Infiniti has made what some might consider an odd move for the 2015 model year, they’ve dropped the powerful 5.0-litre V8

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in their sportiest QX70 crossover SUV, instead relying on their award winning 3.7-litre V6 to motivate all trim levels. With its main European rivals offering V8-powered alternatives it at first appears that Infiniti is making a big mistake, as some may claim that having no V8 in the brand’s 2015 lineup will water down its performance image, but factor in that very few QX70s were sold with the V8 option last year, as well as the fact that the engine isn’t used in any other Infiniti or Nissan product, and it’s easy to understand their decision. After all, if it’s not selling there’s no reason to keep it in the lineup.

Truth be told, the last time I drove a V8-powered QX70 5.0 it went by the name of FX50, and that was way back in 2009. An impressive machine with 390-horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque at your beck and call, it was also a tad thirsty

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for premium unleaded. The V6, on the other hand, is relatively stingy with your hard earned money while still delivering an energetic 325 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque.

While a rear-drive model is offered in the U.S., here in Canada it’s all-wheel drive or nothing. This means that all-weather traction is impressive, with fabulous grip off the line and great maneuverability no matter the road conditions, but fuel economy is slightly affected. As per the new more rigorous and certainly more realistic five-cycle Transport Canada testing process instituted for all 2015 models, the QX70 is estimated to achieve 14.6 L/100km in the city and 10.7 on the highway, quite reasonable for a five-seat luxury CUV with such strong performance.

The

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tall final gear of the QX70’s seven-speed automatic transmission should be given some efficiency credits as well, not to mention plenty of kudos for performance. The quick-shifting gearbox is in a class of few, featuring driver Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and Drive Sport (DS) mode with awesome Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) technology that makes you feel like Daniel Ricciardo on your way to winning your fourth Formula One victory this year (fingers crossed). Exclusive to the Sport package-trimmed QX70 I was testing, a set of solid magnesium shift paddles complete the performance experience.

The seven-speed’s engaging persona helps to rev up the fun metre through corners, where the QX70 truly glistens. Ever since I first drove the original Bionic Cheetah during its official launch through some wonderfully windy mountain roads just

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south of Phoenix, Arizona, I realized that Infiniti had created something truly special. The QX70 rides on the Q60 sport coupe’s unibody framework and wonderfully sorted fully independent suspension after all, a car that can easily compete with competitive Audi and BMW coupes, although when transformed into QX70 guise, it becomes even more competitive with its main rivals. This is one fabulous curve carver, especially when kitted out with the as-tested Sport package, which adds a gorgeous set of 21×9.5-inch dark-finished Enkei six-spoke alloy rims on 265/45 all-season Bridgestone Dueler H/L rubber.

That Sport package looks dark, mean and menacing. My tester, finished in Black Obsidian, has most of its exterior trim blackened out to match the black wheels. Only the chromed Infiniti badges on the otherwise black grille, wheel caps and rear

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liftgate, “3.7” engine identifier on each front fender, window surrounds and door handles down each flank, rear liftgate garnish, twin tailpipes and “QX70S” model designation at the rear are metal brightwork (except the “S” that was finished in racy red), the rest a deep, inky pool of liquefied coal. Even the aluminum roof rails are glossy black instead of the usual aluminum.

Inside, the black motif continues with high-grade soft-touch black plastic surfacing in a dark anthracite tone, plenty of gorgeous dark high-gloss wood trim, rich black carpets, a dark fabric headliner and opulent quilted black leather upholstery, albeit with very cool purple contrast French stitching on those seats, as well as on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, shifter boot, front and rear seats, front centre console armrest, front and rear

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door armrests, door inserts, and inside the door pulls. The seat inset leather is perforated to allow forced ventilation, ideal on hot summer days like I experienced during my test.

