2026 Infiniti QX60: New look, new engine, new experience?
The three-row SUV from Nissan’s luxe brand is nice but snug even among competitors. Under the hood, the high-tech engine replacing the old V-6 has some decidedly low-tech limitations.
2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD: New stuff is better, right?
Price: $65,750 as tested.
What others are saying: “Pros: Classy, high-feature interior, well utilized screens, best-in-class third-row accessibility. Cons: Not a Sporting bone in this body; VC-Turbo drivability still disappoints; poor lane keep, auto stop/start systems,” says Motor Trend.
What Infiniti is saying: “Designed with distinction — inside and out.”
Reality: Sometimes new stuff is just new.
What’s new: The QX60 is redesigned for 2026, adding mass and presence in its new look, as Infiniti touts. (Never do cars redesigned for the American market get more svelte or subtle.) The vehicle also adds more smart tech.
The Sport grade tested is also new for 2026, and it jazzes up inside and out.
The VC-Turbo four-cylinder replaced the old V-6 in 2025, and there’s a lot to say about that power plant below.
Competition: Acura MDX, Audi Q7, BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac XT6, Land Rover Range Rover, Lexus GX, Lexus TX, and Volvo XC90.
Up to speed: I can be as focused as the next car guy on 0-60 times, but years of testing have proven time and again that there’s so much more. The 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds, according Motor Trend, is respectable among premium three-row SUVs.
But if I stopped here, you’d being missing a lot.
This is the QX60’s second year featuring 268-horsepower VC-Turbo 2-liter four-cylinder engine name, which sounds pretty cool in a Marvin Martian kind of way. Much like the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator!, though, this VC-Turbo is still in beta testing.
Each standing start revealed the QX60 had more hesitation than Mr. Driver’s Seat trying to explain a dent on a test vehicle. I’d press the accelerator and for easily a second, the QX60 would hem and haw. Frightening.
The denouement came while turning left from a parking lot onto a 50-mph stretch of U.S. 322. Even in Sport mode, I was sweating getting to 50 mph quickly enough, let alone 60.
I had much better success with a 3.5-liter V-6 in a 2022 QX60, although I’m trusting that “some hesitation” back then was far better than this time around.
Good to go: Not everything about the drive was terrible. On the first day behind the wheel, I found the QX60 to feel somewhat sporty and fun. It seemed to have a bit of a kick to it, almost Jeep Wranglerlike in its roughness. But that got old really fast, especially in light of the unpredictable accelerator.
Shifty: The 9-speed automatic transmission operated seamlessly while driving, but it also revealed one weird habit while getting in gear: It rolled back quite a bit. In fact, its rolling could almost match clutch driving. This seemed more prominent in Sport mode. Presumably there’s an auto hold button I could have engaged, but I haven’t needed to in 40 years of driving.
The shifter is modeled on Lexus’ long-ago handle, a square top that pulls back or pushes forward depending on where you want to go.
If you want to shift your own gears, though, it’s paddle city for you.
On the road: The handling of the QX60 never got me excited. Curves and turns came and went, and I sought out enjoyment, but was left disappointed. At least the vehicle felt small and athletic for a three-row SUV.
Sport mode, though, was a rough one on the highways; any road seams of note set the QX60 to shaking.
Friends and stuff: The second row provides comfortable enough captains’ chairs, with decent space overall.
But the third row is only for youngsters. Getting back there is hard, clambering past the second-row seats. Foot room in the rear is pitiful, even with the middle row scooched up a bit. I had to twist my size 12s with my hand to turn them into place. Finally, the door is narrow, and hopping out feels as death-defying as Lindsey Vonn’s last ride.
Cargo space is 14.5/41.6/75.4 cubic feet, depending on the ups and downs.
Driver’s Seat: The cockpit felt very Nissan-esque, with the usual controls and gauges found on the lesser make’s models. Granted, Nissans do generally feel more luxurious than they have a right to, but we’re paying for Infiniti luxury here.
The seat was comfortable enough but no oohs and aah were emitted during test week.
Play some tunes: Sound from the system was disappointing for the model level, about a B.
A dial for volume and another for tuning make the system a little easier to control than many nowadays. The 12.3-inch touchscreen is par for the vehicle class.
Keeping warm and cool: An ebony touchpad has Audi-style haptics, where you have to press hard enough to register your feelings. So it’s good for not accidentally setting off unwanted features as you slide around the pad, but in the Infiniti there’s no feel, so you still have to look.
Fuel economy: The QX60 averaged just under 21 mpg.
Where it’s built: Smyrna, Tenn.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports had no guess for the new model’s reliability, but 2025’s was a 4 out of 5.
In the end: Most of the vehicles in the competition list lack space in the rear, but the QX60 is exceptionally difficult.
But if the engine hesitation was not just a test-model problem, I’d write it off. I’m surprised reading how much I liked the Lexus GX, so I’d probably start there.
