2024 Infiniti QX60 Review: Near-Premium Hopeful

The second-generation Infiniti QX60 dove headlong into one of the toughest market segments in the USA when it came out in 2022. Mid-size three-row SUVs with premium aspirations are a dime a dozen nowadays, and the QX60 was always going to face an uphill battle against established luxury rivals such as the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90. Granted, those cars are more expensive, so the QX60 should realistically set its sights slightly lower on semi-premium rivals, such as the Acura MDX, Lincoln Aviator, and upcoming Lexus TX, which are priced right in line with it. Sitting on dressed-up Nissan Pathfinder underpinnings and still employing an old-fashioned naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine doesn't help much, but at least the CVT is ancient history. Besides, 295 horsepower is still class-competitive. With a sub-$50k starting price, the 2024 Infiniti QX60 represents very good value, considering you get a roomy cabin and many features. But let's find out if it stands out in any meaningful way.

New for 2024

The 2024 QX60 stays unchanged, with the same features and specifications of the 2023 model carrying over. The only change is that every trim is now sold with a standard three-year trial of Infiniti InTouch Premium Care - a maintenance program that covers up to three years of inspections, tire rotations, and oil changes. Other than that, the base car's price increases by $450.

2024 Infiniti QX60 Price: Which One to Buy

For 2024, the price of a new Infiniti QX60 Pure increases from $49,200 to $49,650. This is followed by the Luxe, which has an MSRP of $55,700, then the Sensory at $59,050, and finally the Autograph at $63,200. This is for the trims in FWD format; to add AWD to any of them will cost you $2,000 on all but the Autograph, which asks for $2,900 extra instead because the all-wheel drive on this trim also comes with the Tow package. This installs a tow hitch and adds trailer stability control. These prices exclude the $1,195 destination fee.

The Luxe makes the most sense in the QX60 range. All trims already have leather upholstery, heating for the front seats and steering wheel, a panoramic moonroof, a comprehensive infotainment system, and a bevy of driver assists, so the base is strong. To this, the Luxe adds far nicer 20-inch wheels than the Pure's 18s, as well as navigation, ventilated front seats, a digital gauge cluster, and a few very useful driver aids like a surround-view camera and front parking sensors. It represents great value at around $57k, destination included.

Interior and Features

The cabin is stylish and sufficiently premium to compete against like-minded rivals, with easy-to-use controls and high quality standards.

It might sit on Nissan bones, but you won't be able to tell when you get inside. The latest QX60's cabin feels premium and there's a pleasing sense of style to it all. The dashboard is made from high-quality materials, and even the base car comes with leather upholstery, tri-zone climate control, and a power panoramic moonroof. The Autograph features rich quilted semi-aniline leather on the seats, and the quilted stitching even extends to the dashtop, so it feels like the cabin matches the price tag. Some people might find the front seats' bolstering a bit too firm and the seats short on support, though, while the second-row bench is not that comfortable either, with firm cushioning and very little bolstering. The roomy cabin has enough interior space for five adults and two children, as the small third row is for occasional use only and not suitable for big people. The Autograph gets two comfortable captain's chairs in the second row. Ingress isn't a chore because the ground clearance isn't excessive, and the driver has few blind spots to contend with.

Space

Except for the reservations about seating comfort, there is a lot of space in the first two seating rows, with the roomy second row closely approximating the kind of room you'll get in an MDX, which has a similar wheelbase of around 114 inches. Neither can match the Aviator, though, which stretches to nearly 120 inches between the axles. The third row is cramped - as it is in its Pathfinder donor car - and the space on offer back there makes them suitable for children only, lagging behind what you'll find in competitors such as the Aviator and MDX.

Cargo

Trunk space is acceptable if not generous, with the 14.5 cu-ft available behind the third row being at the low end of the class. It gets more competitive when the third row is folded down, expanding trunk volume to 41.6 cu-ft. With the second row stowed as well, a maximum of 75.4 cu-ft is on offer. It's about what you'd expect, and if you're looking for an occasional seven-seater that you want to use as a two-row SUV with a large trunk most of the time, the QX60 fits the bill.

Cabin storage is good, with the standard glovebox, as expected, and felt-lined pockets in all four doors that prevent their contents from rattling around noisily on the move. There are no fewer than ten cupholders and four bottle holders strewn about the cabin, along with a lidded center-console storage bin between the front seats and an additional roomy one between the Autograph's second-row captain's chairs. The phone rest ahead of the front passengers' cupholders is also the wireless charging pad. An overhead sunglasses holder and a handy nook in the front passenger's side of the center console are useful as well. Second-row passengers get front seatback pockets as well.

Materials and Colors

Even the Pure comes with leather upholstery for the first two seating rows, and you have a choice of two interior colors - Sandstone/black or Graphite/black, both with black lacquer trim. The Luxe has access to the same two upholstery options but with silver metallic-weave trim instead. The Sensory adds a third option called Saddle Brown/black, and this trim gets black open-pore ash-wood trim. The Autograph is only available in Saddle Brown/black and Graphite/black, and it gets more expensive quilted semi-aniline leather on the seats with contrast stitching, which is repeated on the dashboard. It has the same wood trim as the Sensory. Every trim gets a heated and leather-trimmed steering wheel.

Features and Infotainment

The list of standard features is impressive, even on the base trim, and suits the car's premium positioning. Notable standard features on the Pure include leather upholstery for the first two rows, a power panoramic moonroof, a wireless charging pad, tri-zone climate control, and heating for the manually tilting/telescoping and leather-trimmed steering wheel. Other noteworthy features include power heated front seats, keyless entry with push-button start, and rear privacy glass. Higher up the range, you get ventilated and/or massaging front seats, heated second-row seats, upgraded leather, wood trim, and second-row captain's chairs.

