See answers to common EV questions, tax incentives, charging maps & more.
Explore EV22 - 23
268
1 speed, CVT w/OD
Intercooled Turbo Premium Unleaded I-4
All Wheel Drive, Front Wheel Drive
Photo: Ron Sessions
The Infiniti QX50 competes in the Compact Premium SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study, 55 percent of new Infiniti QX50 buyers are female (vs. 38 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new QX50 buyer is 59 years (vs. 55).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the QX50 in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you'll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the QX50 ranks 12th out of 15 Compact Premium SUV models.
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a QX50 Sport AWD equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $52,815, including the $1,195 destination charge.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Since the current-generation Infiniti QX50 broke ground in 2019, it has set a high bar for interior design and spaciousness in the compact premium SUV segment. In addition to exterior design, respondents to the 2022 APEAL Study give high marks to the vehicle's interior design, driving comfort, and ease of getting in and out.
With a striking design, high-quality materials, and bespoke craftsmanship, the QX50's elegantly executed dash, console, and door trim wouldn't look out of place in luxury vehicles costing twice as much. In addition, a preponderance of curved, soft-touch surfaces at touch points, some wrapped in creamy leather or faux-suede material, help elevate cabin ambiance.
The QX50's heated, power-operated front bucket seats are all-day comfortable while providing notably good back support. The cabin is as roomy as it is luxurious, with generous headroom and legroom for rear passengers on a sliding and reclining 60/40 split bench seat. Cargo space is among the greatest in the segment, with 31.4 cubic feet behind the back seat and 65.1 with the rear seat folded flat.
The cabin is quiet, although noisier than some competitors when accelerating briskly. Starting with the 2021 model, Infiniti added standard laminated, acoustically treated front-side window glass to reduce ambient noise and pass-by hiss.
For the 2022 model year, the QX50 added the convenience of hands-free rear-door Intelligent Key Entry, great for situations where the owner might want to unlock and open a rear door first to seat a passenger or place a package.
For the 2023 model year, all QX50 trims get the convenience of remote engine start—great for warming up or cooling down the cabin before entry—and a frameless auto-dimming inside rearview mirror. Also, 2023 will see the hands-free motion-activated liftgate become standard on all but the base Pure trim.
According to JD Power research, the infotainment system is among the three least-favorite aspects of the QX50. However, the SUV's dual-screen InTouch system, used now for several years, has its fans, particularly among those who prefer hard shortcut buttons as opposed to touchscreen menus and submenus that can cause driver distraction. The larger, lower 8-inch screen handles audio, media, phone, and vehicle systems duties, while the upper one is home to navigation and the reversing camera monitor. Infiniti now uses a more modern-looking, single-screen system with a larger display in the QX60 and QX80.
For 2021, the QX50 added standard Wi-Fi hotspot capability for tablets, laptops, and such, using the buyer's data plan. In addition, the two top QX50 trims also come standard with a 16-speaker Bose Performance Series premium audio system tuned to deliver an in-concert-like auditory experience.
The 2022 QX50 upgraded from a wired Apple CarPlay system to a wireless one, allowing iPhone users to cut down the USB clutter in the artfully designed console. Android Auto, however, still needs a cable for access to Google Search and Google Maps.
All 2023 QX50 models get a standard wireless phone charger. The charging pad, located at the front of the center console under the dash, is roomy enough to handle even the largest of phones. A nearby indicator light illuminates when the phone is charging.
Photo: Ron Sessions
One area where the QX50 tops many of its European competitors is safety and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS); just about everything is standard.
Although Infiniti offered it in upper trims a few years earlier, the automaker made ProPilot Assist standard in 2022 for all versions of the QX50. ProPilot Assist is a hands-on driver-assist system that combines adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance for use on well-marked highways and low-speed urban traffic.
In 2022, the QX50 added blind-spot intervention and lane-departure intervention as standard equipment on all trims. Blind-spot intervention takes blind-spot warning to the next level by lightly snubbing the opposite-side brakes if the radar sensor at the rear of the QX50 senses a vehicle moving into the vehicle's blind spot and the driver ignores the visual and audible alerts. The QX50's blind-spot system is different than those in some competing SUVs that use mild opposite-lock steering torque to help guide the QX50 away from blind-spot danger.
The QX50's lane-departure intervention works the same way, using the brakes to pull the SUV back into its lane instead of steering-wheel torque, as found in most competitors' systems.
The QX50's yellow, fingernail-sized blind-spot warning lamp adjacent to the side mirrors is larger than tiny in-mirror warning telltales and, thus, more attention-getting and visible in bright sunlight.
For 2023, the QX50 adds a standard rear-seat reminder system. When the driver shuts off the engine, a message to check the rear seat, ostensibly for kids or pets, flashes on the driver display. Likewise, the horn sounds if someone opens a rear door before a key cycle and doesn't reopen it within a short period after the driver shuts off the engine. The owner can switch off this feature in vehicle settings, via a hard button on the dash, or in the driver display message center.
New for 2023 is a Sport trim that replaces the previous midgrade Essential trim. So, what's in a model name? The new, less ambiguously named Sport trim avoids the vaguely upscale-sounding Pure, Luxe, Sensory, and Autograph monikers of the other trims.
More than a few automakers are expanding their crossover SUV lineups to court buyers who desire to convey a more virile, perhaps more street-savvy look that might otherwise be drawn to a sport sedan. The new QX50 Sport trim does that with cosmetic touches to the exterior, including 20-inch black-finish wheels, blacked-out roof rails, nameplates, and other exterior trim, plus a more aggressive-looking, deeper-drawn lower front fascia with a blacked-out grille.
The black treatment continues into the cabin with black aluminum accents and a Graphite Tricot headliner. Other QX50 Sport niceties include heated and cooled, full power front seats covered in creamy semi-aniline perforated leather and a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system with artful metallic speaker grilles on the doors.
Other than the 45-series, 20-inch all-season run-flat tires that all QX50s but the lower-level Pure and Luxe get, there are no mechanical upgrades to enhance performance for the Sport grade. However, since current JD Power APEAL data shows the QX50 has more female buyers than males, the new Sport trim puts on a good show and ups the QX50's curb appeal for the target audience Infiniti is looking to appeal to with this trim.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Aging gracefully, the Infiniti QX50 is a stylish, compact premium SUV with a bespoke cabin, spread-out comfort for five passengers, and a roomy cargo hold. The chassis prioritizes comfort over sporty handling, and the brilliance of its variable-compression turbo-four engine, while peppy, doesn't advance fuel efficiency or performance noticeably.
The new Sport trim, with its larger, deeper-drawn grille and blackout treatment, is the first change to the QX50's exterior design since its introduction in 2019, and its street-savvy look will likely bring some younger male buyers into the fold.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
