Auto123 pokes and prods the all-new 2022 Infiniti QX55 crossover coupe.
While we’ll have to wait a few weeks yet before we actually get to drive the 2022 Infiniti QX55, we were recently given some more insight into the vehicle that both looks back fondly on some older Infiniti models and is here to usher in the future of the brand.
First, though: the inspiration for the QX55 harkens all the way back to the FX, which we last saw as a 2017 model. That crossover used rear-wheel-drive (RWD) chassis geometry and got cheetah-like styling with its narrow headlamp lenses, long hood and lithe curves around the rear quarter panels and fenders.
The new QX55 is also remarkable looking, but it has more room inside than did the FX and makes better use of it as well. They’ve also added niceties like Zero Gravity seating so in addition to added space, there’s added comfort there as well.
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Also noteworthy is that while the QX55 shares many of its underpinnings with the existent QX50 crossover, not much passenger room is lost to that vehicle in the switch from crossover to crossover-coupe. Infiniti maintains that even with the swooping roofline, the way the rear seats are mounted means legroom is not affected at all, and headroom only minimally so.
A little space has been lost in the rear cargo area where the QX55 has 761 litres of storage behind the rear seats (and 1,532 if you fold the second row), while the QX50 has 880 litres behind the rear seats, and 1,822 if you fold them down. It should come as no surprise that most of the cargo space lost is in terms of how high you can pack your items under that steeply-raked rear deck.
Another big difference between the QX55 and QX50 is that in Infiniti’s eyes, there isn’t really a “base” model of the QX55; the QX50 gets a “Pure” model – a synonym for “base” in Infiniti-speak – but the QX55 starts at the “Luxe” level ($51,995) with features like 20-inch dark-painted wheels and power sliding moonroof. It's worth noting, however, that the QX55 also doesn’t get the top-flite Autograph spec that the QX50 gets.
And the reason for that, according to Infiniti, is the type of customer they envision for the QX55. The model is aimed at younger buyers than is the QX50, more specifically small families of three, perhaps, or young professionals who want to make more of a statement with the vehicle they drive. Hence the QX55’s front end is a little more aggressive than the QX50’s, some of the interior detailing – such as the two-tone treatment on the highest “Sensory” trim, for example -- is a little more aggressive and of course, there’s the four-door coupe styling.
Power is the same no matter which trim you select, and it all comes courtesy of a 2.0L variable-compression (VC) turbocharged engine to the tune of 268 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque fed to all four wheels through a continuously-variable automatic (CVT). These don’t tend to be the sportiest of transmissions, but paired with that engine (that purportedly delivers the power of a gas motor with the efficiency of a turbo) it does endow the QX50 with a sporting bent; we’ll soon see if the effect is the same with the QX55.
Initial impression? This new creation is a bold move for Infiniti, which hasn’t had many breaks go its way lately. It will be the first Japanese manufacturer to venture into the 4-door-CUV-coupe segment (if that’s a thing), and having driven the German entrants in the segment, we’re intrigued.
Stay tuned for our driving impressions of the 2022 Infiniti QX55 in the coming weeks.
