2019 Infiniti QX50

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ALALAH, Oman: Men often refer to cars as a “she,” much to the amusement – and  frequently to the annoyance – of actual women. To the ladies reading this, I have a perfectly good explanation. I promise this will make (some) sense.

You see, we men are genetically coded to be drawn to anyone prettier than us, but as luck would have it, women aren’t just prettier but also more pragmatic than we are. Consequently, after humoring us for a while they soon grow weary and refuse to play with us as we indulge in our irresponsible and all-too-frequent escapes from reality.

But we’re a determined bunch, and as a result whenever we design anything – yeah, I’m talking about cars – to facilitate our escapes, we try to capture the shapes that tug at our heartstrings. That’s why the Lamborghini Miura looks the way it does, or the Jaguar E-Type, the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Porsche 911 Turbo among others. And why we refer to them as a “she.”

We treat them as ladies because we design them with ladies in mind, and I suppose it doesn’t hurt that aerodynamic requirements provide a perfect pretext to indulge in the creation of curvaceous machines. Or is it the other way around? Hunh.

I’m not saying the 2019 Infiniti QX50 is as sensual a machine as the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale – of course not, it’s a crossover! But as far as crossovers go, “she” is one gorgeous car, a “lady” no one would mind seeing in their driveway – in fact, you’ll probably take a peek every few minutes to reassure yourself that yes, she’s yours.

And that is one of the many reasons that I grew extremely excited at the prospect of test-driving one in Oman, courtesy of Infiniti Middle East.

After a ridiculously roundabout trip via Dubai during which none of my travel companions and fellow journalists smoked – I was always alone during the visits to those irritating smoking booths that make you feel like a zoo animal on display – by evening we arrived in Salalah, a surreal part of Oman that seemed to be home to all the foliage in the entire Gulf.

Dinner at our hotel was followed by more smoking outside, even more wine, and a contest to determine which of us, in our 40s, had the most popular music on their cellphones. And yes, that has absolutely nothing to do with cars or why we were there. Now are you beginning to see what I meant about adolescent pursuits?

That was a ton of fun, but what I was really looking forward to was the next morning, because I would get to drive the aforementioned QX50. Nifty!

So what’s the big deal? Thanks for asking, I’ll be happy to explain! You see, Infiniti has a daunting task, which is to hold its own against brands, particularly those from Europe,  that have been at this game for far longer than the Japanese manufacturer. This is the luxury car market we’re talking about, where it’s not enough to simply be practical and reliable. Infiniti has to offer the same allure, prestige, sumptuousness and refinement of its world-class rivals and it has, I believe, found its footing.

This partly has to do with Infiniti’s new design language, the one it’s applied to the Q30, the Q50, the Q60 and the Q70, as well as the QX30, the QX50 and the QX80. Yes, I skipped over the QX60 and QX70 because they don’t really adhere to this specific design philosophy as of yet.

The recent styling, which features undulating curves that extrude from the sheet metal in crisp creases, have grown more cohesive with every model released in the range. They were already exquisite in the Q30 and QX30, but in the QX50 they are simply sublime.

Why am I raving on about body panels? For two reasons, dear reader: First, the shape into which the sheet metal is stamped plays a huge role in the solidity of the car’s exterior. Try standing a sheet of paper on its edge. You can’t, can you? Now fold it in half and stand it upright. Voila, it’s magic!

To manage to achieve incredible quality with a curvaceous shape like that of the QX50 is extraordinary. But to perfectly integrate that styling around the QX50’s brand new platform is sheer genius. This solid chassis makes the first automotive use of Super High Formability 980 MPa high-tensile steel, which increases the torsional rigidity of the QX50 chassis by 23 percent over the previous generation.

Because of this rigidity, in case you were wondering, the car is able to resist flex and vibrations while cutting down on the road ruckus transmitted to the cabin.