Those seats are unique to the Sport model, allowing greater lateral support thanks to power adjustable side bolsters and manual thigh extensions to better support the legs of taller drivers. At five-foot-eight I’m hardly tall, but they were completely comfortable, while the adjustable side bolsters helped keep me locked into place during aggressive cornering. The driver’s seat offers an additional 10-way

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adjustability that comes standard on any QX70, while the front passenger gets eight ways to find absolute comfort.

Before I delve into some of the standard QX70 features that are grandfathered into this top-line Sport model, some additional Sport features include an eight-inch WVGA colour touchscreen display with a navigation system featuring lane guidance with 3D building graphics, NavTraffic real-time traffic info, an Around View monitor with moving object detection plus front and rear sonar, adaptive front lighting with auto-leveling headlights, as well as a couple of items that Infiniti might want to consider offering standard on the base model in a future update, such as voice recognition and Bluetooth streaming audio. Instead, Infiniti

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offers these items and a number of other standard Sport features in the base model with the $5,650 Navigation and Deluxe Touring package.

Likewise Infiniti includes rain-sensing wipers as part of its $3,500 Technology package, a feature that’s often standard in the QX70’s premium crossover category, or at least included in an upgraded trim level like the Sport. The rest of the package’s features include full-speed range Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist (DCA), front pre-crash seatbelts, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) and Forward

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Collision Warning (FCW). IBA is worthy of closer inspection. It continuously monitors and analyzes closing speeds to the car ahead or to a stationary obstacle, and then automatically engages the brakes if the driver doesn’t respond to the QX70’s FCW system. By the way, for an identical $3,500 you can get the same Technology package with the base QX70 and it even includes the Sport model’s adaptive auto-leveling headlights for no extra charge.

Now that we’re talking safety tech, as you probably expected the QX70 includes the usual anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution and brake assist as standard equipment, as well as traction and stability control, plus active front headrests, front seatbelt pretensioners and tire pressure monitoring. Additional standard highlights include automatic bi-functional HID headlights, LED brake lights,

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speed-sensitive flat-blade wipers, power-folding and heated side mirrors with courtesy lamps, proximity-sensing access with pushbutton ignition, stainless steel kick plates with the Infiniti logo, two-way driver’s seat memory, Fine Vision electroluminescent gauges, an auto-dimming interior mirror with a HomeLink universal remote and compass, a powered tilt and telescopic steering column, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, dual-zone automatic temperature control, a seven-inch colour vehicle information display, the highly useful Infiniti Controller for audio, climate-control, fuel economy, maintenance, and comfort and convenience features, a rearview monitor, wonderful sounding 11-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 Bose audio with RDS and speed-sensitive volume control, aux and USB ports, and satellite radio, plus Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, a powered tilt and slide moonroof, always appreciated overhead sunglasses storage, a powered liftgate, and so much more, plus the big news for 2015 is that those heated

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and ventilated front seats I mentioned in the beginning of the review are now standard.

The QX70 is a mid-size five-seater and therefore quite roomy front and back, while its rear quarters include standard 60/40-split reclining seats. Behind those seats is a cargo hold capable of hauling up to 702 litres of gear, or 1,755 litres when those seatbacks are folded forward. Overall this worked well for me and I especially appreciated the remote fold-down releases, although I’d like to see Infiniti adapt the 40/20/40 seatback configuration showing up with some competitors now, which offers a lot more passenger/cargo versatility.

With

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the V8 now out of the lineup, a fully loaded QX70 is no longer $73,945 including Infiniti’s $1,995 freight and pre-delivery prep charge. Rather, my completely optioned out QX70 Sport tallied up to $65,645 plus freight. The base model, incidentally, starts at $53,500.

While I’ve been a tad critical of some items that should be included as standard equipment, you’ve got to factor in that its German competitors charge thousands more for their sportiest mid-size crossovers that Infiniti does for its QX70, which makes the QX70 a better deal even in top-line Sport trim with its optional Technology package. More than just a good value, however, the QX70 is an excellent luxury CUV that’s unquestionably worthy of your attention.
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