Review: 2014 Infiniti QX70 3.7 AWD Is Sedan Luxury In a Peformance Crossover

2014 Infiniti QX70

The 2014 Infiniti QX70 is a beautiful combination of sports sedan styling with performance in a luxury crossover. Largely unchanged from 2013 aside from new badging that turns it from an FX into an QX to fit Infiniti’s new naming system, the QX70 focuses on comfort and performance rather than off-road capability.

It’s a difficult thing to make a crossover look sporty and sleek, but the 2014 Infiniti QX70 manages to pull off the trick. The roof is low and the overall stance of the vehicle is wide and swooping with bold curves. It all combines to create a look that is far from the bulky, square style of most crossovers and more striking than similar vehicles like the BMW X6 which also come with a higher starting price.

2014 Infiniti QX70 Interior

Inside it is every bit the plush, luxury sedan. The heated leather seats are as comfortable as your favorite easy chair while still offering the support you need for longer drives. Soft touch surfaces abound and the black lacquer trim makes for a warm, upscale contrast to the surrounding wood and metal accents.

Although it is a crossover, rear passenger and cargo space are both lacking. Taller occupants are going to feel their knees against the front seats and seating three, unless they’re kids, is going to be a tight squeeze. You’re also getting only 24.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up so it’s not going to be hauling lots of luggage on a family getaway.

2014 Infiniti QX70 Front

The Infiniti QX70 doesn’t sacrifice performance for the sake of its good looks with a 3.7-liter V6 engine with 325 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. It takes off impressively from a dead stop and sounds damn good in the process. This crossover sounds every bit the aggressive sports sedan and it’s wonderful.

You can opt for a larger engine with the QX70 5.0 and get a 5.0-liter V8 with 390 horsepower, but you’re going to pay for that extra oomph at the pump with 14 city/20 highway. That’s actually one of the downsides to the vehicle in general. Even the lighter QX70 3.7-liter AWD I tested only gets 16 city/22 highway for a combined 18 MPG. The Audi Q5 offers comparable performance but with a much better 18 city/31 highway for those looking at longer drives.

2014 Infiniti QX70 Profile

Handling is, overall, just plain fun. The 2014 Infiniti QX70 is a crossover, but it tries and succeeds in convincing you that what it really is underneath it all is a sports sedan. Steering is tight and crisp and there’s almost no body roll even on tight corners at speed.

It’s feels surprisingly light, even with the added bulk of AWD, with communicative steering that keeps you constantly connected to the road. The 7-speed automatic shifts smoothly and helps create a crossover that is a good balance of performance and comfort.

Pricing on the 2014 Infiniti QX70 3.7 AWD starts at $46,400 but adding the Technology, Deluxe and Premium Packages in the one I tested took that number up to $57,945. You can surely spend less on other cars in its class, but you’ll lose some of that luxury feel that’s half the reason you’re looking at an Infiniti in the first place.

On the TFLcar scale of:

  • Buy it!
  • Lease it!
  • Rent it!
  • … or Forget it!

I give the 2014 Infiniti QX70 3.7 AWD a Buy It!

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.