This week our ride was the 2023 Infiniti QX60, a 7 seater luxury SUV with all the bells and whistles. Like massaging front row seats, wireless charging, and automatic key detection. I especially like the name tag on the side of the vehicle, done in a shiny chrome.
It was an attractive SUV considering the size and girth. And I liked it even more upon opening the door and sitting myself down. The seats were a cushiony caramel-brown faux leather, with beige and white stitching in a criss cross pattern. Striking enough to over extend to the door’s panel and the dash in a handsome quilted pattern. The rest of the interior is black with dark cherry wood panels in between.
Although handsome, I found the seat itself too large for my frame, and my thighs extending out at an uncomfortable length and distance. One that I did eventually grow use to, and simply folded my non-driving foot over to remedy. But to further the uncomfortable stance, I found the lumbar option lacking. In its fully extended position it left my lower back unsupported. And my shoulders were forced at a hunch given the curvature of the seat, although the headrest was of good support.
The above selection was moot if engaging the massaging seat function. A nice to have that was easy to locate, as an easy push down button located on the side of seat. It came with the option to choose speed, strength, and style from a list on the touch screen infotainment system. Sensations such as relaxing and refreshing. Although even when maxed out on strength it felt like nothing more than a gentle poke in the back. And you wouldn’t even notice it if you had not knowingly turn it on.
Speaking of which, the flasher left and right was silent, so after turning in on, you forgot to disengage it after your lane change. There was no tick or tock, and I caught myself leaving it unchecked, to my embarrassment.
There is a learning curve to the QX60 given its girth and the height you are set at, especially coming from a smaller sedan. I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out how to put the SUV in reverse, not realizing you also had to push down a button and shift simultaneously. The gearshift is a literal handful as it takes up your entire palm when you slide it back to drive and forth to reverse.
As expected, given how heavy the vehicle is, there is plenty of body rolling as you swerve while turning it on its axis. On the flipside, thanks to the size, potholes and dips in the road mean nothing, and speed bumps were but a freckle on the skin’s surface.
The Infiniti QX60 made me feel small as it took plenty of effort to swing the door open and keep it open, less its weight has it swinging back at you. This is the size of a SUV I would go out of my way to find an easier parking spot for. However, although larger it is still fairly narrow, thus not hindering your use of smaller parking stalls and slim roads.
As for the way it handles, the QX60 felt heavy behind the wheel due to its sheer size and length, as you were hauling its body around. The 7 seats were a nice option, although the third row had no leg room and was stiff like a bench. Definitely not for an extended seating. And the additional head rests added an obstruction to the rearview mirror view. Thankfully the larger side mirrors and the large side windows helped to compensate for the limited visibility, allowing for more generous shoulder checks.
The buttons on the dash or centre console were very tactile. I enjoyed pushing down on their slick surface, and feeling a push back vibration in return, to signify my request has been made.
Although I found the wireless charge infuriating. Set at a slant the textured rubber pad, did not keep the phone in place (without or without the case) thus it kept sliding and ending its charge. This was to the point that I gave up on it and used either my USB or c-cable to charge. This was also necessary as I had difficulty syncing up my phone with Bluetooth. So Apple CarPlay was the only resolve.
In short this was a standard SUV drive with both pros and cons in the little details.
