Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Crossover, Infiniti, Luxury
QX70 was the only application for the 5.0L, making it a tough sell in the boardroom.
It was always easy to chuckle a bit at Infiniti’s branding of its FX crossover as a “bionic cheetah” – until you drove the thing. It was something of a revelation when it came on the market in late 2002 – certainly visually, but also in terms of performance, particularly in V8 guise. The Porsche Cayenne burst on the scene at the same time, and between the two of them, they vividly illustrated that the idea of a performance utility vehicle wasn’t the oxymoron it first appeared to be.
Now in its second generation and recently rebranded QX70, Infiniti’s Acinonyx Venator is back for 2015, but it’s losing some teeth – last year’s 390-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 will no longer be available, leaving the 325-hp, 3.7-liter V6 to soldier on as the model’s sole powerplant.
But don’t despair, sports (utility) fans, the 2015 QX70 still promises to be an entertaining drive. Kyle Bazemore, Infiniti’s senior manager of communications, tells Autoblog, “We’ve taken the equipment that was only available on the V8 and made it available on the V6 for the first time.” Those features come as part of an option pack that includes 21-inch dark-finish alloys with matching exterior highlights, paddle shifters, heated and cooled front sport seats and adaptive lighting.
So why no more eight-cylinder models? Bazemore says that “The vast majority [of sales] were V6s. The V8 was a low percentage, so we decided to focus on the V6.” The shift to the 3.7-liter should also help Infiniti somewhat with its Corporate Average Fuel Economy goals, as it achieves up to 17 miles per gallon city and 24 highway, versus last year’s all-wheel-drive only V8 model and its 14/20 ratings. And as Bazemore reminded us, the QX70 was the only application for the 5.0L, making it an even tougher sell in the boardroom. We’ve always had a soft spot for this particular Infiniti V8 and its burly soundtrack, but the automaker’s logic is hard to fault.
In any case, pricing for the rear-drive 2015 Q70 starts at $46,845, and the AWD model starts at $48,295 (both prices include $995 delivery), just as they did for model year 2014.
Continue reading Infiniti QX70 drops V8 for 2015, holds line on pricing
Infiniti QX70 drops V8 for 2015, holds line on pricing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 May 2014 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink