2025 Infiniti QX60 Autograph AWD First Test: More of the Same
The new Infiniti QX60 Autograph AWD addresses some of its predecessor’s problems but doesn’t push for excellence.
Pros
- Much improved engine
- Nice cushy luxury interior
- Decent value
Cons
- Not fun to drive at all
- Numb steering
- Slow acceleration
The last time we got our hands on the Infiniti QX60, we found it to be a decent luxury three-row SUV, but there was one major thing holding it back: the engine. The 3.5-liter V-6 from the VQ family was just too high-strung and devoid of low-end torque. The 2025 Infiniti QX60 Autograph has arrived, and this time it’s armed with Nissan’s 2.0-liter variable-compression turbocharged I-4 standard across all trims. However, despite the new engine being a marked improvement, it's not the silver bullet the QX60 needed to pull itself out of mediocrity.
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The New Engine Clears a Very Low Bar
Across the board, our team of testers and judges all had the same criticism of the previous Infiniti QX60: The engine sucked. Sorry, but there’s just no reason to sugarcoat it at this point. The old 3.5-liter V-6 was outdated, peaky, loud, and had no grunt.
Infiniti listened to the feedback and did away with the V-6 for the 2025 model year. Instead, a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 takes over. Is this engine better than what it replaced? The answer is yes, but it was a low bar to begin with.
The new engine from Nissan’s VC family has 258 hp at 5,600 rpm, which is less than the old V-6, but that engine didn’t hit its peak 295 hp until 6,400 rpm. The new VC engine also has 286 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, which is more than the 270 lb-ft in the old engine, and it reaches that peak quicker.
In practice, that means even though the new engine is smaller and less powerful, it will feel more powerful than the previous engine on the highway. Unfortunately, that’s not saying much. The new VC engine is still quite noisy, and the lack of power will eventually make itself known.
All Show, No Go
The new engine may be better than the old one, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. In fact, it’s kind of a mixed bag. For starters, it's plagued by turbo lag and hampered by poor gearing from the nine-speed automatic. The 2025 QX60 has woefully sluggish acceleration as a result. It desperately needs a retune because there is potential to be mined. We clocked the 0–60 sprint at 7.9 seconds. (The outgoing QX60 hit 60 in 6.9 seconds.)
“If it woke up right away, 0–60 would likely be almost a second quicker,” said MotorTrend test team senior editor Matthew Chudzinski.
The 2025 QX60 performed the quarter mile in 15.2 seconds at 89.2 mph; the outgoing version did it in a quicker 15.2 seconds at 92.9 mph.
It’s ironic because the QX60 does have selectable drive modes. However, the different modes don’t make a lick of difference in the engine’s responsiveness—even Sport mode. We all noticed this when trying it out. Other than downshifting at odd moments, it did nothing to improve engine performance.
“Even in Sport mode, this was joyless to drive on the handling course,” Detroit editor Alisa Priddle said.
Considering the smaller displacement and lower power, the new turbo I-4 is more efficient than the previous engine by a noticeable margin. The new engine’s fuel economy of 22/27/24 mpg city/highway/combined beats the old engine by 2 mpg across each category.
What About Handling?
The new engine is disappointing, but that doesn’t mean the QX60 fails to perform in other areas. For example, its braking was solid. That may not sound as exciting, but it’s appreciated. The brakes respond instantly from the moment you press the pedal. They’re not performance brakes, but they’re still well tuned.
The suspension setup has some bright spots, but the QX60 didn’t shine on our MotorTrend figure eight. Third gear is too tall to accelerate quickly out of a turn, and in order to grab second gear, you have to slow down a ton. Transitions between braking and throttle through the turn are near perfect, though. “It seems like an engineer somewhere put some thought into the handling,” Chudzinski said. “It just isn't made for our course.”
Our judges’ impressions of the ride quality varied wildly. Editorial director Erik Johnson said the QX60 “has the structural rigidity of the Titan submersible and the damping refinement of a Conestoga wagon.”
Others thought the ride felt just fine on rougher asphalt, if not for a bit too much vibration coming through the seats and, to a lesser extent, the steering wheel. The QX60 will do fine cruising on most roads, but if things get a bit choppy, don’t expect the dampers to soak it all up.
Inner Beauty
One thing most of our judges agreed on is the 2025 Infiniti QX60 Autograph’s interior is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also comfortable. The problem is it’s the same one as in the previous model; Infiniti didn’t appear to make any significant changes.
We respect Infiniti didn’t want to fix what isn’t broken, but when we’re looking for the SUV of the Year, we want to see automakers push all aspects of their vehicles to new heights. In the case of the new QX60, Infiniti didn’t seem like it wanted to take any chances, which is a shame.
That being said, we think plenty of luxury SUV buyers would be satisfied with the materials and design Infiniti has put forward with the 2025 QX60. Though, anyone coming from an earlier Infiniti model may be disappointed to see things aren't significantly freshened up.
The Best QX60 So Far
The 2025 Infiniti QX60 Autograph is arguably the best version of this model produced so far. It finally got its missing low-end torque, it still looks great inside and out, and with a price of just under $72,000 as tested, there’s decent value to be had.
But it’s just not the best three-row luxury SUV on the market right now. The QX60 is very good, but it looks like Infiniti was just satisfied with making the 2025 model marginally better than the previous one and nothing more. It’s hard not to see this as a great luxury SUV that’s also a missed opportunity.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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