Tony Pac

QX50’s interior is nice. I think they used nice materials.
Infiniti has to do something with their pricing in the US. Instead of giving $10K incentives, they should price their cars lower than Acura, Caddy and Lincoln. People will for sure buy them. I would buy a QX50 if it’s $5-$7K cheaper than the RDX. At this price point, they will continue to sell 1700 units.

RDX10

This is one of VERY few cases where the U.S pricing is actually very close to Canadian pricing (not in dollar value of course but in amount) and where the pricing is significantly cheaper in Canada based on dollar value. A U.S QX50 is ALMOST 80 THOUSAND CANADIAN!!! That's absurd!

I'm not knocking the RDX for being the best Acura product in 15 years, with the 3G TL being the product before it. But if the RDX was priced like a Q5 is in Canada (i.e 66k for a top end model) it would not be selling NEARLY as well today and that's a fact.

Nobody sees Acura (or Infiniti for that matter) at the level of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. I'd argue even Volvo is on the level of those 3 as well now. Pricing is everything and Infiniti was stupid for reaching that high.

Tony Pac

100% agreed!

No matter what Acura and Infiniti do, people won’t pay that kind of money. Well said. At least I am glad I am not the only who is saying Infiniti’s pricing is so off that they screwed up. That’s why I am saying no matter how good, reliable or luxurious Infiniti claims to be. They have to price it well. If not, QX50 story will repeat again and again

Midnight Mystery

How did Lexus manage to get sone of the prestige Acura or Infiniti didn't?


Also, BMWs, MB and Audi are overrated, IMO.


I like Audi's designs, but the latter generally are generic in a way. For instance, where I currently live in Mississippi, we have only one Honda dealer, teo Toyota dealers but they're a half our away from each other at the least. We have tons of Ford/Dodge/Chevy dealers and each German brand and an Infiniti dealer. Lexus and Acura dealers are both 75 miles away in either New Orleans or Mobile.


I seldomly see new Acuras.


Tons of Jeeps, Nissans, Domestics... Lotta junk cars here.

RDX10

Lexus is almost but not quite there yet IMO. I think they managed to do this by properly creating halo cars like the LS500 and LCA...etc. I feel like you can park a Lexus next to a BMW at the golf club and people won't judge, but you're still looked down at a little. It comes across as the budget option.

fiatlux

It also helps that Lexus has proper V8 RWD cars. Infiniti does as well, but the Q45 was never as refined or well built as the LS, and they pulled that in the mid 2000s. It's hard to be taken seriously as a luxury automaker if you don't have a full-size luxury sedan at the top (cough RLX cough).

Tony Pac

Honestly, the simple answer is Lexus builds very luxurious cars and their global presence helped them to invest in R&D. As a result, they built nice and sophisticated cars.

Acura never bothered to expand and Infiniti did by going to Europe but failed.

IMO Lexus is at par with the German cars.

RDX10

LFA not LCA lol

This exactly, Lexus has V8 RWD cars. Not some FWD glorified Accord platform. The Infiniti Q70 is archaic, that's why it's not helping at all.

I feel like you could consider Lexus to be at the same level as the Germans, in my mind they are a like quarter step below, just BARELY below but still great cars.

dmski

Lexus is definitely not level with the Germans. Stop kidding yourself. IS and GS are a fail and about to be cut altogether. ES sells well but it's a glorified Camry and a budget luxury car. RC and RC-F have flopped as well. Their bread and butter is by far RX. Sound familiar aka Acura like. Yes, they do have a few high end models but they apsolutely get destroyed in sales by the German big three.

Madd Dog

Lexus is for people who want upscale, well-built cars who are not at all interested in cars or how they drive. They want the ease of maintenance of a Toyota with luxury touches and enough status so that they can hang with people who drive the Germans.

IMO, this Acura does not have the prestige of the Germans, but drives as well as they do for a measurable amount less to purchase and own.

Tony Pac

Infiniti can come up with 450 HP and $75K price point. It won’t sell.
Those who can afford $70-$80K will go to Germans. Infiniti isn’t a brand to attract $80K people. If that was the case, the 400 HP Q50 would have been the number one seller.

Infinti should be smart and stay within 40-50K price range

Yumcha

With everything in, if we're talking CAD here, I paid a bit north of $70K for the FX50 back in 2009.

Depends on what the buyer is after. And you have to start somewhere. If that were the case, why did Acura bother to revive the NSX, right? The GT-R still has it's on niche market and it's "just" a Nissan. Make it compelling and people will buy it.

Tony Pac

That's correct. I am referring to CAD market.

If you paid ~ $70K for FX50. I am sure you are one of the very few people. Please don't judge me, wait I will tell you why?
First Where is the FX50 now? Discontinued, right? The primary reason behind was lack of demand. Second, over 16 years (2013-2018), Infiniti sold around 200,000 units. Not that great. (these are US numbers just to show volume as CDN market is too small. If I go based on CDN market, we will all laugh.)
I think Acura revived the NSX as a Halo car. Honestly, as much I am like Acura, it's hard to justify paying $200K+ for it. I know the NSX is a state of art tech but people associate it to Honda and just not willing to pay $200K for a Honda. I am a very fair guy, I don't want to defend Acura if something is wrong. If the new NSX was less techy and cost around $100-120K, I promise you, there would have been a lineup. But since Acura invested so much money, I know they cannot afford to sell it at $100K.

To come back to the topic, Infiniti and Acura better stay in their 40-50K range. Their bread and butter are MDX, 3G TL, G 35 & 37 and RDX. These are the recent success of Infiniti and Acura.

Yumcha

Fair enough. Albeit, I dunno...being an FX owner, I would wager the design was a bit "ahead" of its time and it was more or less on it's own island before the abominations BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE showed up. And strangely, this is when Infiniti decided to vacate that segment. Would it do as poorly now that the market has something to compare it against? Dunno.

But, you do have a valid point. I just would suggest that the FX was perhaps a bit before its time. I think it is a fine crossover and had amenities MOST cars are just getting now.

Midnight Mystery

Why did the FX publicly loose interest over time as the demand for that type of vehicle went up?

Yumcha

Beats me. Nissan beat BMW and Mercedes to market on this sort of "sports" crossover car...and for a time, the FX still was around to go against the ghastly-looking X6. Then, Merc decided to play with their GLE and then, Infiniti decided to get out of it. I dunno, FWIW, the FX's design may have been a bit out there back when it landed in 2009-2010 in the most recent body style but IMO, it has settled nicely now with everything else on the road. The curves work IMO.

The V8 nearly 400HP was nothing to sneeze at and the car was packed with stuff. What is unfortunate is that Infiniti chose not to update the car to a new generation and just kill it off.

Midnight Mystery

I always thought the long hood and small trunk looked a tad odd from the profile, but other than that, it was solid, and very sporty.

I like the 2010 'era updates.

I always saw plenty of them on the road, albeit that was like 10 years ago in Louisiana. Come to think of it, they're aren't that many in Mississippi by comparison. Strange.

Yumcha

Depends on the area, demographics, and etc. The FX is by definition a "small" CUV that seats 4 but, even then, that can be a stretch if everyone is tall. The rear seats can be rather cramped. That perhaps is the fall of the Infiniti model because despite the appearance, it really was not very roomy. For me, non-issue since we're like a family of 3 ...easy-peasy. But, you have a mature family from the Mid-West and everyone is pushing 6', there is no way this car is in the garage. So, that is one reason perhaps why this vehicle did not sell. The QX80 is pretty common around my neck of the woods but there are 2 Infiniti dealerships too. So, dunno if that helps with the PINS.

RDX10

I always liked the 2G FX, but man I had a hard time swallowing the front end design. I remember Infiniti used to refer to the 1G FX as the "bionic cheetah" then people started calling the 2G the "bionic catfish" or the "alligator".

Aside from the front end, I really liked the rear and side profiles, and that interior is EPIC. It was built to such a high degree that I was shocked it rarely got praise. Every surface was soft touch and the leathers were rich and they had that neat ruffled effect on the dashboard. It blew my mind when I was checking it out.

But between the front end design, the super cramped hatch, small side windows, GIGANTIC transmission/shaft tunnel, and nearly useless second row I decided against it. Maybe some day when the 50S model drops into the 5-7k range I'll grab one as an occasional driven vehicle.

Tony Pac

I won’t lie, FX is the best car ever Infiniti has produced. Honestly, the second generation looks sexy and super aggressive. I do agree with you, it came
ahead of it’s time and the price was definitely an issue.

If i could have afford an FX50 back then, I was all in
Regardless of what we say here, enjoy your car and its
a beast!

