Our Infiniti QX70 gets the S designation which means it has the sport package. This comprehensive list of exterior and interior touches dramatically change the look and attitude and really brings a fresh aura to it.
On the outside, these touches include huge 21” dark finish wheels which are tied in with dark chrome trims all over from door hardware to the grilles and roof rails. With our technology package also came the adaptive auto leveling bi-xenon headlamps.
With evolutionary styling updates since it debuted as the FX in 2003 the look remains unique and stands out in a crowd. While controversial, Infiniti’s under-sea creature facial design really wears well on this model.
The interior gains a number of upgrades with the Sport Package starting with climate controlled sport seats, rich contrast stitching and a dark headliner to set the mood. Sizable solid magnesium paddle shifters give you an option beyond the shift lever for manual shifting.
Overall design of the cabin is still daring by modern terms with artful lines and curves, now augmented with the latest look of diagonal diamond stitching in its soft trims. High levels of fit and finish and the feel of quality are well in line with its pricing.
The infotainment system and its user interface is top of the class for feature content as well as usability behind the wheel. An array of buttons and knobs along with steering wheel controls give you plenty of ways to get the job done.
The around-view monitor is a must have and continues to be a welcome feature in the Infiniti vehicles we test. Best yet, sound quality from its Bose 11 speaker sound system is downright thunderous across the spectrum.
Comfort and space is never an issue here with both front and rear seat passengers getting all the room they need. Rear cargo space is larger than expected from first glance at the exterior silhouette, and of course those seats fold down for even more.
Under the hood is the brand’s venerable 3.7 liter VQ V6 engine now offering up 325 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. It’s now mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission which is good, allowing the engine to rev up to its power peaks.
I found power to be plenty fun but because the torque is lower and requires higher revs to reach, the transmission often has to be forced into a number of downshifts to really dig into the power – particularly going up hills.
As expected, handling is a very strong suit with the QX70. It’s chassis has a pretty heady pedigree, versions of it underpinning cars like the Nissan 370Z and the Infiniti G-Series cars now known as the Q40 and Q60.
Steering is sharp and the suspension tuning tight. Roll stiffness is very robust which gives the QX70 the feeling of a sport sedan rather than a tall and bulky crossover SUV. Ride on rough roads can be a bit brittle at times due to its larger 21” wheels, but not so much you wouldn’t want them.
Our QX70 was equipped with a full battery of driver assistance programs including lane departure warning, radar cruise control, and forward collision warning with brake assist. We found them to all work well and unobtrusively.
The EPA rates the 2015 QX70 at 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined. At 4200 lbs for our rear-wheel drive tester it is moderately heavy which makes that engine work. We did however achieve a 22 mpg combined for the week which is more than promised.
The QX70 has not yet been fully rated by the IIHS, but achieved good ratings on the moderate overlap crash test and head restraints operation. It has available crash prevention systems as ours had, thus depending on crash test performance in other tests it could be eligible for Top Safety Pick + rating.
