When the Infiniti EX35 came to the U.S. as a 2008 model, it tried to tell us that it was a different kind of crossover. This crossover was about fast driving to faraway vacation destinations, but in America this model didn't find its customer base at once.
The 2016 Infiniti QX50 has been stretched into a longer, more practical passenger package. That fast driving and fast living are part of its personality, and it tries to measure up to the Audi Allroad, BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Porsche Macan.
IIn these days it's unusual and out of ordinary when Japanese-label vehicles are built in U.S.-based production facilities, so you might note that the Infiniti QX50 is actually built in Japan, and it has a certain style and impression of quality that you don’t see in something from Germany.
Just as with the original EX35, the 2016 Infiniti QX50 has been creased and folded into a more passenger friendly package than a sports sedan, only now the wheelbase has been stretched 3.2 inches to 113.4 inches. This delivers a dramatic increase in rear-seat legroom by 4.3 inches and rear-seat kneeroom by 3.9 inches. Where the rear seat of this vehicle used to be child-size, now it is uber-size, and you might even be tempted to take some full-size friends skiing on a weekend instead of just dining on a Friday night.
The QX50 incorporates all the features in Infiniti’s great big basket of features and technology. Leather upholstery, an eight-way adjustable driver seat, and 7.0-inch touchscreen monitor come as standard equipment, while a premium 11-speaker audio system, navigation, around-view sonar parking assist, and little tricks like a coat hanger that deploys from the back of the front-seat headrests are part of the option program, as well as rear seat backrests that can be powered upright from their cargo-friendly reclining position.
