Infiniti is the luxury arm of Nissan, and while the Japanese luxury automaker has made some good cars in the past, that’s not really the case with its current SUVs. In fact, of the four Infiniti SUVs on the market right now, US News tested three of them, and they didn’t get great marks. Here’s a look at why Infiniti’s SUV lineup for the 2023 model year is so disappointing.
Infiniti’s SUVs haven’t received great scores in their segments
According to US News, Infiniti’s SUVs aren’t doing so well right now. There are four SUVs in the Infiniti lineup, and they are the QX50, QX55, QX60, and QX80.
The auto reviewer hasn’t given the QX55 a rating yet, but the other SUVs in the lineup have received ratings, and they’re not very high. The QX80 competes in the full-size luxury SUV segment and ranks last in the segment.
The QX80 ranked eighth out of eight large luxury SUVs, and was beaten by the Lexus LX and Lincoln Navigator. It had an overall score of just 6.7 out of 10.
The QX50, on the other hand, competes in the highly competitive compact luxury SUV segment with models like the Lexus NX and BMW X3. The Infiniti compact SUV finished 11th out of 17 with an overall score of 7.2 out of 10.
Its ranking is actually misleading because the QX50 is the lowest ranked compact luxury SUV to have a score. Every other SUV that ranked below it hasn’t even been rated yet.
The 2023 Infiniti QX60 has the highest score of all Infiniti SUVs, but it’s still not great
Finally, the highest-rated Infiniti SUV right now is the QX60, and it competes in the luxury midsize SUV segment. It has a respectable overall score of 7.8 out of 10, but compared to its segment, the QX60 didn’t do as well. This time around, the Infiniti midsize SUV outperformed other options, so it’s not dead last.
For example, the Infiniti midsize SUV has a higher overall score than the Lexus RX and Cadillac XT6. However, its overall score only placed it 10th out of 23 luxury midsize SUVs. It was surpassed by SUVs like the BMW X5 and the Genesis GV80. Overall, while the QX60 scored higher than its Infiniti siblings, it also shared some of the same issues they had.
The Common Complaints These Infiniti SUVs Shared With Each Other
Despite being in different segments, both the QX60 and QX80 come with three rows of seats. This allows both the Infinitis to seat seven, and the QX80 to seat eight as an option. Unfortunately, both luxury SUVs have third-row seats that are cramped. As such, they’re roomy enough for children and small adults, but most adults won’t have a good time sitting in the third-row seats.
The QX60 also shares a performance issue with the QX50. All three Infiniti SUVs come with an engine option, though their engines are different from one another.
The QX50 has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four that makes 268 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque while paired with a CVT. The QX60, on the other hand, has a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 295 hp and 270 pound-feet of torque while paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Overall, US News wrote that the QX50 has an “unrefined drivetrain” while the QX60 isn’t as “athletic” as its rivals.