burlapp car

Infiniti JX35 Test Drive Part Two.

Last Updated:

 The JX35 has to be one of the smoothest ride on the market.
It feels more like what people would expect of a Buick or a Lincoln than an Infiniti.
It doesn’t feel like a larger FX at all.
If basically feels like a Nissan Quest. Which is pretty much what it is underneath.
The design is also not for everyone. It seems quite overdone. With this giant flat grille and the weird looking D pillar zig zag design. Although it does look expensive…

 The interior is very well made and everything is very solid and well put together. As it should be for the asking price of $55 000 for my loaded test car. (It starts at around $41 000)
The seats are great, the stereo sounds really good. Everything is there.
Even that “minivan feel”.
Which is basically what it is, a minivan in disguise.

 The back up (and front) camera is very nice. But it is not protected from the elements and it gets pretty hard to see anything in the rain…

It it very roomy back there. 

Trunk space is great, even with the 3rd row up.

At the end of the week, I was left with the feeling that the JX35, as good as it is, is not a true Infiniti.
Much more a dressed up Nissan with the “Infiniti Look”.
Which might be fine for most. But if you expect a 7 seater FX, this is not it at all. Rather a Quest in Infiniti clothing. Which actually might be more in touch with what most families want.

The artificial steering firms up nicely on the freeway.
The CVT is much more responsive than Infiniti’s “regular” 7 speed auto.
And the ride is smoother.
I observed about 20MPG in the city, and 27HWY.
Which s better than the official 18/23 numbers.

My loaded AWD model was about $55 000. Which compares very well with the truck based QX I drove a few weeks ago. Priced at $75 000.
Most people will never need the off road capacities of the QX.

But you can get the JX’s cousin, the new Pathfinder loaded with similar equipment for about $10 000 less.
Pathfinder and JX share almost everything you can’t see. Platform, engine, transmission etc…

Conversation 6 comments

  1. So wait, Vince, is it a Quest underneath, or a new Pathfinder? I thought it is the new Pathfinder, but I hadn't heard that that is just a restyled Quest.

    The JX is rather ugly, but all Infinitis are today. Would be nice if they differentiated it from its Nissan sibling by at least offering a normal automatic. Even when programmed to mimic a normal auto, CVTs annoy me greatly. All Infiniti did here was drop their fish-face on the front of a Pathfinder end a curvy D pillar, and toss some wavy nonsense inside. They should at least throw in some mechanical differentiation for the $10k price increase.

  2. Infiniti had better wake up and hire some new stylists. This thing is far too old-school Japanesey. In neighborhoods lined with Escalades, Land Rovers, Q7s, G-wagons, M-classes Enclaves and X5s, Infiniti SUVs aren't anywhere to be found. It's because they are so dopey looking. The Infiniti brand image isn't going to hold-up for long with ugly vehicles like this.

  5. This vehicle is very well finished and put together.Build quality is as good as it gets. It's so quiet and comfortable. My husband and I are looking at this, and acura and a lexus. So far , this is my favorite. If the dealer can do our numbers, we will be the proud owners of one by this weekend. Fingers crossed!

  6. … My husband and I are looking at this, and acura and a lexus.

    I went through the same course. Then I drove a BMW–SOLD!!!

    Nothing compares.
    Nothing.

    The others come off as merely fluffy, re-badged & over-priced versions of their Honda/Toyota/Nissan cousins by comparison (to the X3 & X5)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *