Colorado Guy AF Ret.

My Acura dealer friend just drove a QX50 as a comparison vehicle to the RDX at an all day Acura event in Chicago area. In his words...the new "variable compression ratio engine" is trash! And he was a top rated
Acura Tech before going to sales. He said most all there drove it and hated it. Low on hp and crappy interior...compared to the much better and well done RDX. RDX engine and trans....strong, quiet and smooth.

It's a "first year" engine...and to me a big time 'experiment" for a new mass produced engine. WAY too soon to know how it will really hold up etc. But, he drove it...and is a person that would not be biased since he's been
working at Acura for many years. I asked for his honest thoughts.

And, the QX50 had window stickers on it....and depending on model, options, etc....they can easily reach $50K. Personally, I wouldn't touch it. Not now for sure.

md222

Yeah, seems to me the Inifiti is a terrible value. The interior is a dinosaur and the engine/transmission seems totally uninspiring. Upwards of $50k? lol

Notte

I'm not sure about the engine being "trashed". It has the highest MPG in segment and does 0-60 6.5secs. How does he rate it as being trash? I would say the CVT in the QX50 is annoyingly stupid with the fake gear shifts. I found the interior nice except the dual screen setup which I hated with hondas/acuras in past. Feels very dated to me.

QX50 is a decent car but it left me wanting more for the price.

Tony Pac

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

I just discovered that a fully loaded AWD QX50 has an MSRP of.....$61,995!! You got to be kidding. Now how do the Infiniti folks like this model....compared to a fully loaded...and add Accessories....Advance Sh-Awd for about
$15,000 more?!! Now way....esp. since the power is much less than the out going model....and the new engine is just that ....ALL new, and the fuel mileage is hardly better.

HotRodW

A loaded QX50 is grossly overpriced in my opinion, but it starts at a budget-friendly $36,550. The vast majority of them will sell for under $50k -- especially once the newness wears off and typical Infiniti incentives kick in. At the end of the day, the QX50's pricing matters little to me because there are just too many negatives and too few positives.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

I just went to the Infiniti web site...which is not user friendly just like the QX50...LOL....and I tried to build one that was closely matched to what the Advance Sh-Awd model would be like, and I got up to $60,495.
Not sure what I missed....but, that is a shocker.

OK...I guess enough of me bashing this new Infiniti. I know they tried to become the "leader in this segment"....but, anyone comparing models side by side and then also looking at the costs....you'd be crazy to buy
the Infiniti. Again, my Acura dealer rep when in Chicago last Wed....compared the QX50 and the Advance...drove them both....he and the other many Acura reps there....did NOT like the Infiniti. And I don't truly feel
it was because of their "bias." Just car guys comparing....and the new RDX seems to give much more for the money.

JoelEDC

I was going to consider the new 2019 QX50 because my RDX lease was up this month (and there was/is still no 2019 RDX). However, Infiniti demonstrated all the ways NOT to sell an all-new version of an existing model. When I first started looking into this in mid-March, most of the ones in local dealer inventory were literally $55-60K (!). There were no incentives, no lease deals....nothing. I'm not sure how they're selling now, but I have noticed that there is finally a lease deal (not a very good one) and some modest incentives. I ended up leasing a 2018 BMW X1, which is another post for another day....partially because I didn't have a lot of confidence in Acura and their dealerships handling the 2019 RDX intro much better than Infiniti handled theirs with the new QX50. A little sad to leave the family because this would have been my seventh Acura.

Notte

Doesn't surprise me based on demand of SUV's right now. If RDX is going to approach low 50's for advance SH-AWD, I may end up pulling the trigger on the BMW X3. I want to give RDX a fair evaluation driving it before I decide. It may surprise me.

kurtatx

Inifiniti is all of the performance and none of the luxury. Problem is, if you're going to enjoy one, you take luxury because most days aren't dictated by 0-60 time

jcardona1

I'm not sure I agree given the direction Infiniti is going with their transmissions. Performance and CVTs are mutually exclusive.

jajji

The QX50 is almost a second slower in the 0-60 than it's prior year's model, clocking at an anemic 6.4 seconds. Which isn't a surprise since they dropped the hp 18% down from 325 to 268. They seem to be marketing a lot of new 'tech' which probably explains the hefty price. But there's no way I'd drop 60K+ on the QX50. I just test drove the BMW M40i today and it was awesome. It's 355-hp, and 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Even with the driver's assistant package (blind spot monitoring etc.) and the premium package which has the HUD, you can get it at 60K, possibly less with incentives. Why would anyone get a QX50 for the same price? What a joke.

TacoBello

kurtatx

Yeah, I guess I'm basing my impressions on the sedans. CVTs are garbage. Infiniti interiors just aren't very good. I would stick with the Acura and Lexus models or go with one of the Germans.

GTF

I don't understand this Infiniti focus....if we are talking about RDX alternatives, seems like Q-5, X-3, and GLC would be best options. And Lexus if you can tolerate the spindle grille. But Infiniti offers none of the appeal of those alternatives, lower resale, and no initial pricing advantage. I owned one Infiniti...2003 G35, and liked it a lot. Actually moved from 328is due to price and performance advantage. But IMO they lost their way a decade ago.

birdonamission

Infiniti is not on my radar...at all. Frankly, neither would I consider the Q-5, X-3, nor GLC, for the simple fact that when you option them out to match or get close to what you get with the RDX, your nose will bleed you out, if you can even pick yourself up off of the floor first, from the sticker shock. Great cars, but I have lots of things I can do better with the probably ~10K+ I will still have in my pocket.

kurtatx

I would like to do a comparo between some of these, but you're not going to get the all-around tech and performance package of the RDX for the price.

Tech on the German models are expensive as hell.
Luxury on Infiniti is meh.
Lexus cars are about as fun as a can opener

TacoBello

chickdr

The new QX50 is a strange one to me. I loved the previous gen. You could get a loaded car for the mid 40's before heavy discounts with a 325hp V6 and RWD. In looking at the new one, the TOP trim level starts at 45k and there is $15k in options you need to add to get the good stuff. I don't understand the price structure as the highest trim level (Essential) is missing lots of goodies such as the premium sound system, heated seats etc.. You can reach over $60k for a AWD with everything added. The two big packages are $7,500(sensory package) and $2,000(autograph package) to get the car close to loaded. I like Acura's idea better with the Advance having all the desirable features in one package.