Affected by the financial situation of the parent company Renault-Nissan Alliance, Infiniti has only updated the QX50 model in the Chinese market since 2018, and in addition to the models on sale, there is only one Q50L that has not been replaced for 7 years... The discontinuation of the product line has also directly led to Infiniti, a Japanese luxury brand with unlimited scenery in the past, becoming the appearance of no one today...
Fortunately, with the domestic production of the new generation of QX60, Infiniti finally ushered in a new product line. More importantly, the positioning of the three-row luxury medium and large SUV is also very suitable for the current consumer demand in the Chinese market. However, when the official announced the pre-sale price of 450,000-660,000 yuan for the domestic QX60 on December 16, countless netizens, fans, and potential users have issued a voice of "high pricing". So is the QX60 worth the starting price of 450,000? Can it be Infiniti's turnaround in China? Curious about these questions, I came to Chongzuo City, Guangxi Province, on the border between China and Vietnam, to find the answer to the question.
In the past, luxury medium and large SUVs, in addition to BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne and other sports-oriented models, are basically related to the word "greasy", especially the Japanese luxury SUVs. And when I first saw the new generation of QX60, the most impressive thing I left was "fresh" and did not have the bulkiness of a medium-sized SUV with a length of more than 5.1 meters.
Top: Old / Bottom: New
The new QX60 still has a strong brand recognition at a glance, especially the huge trapezoidal mid-mesh, coupled with the huge central logo, which can also distinguish it from other brand models from a distance. At the same time, the front face of the new QX60 has also reduced a lot of complex curve design compared with the old model, replaced by crisp and clean straight lines and angles, as if from a middle-aged man who was originally a bit blessed, suddenly changed into a lean man through fitness, and even the face has become as sharp as a knife.
The new QX60's mid-mesh uses a dense wavy structure, which is officially inspired by origami, which is more oriental than a simple honeycomb shape or horizontal design.
The daytime running lights use a three-stage structure, rather than a simple through-line light bar, looking like a person with sharp eyebrows, and specially do a broken eyebrow shape, which is full of fierceness.
In addition, the new QX60 mid-to-high-end model also launched a two-color body version, and even the rearview mirrors have synchronized the body to make a two-color design, this detail is consistent with the ultra-luxury brand Maybach.
The concept of simplifying complexity is particularly evident on the side of the body, where the various enchanting curves of the previous model have become simple upper and lower silver decorative window lines on the new generation QX60, plus an all-black roof. Although the look and feel is more capable, it does lose the charm that was once unique to Infiniti models.
In terms of size, the new QX60 is consistent with the old model in terms of wheelbase, but it has been improved in length, width and height. If you compare the Cadillac XT6, which is also a domestic luxury medium and large SUV, then the new QX60 in addition to the slightly lower body height, other dimensions are obviously superior.
The tail design of the new QX60 is also very smart, the tailgate with a particularly square shape can provide a larger opening for the trunk, the license plate frame originally located on the tailgate has been moved to the lower perimeter of the vehicle, and the lower surround has also added two pieces of bright silver chrome decoration, enriching the visual layering. To be fair, although the new QX60 may look average on the picture, the real car is still very delicate and atmospheric, and compared with the previous generation of "de-oil success", it is obviously more like a new car in 2021.
Compared with the smart shape design, the interior of the new QX60 is obviously a heavy luxury style, and unlike the multi-block large screen + simple center console modeling style commonly used by Ashkenazi competitors, QX60 can still see the typical oriental aesthetic design ideas, just like Lexus and Genissy.
As can be seen from the above picture, all brown areas of the QX60, including the door panel, center console, central armrest, glove box, etc., are covered in genuine leather, and soft and delicate leather is within reach. It can be said that in terms of the amount of leather used, the QX60 has been pulled full.
In the center console and seat, the new QX60 uses a large area of diamond-shaped stitching, and the stitches are very uniform, the texture is quite excellent, and there is no domestic standard reduction at all.
The center console is a suspended 12.3-inch central control screen, which is also a completely localized development of the product, whether it is the delicacy of the UI, or the fluency of the system is very good, the current mainstream car navigation, car networking, OTA, voice interaction and other functions are readily available, in addition to no Carplay, really can not find any shortcomings.
The 12.3-inch full LCD instrument is also a standard configuration, the display effect is very delicate, the UI interface looks very refreshing, and also provides two sets of theme styles to choose from, one is biased towards the traditional double pointer design, and the other is to strengthen the richer content display.
It is worth mentioning that the new QX60 is also equipped with an AR real-life navigation system, which can display navigation information on the HUD through the front camera, navigation system, HUD head-up display, and full LCD instrumentation, and display real-life road indication on the instrument. Just like the car machine that was experienced when test driving the new Qi Jun before, nissan Group's new car and machine system is definitely one of the best in the current Japanese brand.
