By Andy Stonehouse
While two of my close friends from my earlier days in car writing recently held executive-level roles at Infiniti, Nissan’s premium brand, I really am not able to tell you much about the company’s objectives, other than to out-German the Germans when it comes to sporty, luxury vehicles.
I have, luckily, had a bunch of the company’s newer models for road tests, so I can at least tell you what the driving experience is like. That includes the all-new 2022 Infiniti QX60, the upscale partner to the equally new Nissan Pathfinder.
The $63,250 Autograph edition QX60 seemed much more like a Range Rover version of Pathfinder, with a lot of edgy stylistic choices closer to the more-than-full-sized QX80. The preponderance of chrome vents and trim are certainly splashy-plus, as are the 20-inch aluminum wheels—a much, much more basic version of the vehicle is available, front-wheel-drive, for $46,850.
In the cabin, a pillow-stitched lower dash buffers a bend of black wood trim, plus a full complement of hard-to-see, invisible-until-lit glossy black haptic controls. All of that combines together for a pretty snazzy look. There are even curious alternative readout settings for the instruments, if you’re tired of standard gauges.
Power here gets a slight edge over Pathfinder in the form of a 295-horsepower, 270 ft.–lb., 3.5-liter V6, set up with a nine-speed automatic and “intelligent” all-wheel drive. If you’re used to the 400 horses found in the QX80 (or the outstanding power I also found in the high-output version of the Q60 sedan), the engine is a slight disappointment. While the mass is not quite as present as it is in that beast, the three-row QX60 can feel slightly hefty at times, not only on steep climbs but in any strong cornering conditions.
On the whole, however, this classy Infiniti felt calm, collected and great for highway cruising, and its litany of driver assistance and safety electronics (sensors, ProPilot quasi-autonomous cruise control, even an around-view monitor which detects moving objects) are well integrated—especially since 
so many of them first appeared on earlier Infiniti automobiles, before appearing or being government-mandated on more pedestrian brands.
My tester certainly carried the full complement of luxury, with quilted and perforated semi-Aniline leather seats in the first and second rows, and equally striking but compact third-row seating. The front seats also feature a massage mode, while the second-row captains’ chairs are also heated, and quite spaciously comfortable. They slide just as much as the Pathfinder’s did, with broad rear doors for easy access, and heavy-duty scuff plates.
There’s outline stitching everywhere and aluminum-esque trim on the doors, plus very prominent window pillar and door placement for some of the 17 speakers in the Bose Performance audio system.
Like Pathfinder, QX60 is set up to allow 6,000 pounds of towing capacity, with a transmission oil cooler and hitch and trailer electronics already built in.
Si: The Lincoln/Range Rover version of the still-pleasant Pathfinder, Infiniti’s new QX60 escalates the experience with a comfy, tech-heavy cabin.
No: QX60 seems just a little short on power, especially if it’s trying to be in Lincoln/Range Rover territory.
Andy Stonehouse is a guest contributor to Latino Traffic Report and a freelance automotive journalist based in Lakewood, Colorado. All photos are stock, not as-tested.
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