The Infiniti QX65 Is Luxury Writ Large

Sport utility vehicles come in all shapes and sizes these days, but the oddest iteration is the so-called “SUV coupe.” It replaces the conventional upright tailgate with a raked rear roofline that trades utility for a sportier appearance.The 2008 BMW X6 is considered the first of the genre. It was based on the traditionally styled X5 and billed as a “Sports Activity Coupe” in the brand’s promotions. It wasn’t any faster or more agile than the X5, but it sure did look like it was and that’s what mattered to the customers who flocked to it.The 2008 BMW X6 was billed as the first Sports Activity Coupe. BMWNearly two decades later, BMW still sells an X6 and has expanded the idea to the smaller X4 and X2, while other automakers have introduced similar models like the Audi Q8 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The latest entry into the segment is the Infiniti QX65, but its roots are even deeper than the X6’s.The 2003 Infiniti FX35 was a four-door crossover SUV that shared its platform with the Nissan 350Z sports car. It handled like a performance vehicle and had a sleek coupe-like roofline, but since there wasn’t a boxy SUV to go with it, nobody realized what Infiniti had invented until the X6 came along.The 2003 Infiniti FX35 set the mold for the SUV coupe segment. InfinitiThe QX65 isn’t quite the same thing. Instead of being a derivation of a compact two-seat, it is essentially a chop-top version of the Tennessee-built QX60 large three-row SUV. The two are the same length, but the QX65 only has two rows of seating for five passengers and a long cargo floor under the lower roof behind them.It is the sort of vehicle empty nesters transition into when they don’t want to go back to a sedan, which is something Infiniti doesn’t even sell anymore. Prices start at $55,535 and top out at just over $70,000 for a loaded top-of-the-line Autograph trim like the one I recently tested.All of the QX65s come with the same drivetrain, which includes standard all-wheel-drive, a nine-speed automatic transmission and one of the most unusual engines on the road today. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder is equipped with a variable compression ratio technology that is proprietary to Infiniti and Nissan and it does exactly what its name implies.Internal combustion engines use pistons to compress a mixture of fuel and air by a fixed ratio determined by the stroke of the piston. Engines designed to maximize power typically have higher ratios than those optimized for efficiency, so a compromise is required, but Infiniti’s engine features a unique linkage that can adjust the length of the stroke on demand for a best-of-both-worlds scenario. The QX65 Autograph has quilted leather upholstery and a 20-speaker Klipsch audio system. InfinitiThe result is a vehicle with a 268 horsepower rating that delivers 26 mpg on the highway. The latter not a bad figure at all for something that is as large and powerful as the QX65. The transition between the two modes is seamless, but you can call up a live graphic on the digital instrument cluster that tracks its operation, if you must know.The QX65’s acceleration is brisk and accompanied by raspy, synthetically enhanced engine and exhaust notes that can be turned up by switching to Sport mode. This makes the throttle more responsive, and tells the transmission to wait a little longer before shifting up, but it is all more aggressively called for in a vehicle like this, which is primarily meant to be a comfortable cruiser that can also tow a 6,000-pound camper along with you into retirement.The ride quality is excellent and the quilted-leather massaging seats are likely better than the armchairs in your study, as is the audio system. The Autograph comes with a 1,200-watt Kipsch Reference Premiere setup with 20 speakers, including four in the front seat headrests. I’ve never experienced anything like it in in a vehicle close to the QX65’s price. It defines the word “clarity.” Old songs sound new as you discover elements you never noticed before. I even found myself sitting around in it at the end of trips to listen to the music for a while longer, which surely isn’t odd at all.

The Infiniti QX65 Is Luxury Writ Large

The Infiniti QX65 Is Luxury Writ Large

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