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The 2022 Infiniti QX55 preproduction model.
Infiniti
- All-new model for 2022
- Arrives in the spring of 2021
- Striking coupe-like exterior profile
- Emphasis on luxury and technology
- Variable-compression engine
- Full-time all-wheel drive
Drawing design inspiration from the Infiniti FX of the early 2000s, the 2022 Infiniti QX55 SUV joins a group of 4-door luxury crossover SUVs with racier lines and coupe-like profiles. It’s designed to appeal to younger, upscale urban singles with sports car dreams and rock-wall lifestyles. This new compact 2-row 5-passenger QX55 is based on the foundation of the QX50, but the exterior and interior have been sharpened to an enthusiast edge.
The Infiniti QX55.
Pricier German SUV-coupes like the BMW X4 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe are the main targets for the new QX55. Luxury, style, and technology are priorities for Infiniti’s new coupe-like SUV. Apple AAPL, +0.48% CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment.
The 2022 Infiniti QX55 goes on sale in the spring of 2021.
How much does the 2022 Infiniti QX55 cost?
We expect the 2022 Infiniti QX55 to start at about $45,000.
How big is the 2022 Infiniti QX55?
The new QX55 is based on the Infiniti QX50, one of the roomiest compact luxury SUVs. That’s vital because when you start shaving the exterior lines of an SUV to make it sleek, you tend to reduce the space for rear passengers and cargo. That happened with both the BMW BMW, +0.45% X4 and Mercedes DDAIF, -1.30% GLC Coupe.
In the QX55, there’s 26.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind its second row of seats. That’s less than the 31.4 cu ft you’ll find in the QX50, but more than you’ll find in the X4 and the GLC Coupe. The QX55 also has up to 38.7 inches of rear legroom, aided by a second-row seat that can slide nearly 6 inches fore and aft to maximize cargo or passenger space, depending on need.
Notable standard and optional features
In addition to a power liftgate and a power moonroof with tinted glass, all 2022 Infiniti QX55s are equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, dual touch screens, tinted glass, and all-wheel drive. This new Infiniti SUV also has LED headlights to go along with its 20-inch alloy wheels, laminated side glass, and active noise cancellation.
Options include a navigation system, a head-up display (HUD), ProPilot Assist, and a Bose Performance Series audio system with 16 speakers. Most of these features, which are optional on the QX55 Essential, are standard on the top-of-the-line QX55 Sensory model.
What engine powers the Infiniti QX55?
The 2022 Infiniti QX55 is powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that brings the Infiniti QX50 to life.
A technical marvel with variable compression, this VC-Turbo powerplant produces 268 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and a healthy 280 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 rpm to 4,800 rpm. While it’s a good engine with plenty of power, the real-world fuel-economy (which we experienced in a QX50) isn’t quite as high as we had hoped.
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While the EPA hasn’t rated the 2022 Infiniti QX55, the 2021 QX50, powered by the same engine, is rated at 22 miles per gallon city/28 mpg highway. We expect similar, possibly identical, fuel economy with the QX55.
All 2022 Infiniti QX55s have all-wheel-drive (AWD) and a continuously variable automatic transmission.
Infiniti QX55 safety features
ProPilot Assist is available on the Infiniti QX55 Essential and standard on the QX55 Sensory. This safety suite combines Intelligent Cruise Control with Steering Assist for a relaxed highway drive. ProPilot Assist requires that the driver’s hands be on the steering wheel.
Standard safety technologies on all 2022 QX55 models include automatic emergency braking, which automatically applies the brakes if a potential collision with a car or a pedestrian is sensed. All 2022 QX55s also have a blind-spot warning system, a simple technology that makes lane changes safer by letting the driver know when there’s a car or a motorcycle in the rear three-quarter blind spot.
Infiniti QX55 exterior
“Recalling the past while looking toward the future is what inspired us to create the new Infiniti QX55,” explains Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s senior vice president of global design. “Some SUVs try to deliver something to every buyer,” continued Albaisa. “We wanted to deliver a QX55 that can be everything to really passionate buyers.”
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With a silhouette that reinterprets that of the original Infiniti FX35, plus a large double-arch grille, the new QX55 succeeds as a compelling coupe-like SUV. The grille is flanked by LED headlights that mimic eyebrows, and the clamshell hood has shunt lines down at the front fenders.
With 20-inch wheels, the 2022 Infiniti QX55 looks stable and planted. The slanted D-pillars look graceful, and the back of the vehicle is kept from looking too plain by LED taillights that have a graceful light signature.
Available colors include Dynamic Sunstone Red, Slate Gray, Majestic White, Liquid Platinum, Graphite Shadow, Mineral Black, Black Obsidian, and Hermosa Blue.
Infiniti QX55 interior
The 5-seat interior of the new Infiniti QX55 is available in these three colors: Graphite, Stone/Graphite, and Monaco Red/Graphite.
All 2022 Infiniti QX55s get heated front seats and a power moonroof with tinted glass, plus a second-row bench that slides fore/aft 6 inches. There’s 38.7 inches of rear legroom when the back seat is in its rearmost position, and a maximum of 26.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind said bench. The QX50, it’s worth noting, has the same rear legroom but slightly more cargo room (31.1 cubic feet).
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the base QX55, the Luxe, has leatherette upholstery. The QX55 Essential ups the luxury quotient with leather, while the QX55 Sensory gets semi-aniline leather to go along with its open-pore maple wood trim. The Luxe and the Essential get a dark brushed aluminum interior trim.
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Laminated side glass keeps the Infiniti QX55 interior quiet, as does active noise cancellation through the speakers.
2022 Infiniti QX55: three available models
The QX55 Luxe is the base version, if you can call it that. It comes with leatherette upholstery with dark brushed-aluminum trim, plus 20-inch alloy wheels heated front seats, a power moonroof, a power liftgate, and laminated side glass along with active noise cancellation, onboard Wi-Fi, and four USB ports.
As a QX55 Essential, this new coupe-like Infiniti SUV comes with leather upholstery and dark brushed-aluminum interior trim. It’s equipped much like the Luxe, but it’s also available with options like ProPilot Assist, a head-up display, navigation, and the upgraded Bose audio system.
The Infiniti QX55 Sensory, the top model, has a finer grade of interior leather complemented by open-pore maple wood trim. What’s more, the ProPilot Assist is standard, along with a motion-activated power liftgate, navigation, and the Bose Performance Series audio system.
Autotrader’s advice
Although it’s manufactured in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the 2022 Infiniti QX55 is the first of the coupe-like SUVs from a Japanese car maker. And we like what we see. Everything we enjoy about the Infiniti QX50 should find its way into the new 2022 QX55 SUV coupe, which will appeal to you if saving money is more important than elite European badging.
This story originally ran on Autotrader.com.
