One the brand’s most important new products in decades, the all-new 2019 Infiniti QX50 mid-size crossover SUV has been revealed at the LA Auto Show with an all-new style, chassis and a revolutionary new engine.
When we saw the QX50 in concept form last year, it was clearly a sea change for the brand. Now before us is the production version of Infiniti’s new mid-size crossover SUV that will likely become their best selling mainstream product for years to come.
Bold in its styling and its bounding stance, the 2019 Infiniti QX50 represents several firsts for the brand. The all-new front-wheel-drive based chassis architecture defines its proportions and its silhouette, and its interior space.
Strong in its lines and forms, the body structure features high-strength steels that bring a stronger yet lighter body over the current model and Infiniti tells us unrivaled levels of quiet and refinement in the class.
Under its sharply defined hood lines is a world-first variable compression engine known as the VC-Turbo, a ground breaking new powertrain that can vary its compression from low to high for the best of both worlds, performance and efficiency.
With 2.0 liters, turbocharging and direct-injection the VC Turbo cranks out 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque with the efficiency Infiniti claims of a comparably sized hybrid or diesel powered vehicle. In front-wheel drive they tell us 26 mpg combined.
Performance too is impressive with a 0-60 time Infiniti says at 6.3 seconds. The engine is so advanced it gets its own separate video linked below to tell you how it works. Available in both front and all-wheel drive the new VC Turbo engine will be paired exclusively with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
It’s chassis while all-new brings tried and true formats such as a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension. The brand’s Direct Adaptive Steering or drive-by-wire steering for those in the know is available but is an option still.
The interior uses the extra space afforded by its new front-wheel-drive architecture and builds on the design themes we’ve been seeing from the brand. Swank materials an textures blend with ambient LED lighting and high technologies to make it the thing you really spend the money for here.
With two rows of seating for five, what’s most remarkable about this new interior I think is the attention to details you see in the marriage of colors and materials, the interplay between suede and smooth, and high quality switchgear that really appears to be a step up from previous Infiniti vehicles.
Add in the technologies of infotainment and the ProPILOT Assist semi-autonomous driving system and you have a palette of feature content that starts with a high level of standards but offers options well and above many of its would be competitors when it goes on sale later next year.
