2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD First Test: The Eco-Nerd’s Top Pick

We’ve covered the second-generation Infiniti QX60extensively since its launch in 2021 and its face-lift earlier this year, so let’s zoom right in on the impetus for this retest, the introduction of the model’s first ever Sport trim level. Perception is all about expectations, so let’s set them out of the gate: This is a trim package with no meaningful powertrain or chassis revisions.

With that out of the way, what you do get is a handsome and upscale package inside and out, priced $4,900 above the Luxe grade and $4,450 below the Autograph. Outside, the 2026 QX60 Sport AWD we tested featured dark exterior trim, a unique fascia with a black grille, and black wheels. Inside, it cribs from the Autograph’s range-topping trim (like open-pore wood, but without any metal inlays) and adds unique blue leather seat and door panel inserts, standard captain’s chairs, and S AWD badging (with the AWD lettering stacked to suggest a Japanese Hanko wood-block stamp and the “A” carefully designed to be mistaken for a 4).

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What Doesn’t Change

The fact is that this three-row SUV, which starts out at 4,664 pounds and can be loaded to 6,600 with people and stuff (or tow up to 6,000 pounds), will always be asking an awful lot from its 2.0-liter turbo-four and nine-speed automatic powertrain. Our low performance expectations were exceeded, however, when its black trim and S badge somehow shaved a half second off the 0–60 shamble of the QX60 Autograph model we previously tested, bringing it down to 7.4 seconds. That acceleration figure basically nails the average of the leading four-cylinder-powered, three-row luxury SUV rivals we’ve tested (Audi Q7, Lexus TX, and Volvo XC90). But the Joneses in their six-cylinder models (Acura MDX, Audi SQ7, Cadillac XT6, Lincoln Aviator) will quickly get a several-car-length jump on you when the light changes (they average 1.5 seconds quicker to 60 mph).

Feels and Sounds a Little Stressed

We carped quite a bit about the strained sound of the original 2022 QX60’s engine, and Infiniti’s engineers responded by retuning it to sound … better. Imagine the difference between Michael Bublé and Bobcat Goldthwait. And our sense of the vehicle being overstressed may be heightened by its inherently leisurely launch behavior.

Remember that this high-tech, variable compression (VC) engine idles at an economical compression ratio (CR), so when you suddenly decide you’re in a hurry, the engine has to rotate the connecting-rod pivot points to vary the CR, swivel the camshafts to their performance positioning, build up exhaust pressure to power the turbo, and then acceleration finally gets serious (above about 4,000 rpm).

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Mysterious Throttle Behavior

All that being the case, one would assume that holding the brake and flooring the accelerator would give the engine a chance to sort all that out before the stopwatch started. Nope. Our quickest acceleration came from simply flat-footing the go pedal. Brake-torque added 0.2–0.3 second every time.

Around town, those launches will feel even more leisurely if the engine has auto stopped, with the restart further delaying the launch (especially if auto brake hold was engaged). The auto-stop/start system also tends to rock the vehicle a little on shutdown and restart—especially in those “change of mind” cases when a light suddenly turns green just as the engine is shutting down. All of this is noticeably worse than we’ve found with the four-cylinder competition.

On the plus side, although most three-row luxury SUV buyers couldn’t care less about their car’s Nürburgring times, our figure-eight test revealed solid chassis-dynamic behaviors from the QX60, like a reassuring willingness to tuck in and turn when lifting off the accelerator at the entrance to a curve. Its 113-foot stopping distance from 60 mph ranks near the front of its pack (109–135 feet), as well, though braking hard into our figure-eight turns elicited an untoward knocking sound from the antilock system or suspension.

Dumb Sport Mode

The point of a Sport driving mode is generally to quicken the responsiveness of anything that can be electronically quickened. Often that’s throttle and transmission shift scheduling. The desired effect is to hold lower gears longer and downshift more readily to keep the engine in its peak powerband. The QX60 largely gets that part right, but then it holds lower gears indefinitely. The QX60 will happily motor along for hours at a constant highway speed, singing along at 2,500 or 3,000 rpm. That’s not sporty, it’s stupid. And consumptive.

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Nerds Rejoice!

Engineering-oriented buyers, however, may be drawn to the Infiniti QX60 because of its high-tech, eco-friendly engine. Those drivers are treated to screens and eco-coaches tailored to helping them achieve its class-leading EPA stats. There’s a screen showing vacuum/turbo boost and compression ratio (CR). We noted that when driving around town normally in Eco mode, more languid throttle response helped keep the CR needle in the green a lot more, and peripheral vision can help train a driver to operate in the green. (Oddly enough, in Sport mode the CR often maxes the needle out in the green when tooling along at a constant speed in way too low a gear, but that’s not maximizing fuel efficiency.)

Mechanically sympathetic folks may stress out imagining that big CR-variator gizmo almost continuously moving down in the crankcase, but we’d know by now if that was a weak point. Technophiles will also appreciate the comprehensive Google integration that also supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Some Big Drivability Misses

The QX60 S AWD cannot be had with ProPilot Assist 2.1 (Nissan/Infiniti’s hands-free riff on GM Super Cruise or Ford BlueCruise). Sadly, ProPilot Assist 1.1’s steering support badly trails the industry standard. It’s incapable of following the gentlest of freeway turns, and even when the driver’s steering, it beeps a lane departure scolding before the tires have touched a line. Hence, this wide vehicle seems to beep constantly on certain stretches of curvy freeway. As such, we’d seldom use it on these roads, rendering it AmateurPilot non-assist 0.0.

Ride quality also ranks midpack at best among luxury three-row SUVs. But the biggest head-scratcher was the QX60’s penchant for tramlining—seemingly following invisible grooves that jostle passengers from side to side. This happened on a long, mostly straight stretch of relatively new rain-grooved concrete freeway. We felt it driving to and from a cabin on a highway we’ve taken numerous times in recent weeks in countless competitive vehicles. None squirmed like this. Blame the (properly inflated) Bridgestone Alenza tires?

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Mostly Nails the Passengering Basics

This is a great three-row SUV for the back-row riders. The Nissan/Infiniti single-button release that tips the seat and slides it forward (even with a car seat installed) is exceedingly simple to use. It opens a wide pathway to the third row and can easily be pulled back and locked before it crowds the third-row occupant’s legs. Middle-row riders get sunshades and twin USB-C ports and enjoy a stadium view over the fronts. Rear climate controls power roof-mounted A/C and floor-mounted heating vents for both rows.

In the way back, only the right side gets a USB-C jack; a blanking plate on the other calls attention to the penury. The way back is reasonably roomy, and the panoramic roof (standard on all QX60s) reduces claustrophobia, but the cushions are thinly padded. The 16-speaker Klipsch audio system also envelops every occupant in high-quality sound.

Bottom Line

Priced at $63,195 to start, we’d probably save a few bucks and enjoy slightly better fuel economy with a Volvo XC90 B5 AWD mild hybrid (MotorTrend’stop rated three-row luxury SUV and the segment’s bestseller). Speed demons could spend about the same to get a Lincoln Aviator Premiere AWD. It’s the hot rod of the segment—at 5.6 seconds to 60 mph, it’s VW GTI/Miata zippy—and we rank it fourth. Or we might save a lot of money and luxuriate in the added spaciousness of a Buick Enclave Avenir (our No. 3 pick). But our inner nerd totally supports those who gravitate toward this more tech-forward (yet sixth-ranked) choice.