Below the screen is a delicate control panel, in addition to the physical volume knob, air conditioning temperature knob, the rest of the functions are using pressure-sensitive button design, there will be no feedback when tapping, you must apply force to press before triggering the corresponding function, can effectively avoid the problem of pure touch operation of the wrong touch. In addition, from this area, it can also be seen that we have test-driven high-end models, which are equipped with steering wheel heating and front seat heating/ventilation.
Below the air-conditioning panel is the front control area of the vehicle, and the new QX60's electronic gear is very exquisite, including the start button, the driving mode switching lever, and the opening and closing buttons of the start-stop system. On the right is the panel for wireless charging of mobile phones, and there is also a total of two USB power supplies of 1A and 1C. I have to say that the design of this charging position is still very good, the front passengers take the mobile phone to charge very conveniently, and the slight downward tilt angle can also ensure that the mobile phone will not slide backwards when the vehicle accelerates.
In addition, the new QX60 mid-to-high-end model is also equipped with a 17-speaker BOSE Performance series audio, as a high-end bose audio product line, the actual sound of this audio is very good, the three frequencies are very balanced, and there are no other BOSE audio like the low frequency excessive "boom" phenomenon. Overall, the interior of the new QX60, whether it is design, workmanship, materials or configuration, is in line with the level of a luxury SUV, and has certain advantages over competitors such as the XT6.
Compared to the luxurious interior, the new QX60 is less than ideal in terms of space, at least for its size. Let's first talk about the seat configuration, from the official configuration table, QX60 will provide 6 configurations in the future, of which the low-end three are 2+3+2 7-seat design, and the high-end three are 6-seat. In the 6-seat layout, the independent seats in the second row provide individually adjustable armrests, and the distance between the two seats is also sufficient for passengers to enter and exit the third row.
In addition, the QX60 can also fold the seat forward by pressing the button under the second row of seats (red box above), creating a larger space between the seat and the door, making it easy for passengers to walk directly from the outside of the car into the third row.
With all three rows of seats open, the QX60's trunk depth is not bad, plus its relatively wide body width, and it is no problem to put down a 20-inch checkerboard box and a large backpack horizontally. After the third row of seats is lowered, the trunk space of the vehicle is very large, and the luggage for daily travel of 4 people can be easily put down.
In terms of seating space, I am 183cm tall and weigh 80kg, and after lowering the front seats and adjusting them to my comfortable driving position, the front row head is still 1 punch and 2 fingers from the lower edge of the skylight, which is very spacious.
At this time, come to the back row, adjust the rear seat to the end, the legroom has a margin of 2 fists, but because the second row of seats is higher than the first row, it is similar to the theater's field of vision style, so the head margin is relatively small, only 3 fingers.
With the second row of seats adjusted to the back seats, the third row is almost impossible to sit. If I move the second row of seats forward to the margin of 1 punch in the leg, with my height and weight, I can just sit in the third row, but there is no head leftover at all. Therefore, the third row of the QX60 is still only suitable for emergency rides, and it is best not to be taller than 175cm.
As a medium and large SUV with a car length of nearly 5.13 meters, in fact, the space performance of the QX60 is not very good, in my personal experience, the Cadillac XT6, which is slightly shorter in size than the QX60, is larger in space, at least the third row of the XT6 I can sit in without head or legs.
However, the praiseworthy point is that the central floor of the second row of the QX60 is completely flat, there is no bulge at all, and even the front and back depth of the middle position is not bad at all compared to the two sides. This means that if you buy a 2+3+2 7-seater version, and the third row of seats is reclined daily to increase the trunk space, the QX60 is used as a main 5-seater car, then the rear seat riding experience of this car will be quite good.
As a high-end car produced by the Nissan Group, no one should have doubts about its seat comfort. First of all, the QX60's first and second row seats are very comfortable. In terms of seat styling, the QX60 is a typical large sofa style, without much wrapping, but the length and width of the seat cushions are excellent. In addition, the leather on the surface of the seat is soft and delicate, and the internal padding is soft and hard, which is not only comfortable to the touch, but also excellent support.
The new QX60 uses the 2.0T+9AT powertrain for the first time in the powertrain, and their performance is naturally the top priority of this test drive. The QX60 series is equipped with a 2.0T VC-Turbo variable compression ratio engine with a maximum power of 252 hp and a maximum torque of 376 N·m. From the parameters, it even has a certain lead compared to the Cadillac XT6's 2.0T engine (237 hp, 350 N·m).
This time, the gearbox that matches this 2.0T engine is finally no longer CVT! It's a 9AT gearbox from ZF! As a result, the QX60 has become the only model in The Nissan Group that uses a cross-mounted 9AT transmission in China. In terms of drive form, the low-end two are configured as front-wheel drive, and the remaining four are configured as timely four-wheel drive systems.
