The QX70 is part of Infiniti's rebranding strategy whereby every model starts with a Q. I asked for a QX70 and sure enough a QX70 was delivered. But it says FX on the back.
The FX and QX70 are interchangeable. The car remains the same, but the name has changed.
The Infiniti range now goes: Q50 (a new version of the M saloon), Q60 (was the G coupe and convertible), QX50 (was the EX SUV/coupe) and QX70 which we already know was the FX.
Don't forget that Infiniti is Nissan's answer to Lexus and as such are premium cars competing with the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
The QX70 is pretty handsome in the metal, especially in black. It's pretty big but isn't quite an SUV. It's smaller than most full size 4x4's, and feels much smaller than the gargantu-elephant BMW X6 - its most obvious competition.
The X6 starts at £46k for the 3 litre diesel and this QX70 with its 3 litre V6 diesel costs £44,455.
I've posted a photo of the QX70 next to our Land Rover Discovery 2 below. You can see the Disco dwarves the Infiniti.
But step inside and it feels huge. The front passengers sit far apart and both have plenty of room. The rear offers as much room as a brand new Discovery (who's rear space is compromised by having two full sized seats in the boot).
The boot itself though is strangely small. It's comprised by a very high floor and low roof, and the retractable dog guard/parcel shelf takes up a lot of room.
The interior materials are more Nissan than Infiniti. The next generation QX70 needs much better plastics and leather for it to compete with even the Volvo XC60, which is much cheaper.
The ride and handling are spectacularly good for a 2.2 ton SUV. Nissan's engineers can already make great handling cars and have done a good job on the QX70. It feels like the wheels are right at the edge of the car, with little roll and good turn-in.
The engine has a decent amount of grunt and the gearbox works well, although can be reluctant to change down on any throttle setting but kick-down.
Being a Nissan in a posh frock the QX70 is filled with gadgets and toys. The adaptive cruise control is particularly good. The only omission is digital radio. Nissan does not offer DAB across any of its range - and needs to get this sorted pronto.
So far I like the QX70. I've got it on the drive until Wednesday and will put some serious miles on it before then.
Due to the time of year and weather I don't have many daytime photos yet but will add more to this report when I can find a break in the clouds.
Due to the time of year and weather I don't have many daytime photos yet but will add more to this report when I can find a break in the clouds.
Stats
Torque - 405 lb-ft
Engine - 3-litre V6 diesel
Transmission - 7-speed automatic
0-60mph - 8.3 seconds
Top speed - 132 mph (limited)
Economy - 32.8 mpg
CO2 - 225 g/km
Weight - 2,175 kg
Price - £44,455
By Matt Hubbard
