QX60

Make
Infiniti
Segment
SUV

The Infiniti QX60 is one of the brand's imminent new releases that we're very much looking forward to. We know it'll have a fresh new look and a sleek new interior, but the mechanical components of the SUV are all-new too. Last month, Infiniti announced that the QX60 would have pretty good towing capacity, thanks in part to a new nine-speed gearbox, but Infiniti has just told us that the all-wheel-drive system will be new too. Thanks to countless hours of testing in various extreme climates, the brand is confident that we'll be impressed by its abilities, no matter what weather we test it in.

With an innovative direct coupling system, Infiniti says that the QX60 will be able to nearly instantly send power to wheels with the most grip and can sometimes even do this before any slip is detected. Infiniti's General Manager of Product Planning and Strategy, Eric Rigaux, says: "Our newest Intelligent All-Wheel Drive exceeds our expectations with seamless power delivery, right when the driver expects it - or even before." Instead of using an electromagnetic coupling, which requires wheel slip to be detected before it can engage, this system instead uses sensors to predict when you may need more traction at a certain wheel, giving you near-instant response and sometimes even preemptive power redistribution.

To ensure that the system works as well as possible, Infiniti carried out cold-weather testing in areas like Alaska, northern Quebec, and Michigan. Thanks to a new Active Brake Limited Slip system, the QX60 could apportion torque from side to side in these cold areas, maximizing grip even when only one wheel is slipping, or when only one wheel has traction. Infiniti says that this means that drivers can pull away easily, no matter the conditions. The SUV was tested in hot weather too, with Death Valley, California and Moab, Utah being the locales of choice. Infiniti is happy with the results and expects its buyers to be impressed too. We look forward to testing it ourselves, but so far, the QX60 looks like it'll be brilliant.