You get analog gauges and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, HD Radio, SiriusXM, Bluetooth audio streaming, Infiniti InTouch Wi-Fi, voice recognition, first- and second-row USB ports, and a nine-speaker audio system in the Pure. The Luxe's infotainment system adds to these features a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link, a HomeLink garage-door opener, and navigation, while also becoming eligible for the optional 17-speaker Bose Performance Series audio system that is standard in the Sensory and Autograph. The Autograph is the only trim to get third-row USB ports and a standard 10.8-inch head-up display, but the latter is optional on the Luxe and Sensory.

Performance

The traditional nine-speed auto is a big improvement over the previous XC60’s CVT, but can be slow-responding at times, while the engine is not as refined as that of the best rivals.

The only engine in every Infiniti QX60 trim is a naturally VQ V6 that can trace its origins back to the '90s. Here, it displaces 3.5 liters and develops 295 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. Naturally aspirated six-cylinder engines are being displaced by turbocharged four-pots, but Nissan and Acura still stick to V6s. The power is sent to a nine-speed automatic transmission that replaces the much-maligned CVT in the previous-generation QX60, and you can have either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. This should give the Infiniti QX60 a 0-60 sprint of around seven seconds. Top speed is limited to around 120 mph, and trailering maxes out at 3,500 pounds, but with the Tow Package fitted, a maximum towing capacity of 6,000 pounds is possible. With just 6.7 inches of ground clearance and no dual-range transmission, off-road forays are off the cards.

The QX60 isn't particularly fun to drive. The engine lacks the low-rev punch of turbocharged rivals, and the nine-speed automatic that's smooth and composed most of the time can be slow to kick down. The Infiniti feels its size and weight around corners, too, and fails to offer the sense of agility that the MDX and Q7 instill, even though it remains on course and exhibits decent body control. The lifeless steering doesn't help the cause, but at least the noise levels are commendably low, and the powertrain recedes into the background if not pushed. It comes as a disappointment that the lack of sportiness does not translate into exemplary comfort, as the suspension is a little jittery and never quite settles down, especially on the 20-inch wheels. It's not harsh, but the general ride is too restless compared to the best of the rest.

Fuel Efficiency

Gas mileage is decent but unexceptional, with the Infiniti QX60's mpg estimates for the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles being 21/26/23 mpg for the FWD powertrain. With AWD, those figures drop to 20/25/22 mpg.

The 19.5-gallon fuel capacity is good enough for a range of 429 to 448 miles between fill-ups.

Safety

Safety is excellent, with high-scoring crash tests and many safety features and driver assists, even at the bottom of the range.

The Infiniti QX60 passes every safety review with flying colors. The NHTSA gave the 2024 model a full five-star overall rating and the IIHS - which is yet to evaluate the 2024 QX60 - gave the identical 2023 model all-round Good scores and a Top Safety Pick+ award.

The Pure has all the standard driver assists that one can reasonably expect from a base model in this class, and these include front-collision alert with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure alert, rear parking sensors with automatic braking, hill-start assist, automatic LED headlights with auto high beams, rain-sensing wipers, and an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror. The Luxe bolsters the safety offering by also adding auto-dimming side mirrors, adaptive cruise control, front parking sensors, blind-spot and lane-departure intervention, traffic-sign recognition, and a garage-door opener. A 10.8-inch head-up display, adaptive self-leveling LED headlights, and a camera-based digital rearview mirror are optional on the Luxe and Sensory as part of the Vision package, but standard on the Autograph.

Reliability

JD Power's Quality & Reliability rating for the Infiniti QX60 is only average at 75 out of 100, but it has a very favorable recall history. The 2024 model hasn't been recalled so far, while the 2023 model was recalled only twice for an improperly secured driver's seat and malfunctioning second-row seat adjuster. In its launch year, the 2022 QX was recalled only once, also for a seat-related issue, this time a missing track bolt in the second-row seat.

For added peace of mind, the 2024 Infiniti QX60's warranty is above average. The limited warranty is valid for four years/60,000 miles, and the powertrain warranty for six years/70,000 miles. From this year, every QX60 comes with Infiniti InTouch Premium Care, which covers scheduled maintenance for three years/30,000 miles.

Warranty

Design

The QX60's looks don't stand out among its peers, but it is handsome in an understated way. All trims ride on alloy wheels, but the Pure gets 18-inch items that look too small for the car, while the others all get 20s in various styles. All-LED exterior lighting, a power panoramic moonroof, power-folding side mirrors, rear privacy glass, and a power liftgate are all standard features. The Pure has no roof rails, but the others all do - they're silver on the Luxe and Sensory, while the Autograph comes with a black roof and roof rails. The top trims get more chrome on the outside, while the Sensory and Autograph have a motion-activated power liftgate. Only the Autograph has adaptive self-leveling headlights, but they're part of an optional package on all other trims except the Pure.

Verdict: Is The 2024 Infiniti QX60 A Good SUV?

The Infiniti QX60 doesn't do enough to set itself apart in an ultra-competitive market segment. Established premium rivals such as the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 are better to drive and more luxurious, while similar peers such as the MDX are roomier and handle better. The QX60 cannot quite shake off its Pathfinder roots, and neither its engine refinement nor its general ride and handling score high in this class. It has a high-quality interior, lots of standard features, and excellent safety credentials, but these are not sufficient to boost it much further than mid-class among very esteemed company.