Among the many car brands, there is a luxury brand that is not like a luxury brand, which is Infiniti.
30 years ago, the Q45 with the Infiniti LOGO was unveiled, and from the appearance, it was gentle and elegant. But beneath the Q45 is a 4.5L V8 engine. The Q45, which has a maximum of 278 hp/396 Nm, can accelerate 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. With the VLSD system, the Q45 not only has excellent acceleration results, but also does not lose control.
Later, the emergence of the Infiniti VQ engine once again shocked the car world. Yes, there were already many engines on the market that operated well, such as the V12 engine of Rolls-Royce and the V6 engine of Mercedes-Benz. Even so, the VQ series engines still rely on their super quietness and excellent power to capture people's hearts. The VQ series engines have even been awarded ward's top ten engines for 14 consecutive years. Perhaps there is not much time left for multi-cylinder engines on the market, but for VQ series engines, it is worth remembering every car enthusiast.
In recent years, with the rise of major new energy models, the share of traditional fuel vehicles in the automobile market has also shown a downward trend year by year, but Infiniti has not given up developing new internal combustion engines. As early as 2016, Infiniti launched the first mass-produced variable compression ratio engine, the VC-Turbo engine. Through the special connecting rod structure, the volume of the combustion chamber is adjusted to achieve the effect of changing the compression ratio, so as to achieve both power and fuel economy, which is also a pioneering achievement in the internal combustion engine industry.
Today's protagonist is the QX60 from Infiniti. As Infiniti's third domestic model in China (priced at 399,800-619,800 yuan), Infiniti also has high hopes for the QX60. Wrapped in a unique oriental luxury charm and medium and large SUV identity, manufacturers want to make QX60 a trump card in their hands. So the question is, at a time when Infiniti brand sales are declining, what are the chances of the QX60 winning? Can you face the "critical hit" from the BBA head-on?
Appearance - Inherit the oriental charm
As an oriental luxury brand, Infiniti has come up with a design concept that is very different from its European counterparts on the QX60.
Compared with the old models, the new QX60 seems to have the meaning of "cutting out the complexity and simplifying". The front face is no longer complicated with curves, but instead, it is a straight and neat line. The huge trapezoidal grille, the layered origami grille details, and the novel three-stage daytime running lights are all telling consumers that the QX60 is no longer a greasy, pyrotechnic SUV.
Coming to the side, the QX60, which uses a floating roof design, is obviously much more capable than the old model. Indeed, the once charming D-pillar design has disappeared, but in exchange for a straight waistline, a highly recognizable two-color body, and these have made the QX60 look incredibly young. After all, for young consumers, such a QX60 is the QX60.
The tail of the QX60 is also a greasy style, the sharp and slender taillights on both sides are almost connected, and the tailgate of the founder design also greatly enhances the practicality of the QX60. Even the lower encirclement that should be unremarkable, the manufacturer also designed two silver chrome decorations for it, and it has to be said that compared with the old model, the new QX60 is successful in appearance "plastic surgery".
Interior - different beauty
As a luxury SUV, in addition to the "crazy stacking" of interior materials, the design and color matching of the interior are also the focus of attention of manufacturers. After all, for luxury SUVs, the material is not all.
Entering the car, the first thing you feel must be the difference between the QX60 and the major German opponents. Compared to the more magical interior of its opponents, the QX60 did not choose to go with the flow. The semi-aniline leather steering wheel, the chrome trim that runs horizontally on the center control, and the dark open lacquer ash wood interior all bring out the "oriental aesthetic" design concept to the fullest.
In the seat section, the QX60 also perfectly inherits the characteristics of Infiniti's "big sofa". The delicate diamond-shaped stitching, the full padding, and the theater-like seating layout give you a good front view even in the third row. It's clear that Infiniti wants every passenger on the QX60 to stay happy on the road. In addition, the QX60's second and third row seats support 40:60 folding, and the QX60's flexible space conversion capability can meet most consumer needs even if a load is required.