Tony Pac

@mathnerd88

You think I am biased towards Infiniti and bashing the brand. Honestly, that's not me, but I do read and follow the car industry.
Here you go, read another article: https://carbuzz.com/news/infiniti-ma...han-we-thought

I won't be surprised if anything happens to Infiniti. If you cannot sell QX50, you have a huge problem. If all car makes are coming up with more SUVs and small crossovers and Infiniti discontinued the QX30. It becomes very worrisome.
Infiniti - please focus on one thing and stop pretending to be BMW and MB.

mathnerd88

Dude...just drop it man. Stop obsessing over this. Acura never was sold as a brand in Europe and Australia. I'm not sure why you have some obsession over announcing the failure of one brand (or rather, one particular model) over another. It's like a broken record and you don't have to keep repeating yourself. I get what you're saying, so just leave it alone.

I don't own the Infiniti anymore, so this really doesn't pertain to me. What bothers me more is that I'm trying to keep my RDX long term, and the infotainment issues really are starting to get on my nerves. I'm not loyal to a particular brand, but I want Infiniti to succeed so it pressures Acura to pick up the slack over it's really crappy infotainment system and horrible CarPlay integration.

Tony Pac

I promise you I won’t bother you again brother. But please be consistent in life. First you were praising and saying Infiniti is more expensive and this and that. Now you want Infiniti to succeed so it puts pressure on Acura. Beautiful joke and thanks for giving me a good laugh.

I will continue posting about Infiniti but your name won’t be mentioned and you don’t have to comment on my threads. No one is pressuring you to participate.I apologize if your name was mentioned a few times here by my. It Won’t happen again. But unfortunately more infinit and Audi threads by created by me and others

B25Nut

This is Motor Trend's final one year review for their QX50. They pretty much give it a thumbs down except for the comfort of its top interior option.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/infi...-term-verdict/

Tony Pac

It's so sad to see this brand new model failed miserably. I was blaming the QX50 but it's the entire company that's falling apart. Infiniti just shut down Australian market.

Let's pray Infiniti keeps its door doors open. We need these Jap premium brands.

Tony Pac

After Q3, everything is clear now. Nissan and Infiniti are struggling and their “reliable and luxury” QX50 is selling less than the last generation.

Some of our fellow members here were defending Infiniti and bashing Acura and yet Acura RDX continues to shine and QX50 will probably be discontinued just like QX70 and QX30. Lol

jokes aside thats not what I wish. I hope Infiniti bounces back. It’s just some biased people here that have no clue and just like to argue, leads us to negative conversation.

Madd Dog

When I was car shopping, I sat in the Infiniti at the auto show. Very comfortable and impressive interior. After I absorbed what the list price was, and heard about the variable compression engine and a CVT, I said, no way would I pay this much for that.

Subsequent reviews showed what I was concerned about regarding the drive train.

Tony Pac

You are not the only one. This car is absolutely a disaster and the sales number shows the "success" of the car. At least the last generation was powerful and had great handling. But the good news is that Infiniti is going to change its strategy as of 2020. Let's see.

Tony Pac

Read this article: it starts really bad, but it gets better towards the end
https://jalopnik.com/infiniti-is-get...med-1838822316

Madd Dog

Right now, I expect my next car to be electric, either totally, or a plug-in hybrid. It is still 3 or 4 (or maybe 5) years away. I doubt very strongly that I would consider Acura, Infiniti, or even Lexus.

mathnerd88

I’m not convinced electric vehicles will be ready for prime time in 5 years. Unless they can get charging down to the same times as filling up at the pump it won’t be adopted mainstream. I would only consider if it only takes 5-10 min to charge without shortening the battery life and that there are enough super chargers within my area. As of right now electric vehicles are only good for commuters who live within 1 hour of work and can remember to keep plugging the car in every night or two.

I feel like hybrids are the future for the next ten years until fully electric vehicles can reach the convenience of gas stations and fill ups within minutes and have ranges of 350-400 miles per fill up.

Madd Dog

We always run two cars, so if I need length, I would use the ICE one, the RDX. But over 200-250 per charge will take care of over 95% of my driving, and I always expect to have at least a 1 car garage.

I no longer commute, so there is that too.

Tony Pac

Couldn’t agree more.

I think fully eclectic cars to be mainstream will take some time. I won’t wait 30 min to get charge. I would only consider an electric car if I can afford and for my daily drive. Work to home and home to work lol! I don’t mind a nice Tesla but most likely I don’t want to spend that kind of money.

supafamous

It's all relative. In Norway over 60% of car sales are electric now and while gov't incentives have played a big role in that consumers are perfectly fine with switching over so it's completely mainstream there. In British Columbia (where I live) EV sales are now over 15% of total car sales - that's pretty mainstream considering the limited selection. In the past few years I've only had 2 trips where a gas powered car was meaningfully better than an electric - a 5 day trip to Seattle and a trip down to Carmel by the Sea where I rented a car. Everything else an electric car could do the trip as well but for the fact I can't get a model right now that fits my budget AND my needs. If the Kia Niro EV was just one size bigger I'd probably be driving it now.

