Infiniti’s 2023 QX60 luxury AWD three-row crossover has a lot of competition in its class, but it also has lots to offer in the form of the latest safety technology, spacious interior, three years free maintenance and it’s a top safety pick after testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
QX60 is offered in Pure, Luxe, Sensory and Autograph trim models. We tested the AWD Sensory version and it was packed with luxury items and seating for seven.
We especially liked the chrome trim strips on the rocker panels with the name Infiniti etched in them. And the chrome trim elsewhere over the car is a nice touch in this day of chrome less vehicles like, for example, Tesla’s.
Upon a low 20-inch step-in into the attractive cockpit with its racy flat-bottom steering wheel, you’re treated to heated/cooled, perforated leather front seats that are nicely supportive, heavily padded and include a soothing massage feature that’s nice to have on long trips.
Perched unobtrusively atop the vertical stack, QX’s 12.3-inch infotainment display serves a host of functions like satellite radio, navigation, rearview camera with front and curb views, a settings menu, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity, weather reports, fuel prices, parking lot locations and much more. The display is touchscreen operable or by a rotary controller on the console.
QXs console houses the low-profile gear selector for the smooth shifting 9-speed automatic transmission along with a toggle drive mode switch for Personal, Sport, Auto, Eco and Snow modes. Flanking them is a sizable wireless phone charger that can accommodate the larger cell phones.
Over on the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a driver information display shows alerts, features, functions, drive modes and many more driving aids, some of which were annoying. Using the settings menu, I had to turn off a few alerts such as when approaching a stop signal a chime alerts you. There are other similar alerts I turned off as well.
QX60s second row 60/40 seat can actually seat three tweens with generous leg and headroom. Those passengers have their own HVAC selections that are embedded in the rear of the center console. The seatbacks fold and slide forward to ease third row access onto seats that are mainly for youngsters as leg room is on the tight side.
Back in the cargo area with its 30-inch lift-over, and with the third-row seats upright, there’s 14.5 cubic feet of cargo space that measures 18 inches deep, 46 wide and 30 high. Flip them and capacity expands to 41.6 cubic feet for 45 inches of load depth. Flip the second row and there’s 75.4 cubic feet of capacity for 78 inches of depth. Beneath the aft cargo floor is an 8-inch deep, full-width bin for out of sight small item storage. It comes with slide-in separators to partition the bin into three smaller bins.
QX60 gets its grunt from a 3.5-liter, V6 that generates 295-hp and 270 lb/ft of torque for EPA mileage estimates of 20 city, 25-highway mpg with auto start/stop engine technology and coupled to the 9-speed automatic transmission. The 3.5 actually feels like a V8 under the hood and Sport mode provides an even greater linear explosion of power. The powertrain moves QXs 4,630-pound curb weight with ease and is rated to tow up to 6,000 pounds.
As for ride and handling, QX60 rides smoothly and quietly on Hankook 20-inch tires. It handles quite good for its size with quick, precise steering that makes this AWD wagon easy to park. Sharp turns produce no discernable body lean as QX60 remains stable.
QX60 received four out of five government safety rating stars for driver/passenger frontal crash and five for front/rear seat side crash. It wasn’t rated for rollover, hence no overall vehicle score.
QX60 comes with a long list of niceties like panoramic sunroof, Bose audio and safety features such as predictive forward collision warning, forward emergency braking w/pedestrian detection, lane departure warning/prevention, blind spot warning/intervention, rear automatic braking, rear cross traffic alert plus steering assist when activating cruise control.
Extra cost options included the Vision package ($1,500) that added adaptive front lighting, auto leveling, 10.8-inch head-up display, smart rearview mirror; Lighting package ($795) with welcome lighting and illuminated logo when opening the doors, scuff plate; and Premium Paint ($695) which took the base price of $60,600 to $64,785 with delivery.
QX60 comes with a 4 year/60K mile basic warranty; a 6/70K powertrain and complimentary maintenance for 3/30K miles.
As a handsome, classy, luxury AWD crossover, QX60 has a lot to offer and is attractively priced to compete or beat comparably equipped crossovers and SUVs.