As a 21st century luxury SUV, the QX60 is not half behind in the interior technology part. The whole series is equipped with a 12.3-inch LCD instrument as standard and provides two display styles, one is the display style of traditional tachometer + speedometer, and the other is a richer instrument display scheme. As for this 12.3-inch floating central control screen, the built-in Infiniti InTouch 2.0 intelligent interconnection system, support for natural speech recognition, AR real-life enhanced navigation, seat massage function control, OTA upgrade and other functions, is still very sufficient.
In addition, the manufacturer is also equipped with a set of intelligent driver assistance system called PROPILOT L2 on the QX60, which can realize traffic sign recognition (TSR), ultra-visual front-end collision warning system (PFCW), panoramic surveillance image system that supports moving object detection function, and full-speed intelligent cruise system (ICC). Therefore, even if there is a need for long-distance travel, the QX60's powerful driving assistance function can greatly reduce the driver's long-distance driving fatigue.
Motivation - peer responsibility
The CVT can be said to be the "true meaning" of nissan cars, even the more advanced Infiniti models. So, on the new QX60, can there be a change?
In terms of powertrain, the QX60 uses a 2.0T VC-Turbo turbo engine, with a maximum power of 252 horsepower and a peak torque of 376 Nm, even in front of a group of German strongmen. In the transmission section, a 9AT automatic transmission from ZF is used. Seeing this, many people may exclaim: finally it is no longer the 10,000-year CVT!
If you want to talk about the reaction of the transmission, frankly not as fierce as imagined. This 9AT will not be as decisive as a dual-clutch transmission, but will adopt a more flexible shift strategy. In addition, because the engine uses a special connecting rod to adjust the compression ratio of the engine, it also needs a response time in terms of power output, so from the overall performance, the QX60 is not as timely and rapid as imagined in acceleration.
As for the suspension part, the QX60 uses the suspension structure of the front McPherson rear multi-link, which has long been commonplace in similar models. Of course, it is more comfortable, which is also the "routine" of most Japanese cars. The overall comfort of the suspension is matched with a seat with thick padding, even if you encounter a lot of fine bumps? In the case of fast cornering, the QX60's suspension support is still relatively full, and it will not be as awkward as the traditional comfort-oriented SUV when cornering.
For an SUV that focuses on comfort, it is impossible to talk about the sound insulation and tranquility of the carriage. Compared with the acceleration ability of the storm, the quiet carriage atmosphere is what buyers of this level are looking for. On the QX60, it can be found that the manufacturer has arranged a 17-speaker BOSE Performance To Perfection series audio (medium and high- with high-end), under the ANC active noise reduction function and the "combination fist" of double-layer laminated glass in many places in the car, even if it is running on the high speed, the occupants in the car can easily talk.
At the vehicle maintenance level, Infiniti, as a Japanese manufacturer, also gives a lot of "benefits", such as 4 years / 100,000 km free warranty, 4 years / 100,000 km quality and accident free rescue, 6 years / 120,000 km free basic maintenance services, so from the perspective of subsequent maintenance costs, Infiniti QX60 is still affordable enough.
Write at the end
From a product point of view, the transformation or upgrade of the Infiniti QX60 was successful. Especially from the details of the product, whether it is the design, mechanical heritage, and driving quality of the QX60, it has the strength to compete with similar luxury brand models. But for QX60, high pricing will still have a certain impact on sales. Yes, the QX60's product power is deep enough, but in the face of terminal discounts almost crazy Volvo XC90 and Cadillac XT6, with Infiniti's brand appeal, QX60 does not seem to have much power. However, everything looks forward, with good product details and subsequent terminal discounts, QX60 can still achieve a certain position in the market.
Like many second-tier luxury brands, Infiniti is actually easy to drown in domestic luxury brands. Because in the minds of many people, luxury brands = BBA, and this also confirms the depth of the "inner volume" of the luxury brand car market. However, second-tier luxury brand SUVs such as QX60 do not need to worry too much, and the increasingly rational consumption mentality of consumers has also put the sales of non-first-tier luxury brand models back on track. So, for the QX60, stay tuned!