrying three folks up to DC and back in an extremely quiet and comfortable way.