Are these people driving 100mph on their way to work? With 200-300 miles of range I don't see how a 90 min commute is an issue, even a 2 hour one (I feel bad for folks with those kind of commutes).

I figure there's only 1, maybe 2 more gas powered cars in my life and neither will be a daily - it'll likely be a 911/Cayman and maybe a Miata. I don't see a future for gas powered cars beyond hobby cars soon - the advantages will soon outweigh the negatives (for many they've already crossed that threshold). The US is a major laggard in this with ridiculously low carbon taxes and a culture of building roads to solve congestion problems - most of the developed world is making the shift already.

leomio85

Sales of the QX50 went from ~17k in 2017 to about ~25k in 2018 in the US. Not exactly a flop ... but, the numbers don't compare to the RDX or Lexus NX. I feel like it has to do with Honda and Toyota having a better standing in the US than Nissan in terms of perceived reliability. The Q50 sedan has outsold the TLX the past 4 years though. I personally really like Nissan/Infiniti, but they seem to have more build quality issues long term. I do like the way they're put together mechanically for the most part though.

Madd Dog

I expect that drivetrains, batteries and motors, will be pretty much the same across brands, and require just about zero maintenance and repair for the useable life of the car for first owner.

Think about that. Tires, brakes, you get about 50K out of them, at least, nowadays. One can go 100K miles and only have replaced one set of brakes and one set of tires, and just filters and wiper blades. That’s it. Plus far lower per-mile costs, especially for those of us with a garage and can recharge at lower nightly rates.

That, by itself, could be worth the inconvenience of a couple of hours on a long trip once or twice a year.

mathnerd88

Aren't you using up electricity even during idling? If I lived in NYC and was stuck in traffic for over an hour, wouldn't that eat some range up too especially if I have the AC or heater running? Or is that completely negligible?

Other countries EV vehicles work because the country is much smaller and less expansive than America and probably a lot less traffic. I believe their commutes are not nearly as long. A Tesla 3 base model costs around $40k with 250 mile range at best. Government incentives are ending for many EV vehicles and prices are increasing. Installing a super charger in your own home will cost around $6k-$7k which negates the cost savings of gas. Also, my concern is that batteries will lose range over time especially with repeated supercharging. As we all know, the faster the charging is on the battery, the worse the battery life will become. Range anxiety is something I'm not comfortable about.

As of right now I believe hybrid vehicles are far more convenient, much cheaper, and saves a ton on gas. The advantage of EV over hybrid is not significant at this current time to convert IMO. The only EV vehicle I would consider in the future is Tesla, but it would never be used for long commutes. If you get into an accident with a Tesla or need warranty repairs, it has to be shipped back to the factory for repair which results in very long repair times.

dmski

Try driving EV on the east coast where the winters are brutal and you need to heat your car while stuck in traffic for an hour. The cold alone zaps the battery juice and the heater just kills it.

Madd Dog

You generally don’t need more than a 220 dryer outlet at home when you charge over night where you should get at least 10 hours of charging time. Even in the NY metro area, a 50 mile commute is long, and with >200 mile range, even the heat losses don’t amount to enough for concern. Having a garage and a 200 mile range is, IMO, the key.

supafamous

In most conditions, the usage is negligible in stop and go. Ice cold weather is bad for a battery as would be really hot temperatures but city driving tends to lend itself to more range, not less than highway driving. Air resistance is the biggest killer of range.

You don't need a super charger in your home even if you have a Tesla unless you happen to be driving the car 23 hours out of the day. In fact if you don't drive a lot then you don't need anything beyond a wall outlet which is really slow but it would actually work for a number of folks (myself included because I drive so little, about 500kms/month). If they drive more it's a 240v charger and those run about $1-2K installed and there's no need for anything more as the car will charge just fine overnight.

Incentives are ending yes but the cost of producing electric cars continues to drop - I don't have 2019 numbers in front of me but it was forecasted in 2018 that by 2020 we'd cross the threshold where a kWh of battery would cost less than $100 to produce which is when it'd become cheaper to build EVs than to build gas cars. The crossover when owning electric is cheaper than gas is likely happening in late 2020/early 2021 (when you account for cost for gas/electricity).

The durability of the batteries is a valid concern - while the warranties are for 8 years I'm skeptical that it's going to be all unicorns and ponies as these cars age.