I am happy to say that as far as exterior design is concerned, there’s more. Rather than just styling a pretty body and throwing on sculpted headlights and tail lamps as an afterthought, Infiniti has matured, taking the time to design the lighting to integrate seamlessly not just into the car’s design, but also the overall theme. That, along with the trademark grille, front and rear splash guards, and the sculpted rims, all conspire to produce a very cohesive and distinctive shape that stands apart from other crossovers on the road.

After salivating over the exterior, I stepped inside the car, and oh baby! About that lusciously quiet interior, if you like being pampered you won’t be disappointed. The entire cabin seemed like a work of art designed to envelop you in a sumptuous environment.  It was like how I imagined the inside of Karl Lagerfeld’s customized car would look. I was literally afraid to put my elbow on the armrest because it looked so flawless, tailored. Furthermore, the natural leather – I think half a dozen cows must have sacrificed their lives to make that interior – and diamond quilting on the seats attest to this car’s luxurious orientation, and blue suede trim in some models raise the bar even further, especially combined with vanilla leather.

The asymmetric layout, meanwhile, signals the fact that this car is as much your private domain as it is a mode of transportation for the entire family, unless you have more than five people in your family, in which case you may need a second QX50. Interior space is abundant, with plenty of leg and head room in the back. Cargo space is also more than adequate, and actually bigger than many European rivals.

What is astounding is that in addition to being nice to look at and boasting unprecedented chassis materials, the QX50 also breaks new ground in its drivetrain. Underneath that sensual skin resides a 2.0-liter turbo-4 that in itself is a technological marvel.

To put it simply, meet the world’s first mass-produced variable-compression engine, which alters the engine displacement unless you call upon it to exhibit more power.

This new mill shows a 30-percent increase in fuel economy while remaining as quick as nimble as the previous V-6 model. The new turbocharged four-pot generates up to 268 ponies, which technically is less than the 325 horses found in the outgoing QX50, but torque is up to 380 Newton-meters as compared to 362 Nm in the V-6.

That translates to more power around town, but slightly less in the rpm’s higher range, a tradeoff that’s more than worth it considering the vastly improved fuel economy.  

Also gone is the geriatric seven-speed transmission in the last version. In its place the QX50 comes equipped with a continuously variable transmission as standard. But there’s no rubbery feel to this box, thanks to some very ingenious programming, and in manual mode the new transmission simulates eight gears with uncanny accuracy.

This being a luxury crossover, the suspension has been tuned with comfort in mind, absorbs road bumps and imperfections without any effort.  And although the car does exhibit some lean and roll on corners, as would be expected of crossovers, it does so with poise and without any displays of drama.

Steering too is quite precise, affording confidence and razor-sharp accuracy, even if it lacks the intuitive feedback as found on some more expensive rivals.

And with all versions in Lebanon equipped with all-wheel-drive, the new QX50 backs ups its quality construction with outstanding road holding capability, whether on dry tarmac or in inclement weather.

But we were in Salalah, it was raining and foggy, while the roads were muddy and slippery, and yet in the sure-footed QX50 I felt absolutely safe.

That peace of mind is further bolstered by no fewer than eight air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control, and electronic brake force distribution as standard even on the base model. Move up a trim level and you can add lane departure warning, brake assist, forward collision warning and collision and collision sensors to your safety repertoire.

That also nets you light sensors and LED fog lights as well roof rails, a panoramic roof,  LED daytime running lights, a 360-degree camera, a Bose sound system and a whopping 16 speakers.

The top trim level, meanwhile, increases the rim diameter to 20 inches, adds premium leather as well as a ton of other amenities.

Should you buy one? Unless you plan on racing canyon roads on a daily basis, this is an ideal luxury family crossover, quite worthy of being on the shortlist. It does perfectly what it was designed to: transport five people in complete luxury, and look extremely good while carrying out that task. You’ll most likely also be among the few lucky ones driving this car, because it has not become commonplace like many others.