2018 Infiniti QX50 Spied, Looks Broad
What It Is: Infiniti’s second-generation QX50 crossover, caught testing in Arizona wearing black camouflage disguising its exterior styling. The QX50—originally known as the EX35, for the few people who’ve heard of it—is Infiniti’s compact two-row SUV, slotting in above the subcompact QX30 co-developed with Mercedes-Benz and above the three-row QX60, which shares most of its mechanicals and platform with the Nissan Pathfinder. Today’s QX50 dates all the way back to the two thousand eight model year.
Why It Matters: Crossovers are where it’s at for luxury brands, and Infiniti’s are some of the oldest in the business. The QX50 has suffered from a compromised package going all the way back to its debut as the EX35, where its cramped passenger compartment kept sales low. A wheelbase spread that arrived for two thousand sixteen ultimately alleviated the rear-seat legroom deficit, but the model’s advanced age still is evident.
Platform: The current QX50 rails on a rear-drive-based architecture that promises a sporty driving practice (that it only partially produces). In contrast, the fresh version is expected to be spun from the same Daimler bones as the QX30 and the Mercedes GLA-class. The spy pictures display a large front overhang and relatively brief distance inbetween the front wheel and the A-pillar, further suggesting that Infiniti is switching to a transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. That change—similar to what BMW did with the latest X1—would open up interior space, albeit at a cost in treating prowess. Infiniti was mum on the subject of the car’s layout at the introduction of the QX Sport Inspiration concept, which debuted last spring as the very first show-car precursor to the fresh model, and has remained so through the unveiling of updated versions seen last fall at the Paris auto showcase and last month at Detroit.
We can see even through the camo that the fresh QX50 features front-end styling similar to that of the QX60. The stance also emerges much broader than today’s relatively long and narrow QX50 but with a rising beltline and a fast-sloping greenhouse.
Powertrain: When Infiniti flipped out the updated QX Sport Inspiration concept last fall, it also took the wraps off a fresh turbocharged Two.0-liter four-cylinder engine that showcased the brand’s fresh variable-compression technology. Dubbed Variable Compression-Turbocharged (VC-T), the technology permits the compression ratio to vary from as low as 8.0:1 to 14.0:1, helping the engine achieve two hundred sixty eight horsepower and two hundred eighty eight lb-ft of torque. It’s very likely no coincidence that the engine—which Infiniti claims will be in a production model in 2018—made its debut alongside the QX concept. Its two hundred sixty eight horsepower, however, is down from the three hundred twenty five ponies in the current model’s Three.7-liter V-6, so an extra, higher-output engine might also be suggested.
Estimated Arrival and Price: We expect the QX50 to show up in production form later this year and go on sale as a two thousand eighteen model. Its base price may rise a bit from the $35,645 beginning figure for today’s version.