Reflected in the actual driving experience, the 2.0T engine drives a 2.2-ton four-wheel drive SUV, and I say that it is very abundant and believes that everyone does not believe it. Because the test drive environment is located in a winding mountainous area, there is really no condition for everyone to test the 0-100km/h acceleration performance of the vehicle, but from the actual physical feeling, the power performance of the QX60 is about 9 seconds, which is enough to meet daily use, but it is indeed not related to the word "abundant".
To my surprise, although this is the first time That Infiniti has used a ZF 9AT gearbox, the overall tuning is excellent, whether it is a follow-up at low speed or a smooth acceleration, this 9AT gearbox is conscientious and has no sense of presence.
But perhaps to ensure smoothness, the QX60's 9AT gearbox is noticeably slower in response. Especially in the state of uniform cruising, if the driver suddenly steps on the accelerator deeply to accelerate, the gearbox will have to wait for a delay of about 1 second to complete the downshift. At the same time, because the compression ratio of the VC-Turbo engine will be adjusted by a set of connecting rod mechanisms according to different power requests, it will take a certain amount of time to change, so even if the gearbox has completed the downshift, the output of the engine will still be slightly slower and half a beat. However, considering that the QX60 is a luxury SUV with a comfortable orientation, the gearbox can already meet the needs of most target users. If you need to move, you can also switch to the sport mode, at which time the response speed of the gearbox will be significantly improved.
The steering feel of the QX60 steering wheel is also biased towards a comfortable style, whether in standard mode or sport mode, the steering wheel feels very light, coupled with the linear steering wheel damping speed gain, so the QX60 can not only drive easily at low speeds, but also bring a calm feeling at high speeds, and will not feel fluttery.
As for the directionality and response speed of the front of the car, we should not have too high expectations for the QX60, the front of the car will not have movement because of the slight change in steering angle, and it is difficult for you to experience the control feeling of "carrying the front wheel" on the QX60. Simple and easy to get started, easy to drive is my evaluation of the QX60 steering system.
In terms of chassis, the new QX60 features the front McPherson, rear multi-link suspension structure commonly found on transverse platforms. From the actual feeling, the chassis performance of the QX60 is also biased towards the comfortable type, the initial adjustment of the shock absorber is soft, the small vibration filter on the road surface is very full, coupled with the extremely comfortable seat, whether the vehicle is driving on a well-conditioned asphalt road or a fine dirt road in the countryside, the passenger's feeling in the car is quite comfortable.
However, the soft shock absorber in the initial section also caused the QX60 to be in place at one time when passing through large bumps such as large speed reduction belts and deep pits, and there will be a certain amount of fine aftershocks, which makes people feel that the chassis is not sharp enough. In addition, when the vehicle experiences continuous bumps, the texture displayed by the chassis is not as heavy as imagined, and the rigidity of the body of the whole vehicle does not have an extremely excellent feeling such as the BMW X5, or there will be a trace of thinness.
Fortunately, the support of the rear section of the QX60 shock is still good, so even if it is a relatively fast corner, the vehicle will not have too exaggerated roll, or body shake due to continuous weight transfer. Overall, the QX60 is not an SUV that will make you drive intensely, because of its smooth gearbox, comfortable chassis, light steering, plus luxurious interior and comfortable seats, this car is obviously for passengers to provide a smooth and comfortable driving experience, rather than being used to explore the limits of the chassis.
When it comes to the most amazing thing about the QX60, it is definitely its soundproof performance. As we said earlier, the QX60's medium and high-end models are equipped with 17-speaker BOSE Performance series audio, and some students must have thought of BOSE's iconic ANC active noise reduction when they saw it. But in fact, even the minimum QX60 without BOSE audio is actually equipped with active noise cancellation as standard.
Not only that, the front windshield and four door glass of the new QX60 are all double-layer laminated sound insulation glass, and a large number of sound insulation cotton is also used in the firewall, door panel interior, chassis, trunk floor and other areas, which finally creates a cross-level quiet interior cockpit. And it should be noted that the QX60 double-layer sound insulation glass of the whole car is the standard of the whole series, even if it is the lowest-equipped model, you can also enjoy the quiet experience of the level.
Back to the original question, can the QX60 be Infiniti's turnaround? My point is: I turned it over, but not quite. The reason for this is that the QX60 now shows a product power, especially in terms of ride comfort, interior texture and sound insulation, it has a long long board; and its shortcomings in absolute power and absolute space are not very short.
But at present, there are still two problems in front of QX60, one is brand influence, and the other is pricing. The discontinuation of products in previous years has led to the fact that Infiniti's brand influence is far less than before, and how to make consumers re-recognize this brand is a big problem. As for the pricing, the current pre-sale price of 45-66 million is obviously high, after all, the terminal price of the competitor Cadillac XT6 is only about 350,000, and the QX60 makes the interior more luxurious, but in other aspects there is no absolute advantage over the XT6, so the final decision on whether Infiniti can rely on QX60 to turn over the key, it depends on whether the pricing and preferential treatment of this car are sincere enough.