John and Laurie Wiles 8:52pm • June 29, 2022 Automotive, History, Pinehurst, NC Leave a Comment
Driving Me Crazy automotive review Columnists Laurie and John Wiles.
Listen to John and Laurie Wiles’ review of the 2022 2022 on their Driving Me Crazy radio broadcast that airs this Thursday, June 30, 2022, at 10am ET and every Thursday throughout the year at the same time. The broadcast is heard “Live” or “On Demand” by clicking onto this specific hyperlink — http://tobtr.com/s/12105551. Please note that the hyperlink is specific to this review. It changes every week. Listeners are welcome to call the broadcast at 347-205-9201 and are asked to stay on topic. Please share your first name so that we may address those who call respectfully!
PINEHURST, NC — June 29, 2022 — See the picture above. It’s the 2022 Infiniti QX55. We are reviewing the 2022, but the 2023’s are apparently available. Looking at the picture of the 2023 and our own Infiniti QX55 Sensory Dynamic Sunstone Red 2022 Sensory Model, while I am sure there are some differences in styling, whatever we write about the Sensory is going to be accurate for either – Style, comfort, and class in a luxury, crossover coupe.
There are three models of the QX55: the Luxe AWD, at $49,150; the Essential AWD at $54,250; and the Sensory AWD at $57,800. The monroney on our 2022 Sensory AWD had a suggested retail of $57,050, just a few dollars less, but when you add Exclusive Paint for $900, a Lighting Package with Welcome Lighting and Illuminated Kick Plate for $925, and a Lifestyle Hitch (for towing) at $450, you wind up with a total of $59,350. Yes, there is still a destination charge, and shipping is very expensive these days (I know), BUT the Carpeted Floor Mats (drumroll please) are Complimentary. Now there’s a breakthrough!
“What do I get in the way of a luxury crossover for right at $60K?”, you might ask. Actually, a lot, we would respond, and here’s what we mean.
You get a 2.0L Variable Compression Turbo engine. That’s a four cylinder. This car, too, had almost imperceptible lag time from depressing the gas pedal to acceleration. The car manufacturers have heard from the public and are doing something to fix that problem while we wait for the hybrids and electric vehicles to take over … maybe. Part of this has to be the Continually Variable Transmission (CVT). Infiniti explains it this way – “A Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) provides simple, efficient power delivery creating better fuel economy than traditional transmissions. With CVT, shifting is seamless – the vehicle performs as though it has a variable gear for every driving situation, and you won’t feel any shift shock.” Anyway, I liked the acceleration, and when you are getting 268HP and 280 lb.-ft. Torque from a four cylinder, you are definitely fine tuning the engine. Consider, too, that the QX55 gets 22 mpg around town and 28 mpg on the highway for an average of 25 mpg. That’s pretty darn good for a vehicle that carries five comfortably and, when the back seats are down, has 54.1 cu.ft. of cargo space.
If you noticed the good looks of the QX55, you also noticed the aerodynamic flow of the car. I noticed that our QX55 came with a Lifestyle Hitch, which I thought was strange for this car. I associate the word ‘hitch’ with towing, but that isn’t what this ‘hitch’ is about at all. “This hitch is designed to carry a host of sporting accessories like bikes, skis, camping, and other equipment. The hitch itself is rated to 300 pounds only,” says Infiniti. Good to know on a couple of levels.
The Infiniti QX55 Sensory is meant to be a luxury crossover vehicle, and, as usual, Infiniti has succeeded in this quest. Roomy, with head room and leg room approaching 40 inches in the front and back, and quiet with Active Noise Cancellation, as we can attest, plus a comfortable, smooth ride, and you can check off three requirements for luxury. Then we start looking at things that just make driving a pleasure – like a Power Moonroof, Rain Sensing Front Windshield Wipers, the Motion Activated Lift Gate, Black Natural Maple Wood Interior Trim Accents, the Heads-Up Display, Power Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column, Leather Wrapped Heated Steering Wheel, Memory Seat, Mirrors, and Steering Wheel, Driver and Passenger Lumbar Support, Rear Seat Slide, Recline, and Fold Flat features, Power Climate Controlled Front Seats with heating and cooling, and a lot more that you can review.
I am a child of the 60’s and 70’s more than other decades, and I appreciate the always wonderful Bose 16-speaker Performance Series Audio. There was something unique in the displays, too. The Infiniti QX55 comes with a dual-screen infotainment setup where the top screen provides a navigation function and the lower screen shows media and vehicle settings. The upper screen that shows the navigation is 8-inches in dimension, and the lower screen is a 7-inch unit. I am not sure if I might like bigger and dual-purpose screens better, but maybe that is just what I have gotten used to.
The Infiniti QX55 Sensory has all the great Safety Features we want in a vehicle these days – Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Rear Automatic Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Warning, Blind Spot Intervention, Lane Departure Warning, and Lane Departure Prevention are the big ones. But Hill Start Assist, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection, Intelligent Cruise Control with Stop and Hold, Traffic Sign Recognition on the Heads Up Display, Adaptive Front Lighting, and Automatic On/Off Led Headlight, Daytime LED Running Lights, and LED Front Fog Lights, plus the All Wheel Drive -All work together to keep you as safe as possible while you drive.
We liked the style and the versatility of the QX55 – from an evening with the philharmonic, a trip to the grocery store, to the hardware store, to a long weekend in then mountains. Beautiful and practical, the QX55 checks a lot of boxes. Go to https://www.infinitiusa.com/vehicles/crossovers/qx55.html to look at this beautiful machine and get all the information you need to make an informed decision.
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