You’re catching a baseball game on TV, your team is up at bat. Here comes the pitch, the bat connects with an audible “crack!” as the ball goes soaring in the sky. You’re excited - here comes a home run! But alas, it drops like a rock into the centre fielder’s glove, not even close to the fence. That’s what the 2027 Infiniti QX65 feels like, so much promise and a great first impression, but ultimately falls short of expectation.
styling - The “crack!” of the bat
Well that’s easy, it’s the looks. The Infiniti QX65 is gorgeous, especially finished in our tester’s Sunfire Red paint, highlighted with obvious specs of gold under the sun. The front grille uses Infiniti’s unique grille design with an illuminated Infiniti logo that looks big, but not cartoonish. I’m a fan of the slim multi-LED DRLs, and the headlight units tuck into the front bumper side vents inconspicuously.
The two tone paint with the blacked out upper comes on all colours save for two, and I’m a little mixed with it, only because Infiniti's parent company Nissan employs the same design aesthetic on their mainstream brand, so I can’t help but see Nissan. If I were opening up my chequebook, I’d likely choose the single tone deep emerald green paint, which happens to save you the $1,200 two-tone premium.
Infiniti hinted heavily at the QX65 being the spiritual successor to - or at least inspired by - the iconic, and frankly revolutionary FX SUV from the mid 2000s. I see it in its profile, and a bit of the front end, although as handsome as the QX65 is, it doesn’t change the game the way the FX35 and FX45 did. For starters, the FX rolled on 20-inch wheels back then, which were Rap-music-video large. Today, the QX65 rides on….21” wheels. Hardly egregious but far from daring, especially considering the size of the thing. Whereas the FX looked like a concept vehicle on the road, the QX65 makes due with just being handsome.
interior & Tech - The apex of the ball
Before the inevitable drop, the QX65 impresses with a lovely interior, especially in Autograph trim. It’s put together well, with the piano black panel for the haptic controls being the only real gripe I have. The seats are a particular highlight, with a quilted stone grey leather contrasted with darker grey accents along the sides, and some unique gold piping. It looks ultra premium, lifting the entire interior up another level. The metallic Klipsch speaker grilles proliferate throughout the cabin, and especially in the headrests further aid the premium feel.
There’s a good amount of space in the second row, and cargo volume behind the 2nd row is excellent, offering up to 1,917 litres of cargo space, more than the Genesis GV80, BMW X6 and even the Lexus RX 450. You do compromise with functionality due to the coupe-like sloping roofline, but not by much.
Dual 12.3inch screens with Google functionality built-in operate smoothly, but fall short of the crispest screens available from other manufacturers. It has standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and the topic of phones, the coolest feature might be the Qi2 wireless charger, which has a raised magnetic holder that ensures your phone actually charges at speed and remains relatively cool doing it. That’s a real quality of life feature.
The Klipsch audio system in the Autograph trim sets you up with 16 speakers and 600 watts, along with an 8-inch subwoofer. As with other Klipsch audio systems I’ve tested, it's only okay - it sounds good enough, but doesn’t get you excited about the music like a Bowers or even Bang & Olufsen would.
You do get Nissan/Infiniti's ProPilot 2.1, which gives you hands-free highway driving with lane change assist to go along with your typical active safety features like automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist and blind spot detection.
Driving impressions - Falling to center field
And this is where the ball starts to fall short and you start thinking oh wait, maybe it won’t make it all the way. The ride quality errs on the side of comfortable, despite the visual cues suggesting the QX65 being more sporting. It’s a nice balance however, one that I would assume most Infiniti buyers would be satisfied with. The QX65 also keeps the road and wind noise hushed down to acceptable levels.
Once you get on the accelerator pedal is when that ball really starts to sink. You see, the QX65 isn’t powered by Nissan’s powerful 3.0L twin-turbo six, or even their smooth naturally aspirated V6, instead making due with the Nissan Murano’s 2.0L variable-compression turbocharged four cylinder. A fine engine in a mainstream Murano, a complete letdown in a premium product like the QX65.
It makes the same 268 horsepower as the QX60, but is apparently tuned to be more sporting in its power delivery. The engine isn’t particularly strong, especially against the similarly priced GV70 3.5T, which, as you guessed, features a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 making 375 horsepower. The QX65 is mated to Nissan’s not-so-great 9-speed automatic, which somehow feels like a CVT despite not being one.
The engine itself sounds whiny and weak when you’re getting on it, even the pumped in audio to augment it does more harm than good. You can’t help but feel a bit disappointed in its performance. I desperately hope Infiniti does the QX65’s looks justice and gets a V6 into it; that would really help it out.
Summary - And he’s out
The final nail in the coffin is pricing. In top Autograph trim the 2027 Infiniti QX65 it rings in at $81,645. For comparison’s sake, the more luxurious Genesis GV70 with the 3.5L twin-turbo six which has more than 100 additional horsepower comes in just a couple grand more (and somehow managed to average better real world fuel economy!). As much promise as the QX65 had, I can’t help but feel disappointed in the drive and would be hard pressed to recommend it against most of its peers, at least until something changes under the hood. At least it’s pretty though.