2019 Infiniti QX50 Review

The 2019 Infiniti QX50 is a compact luxury crossover with all the right style, a beautiful interior, and insanely comfortable seats. It offers good fuel economy and a good deal of cargo space for the size. There’s also a seriously impressive driving assist mode that proved itself the best road trip companion on an 850-mile road trip.

Indeed, the all-new QX50 checks all the right boxes and there is a lot to love but there are notable areas where Infiniti needs to step up the game.

There’s a little too much engine noise that comes into an otherwise quiet cabin and to get the best features you’ll need to upgrade to the Essential trim level. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are sorely lacking and the dual-screen infotainment system isn’t able to make up for this missing feature.

What’s New for 2019?

The 2019 Infiniti QX50 is a completely new design. Infiniti delivers a new style with several standout flares that catch the eye and a great looking interior. Under the hood is the first production Variable Compression Turbo Engine.

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Which QX50 Trim Should I Buy?

You’ll want to spring for the QX50 Essential trim. This is the only way to get all the options and it offers the best set of options and features.

I definitely recommend the ProAssist package and ProActive Packages that add a combined $2,550, but offer a bevy of safety and convenience features including ProPILOT assist, which is an essential feature for commutes and long road trips. I’d also opt for the upgraded sound system.

2019 QX50 Comfort and Interior

The all-new QX50 is incredibly comfortable to drive and ride in. The suspension delivers a soft ride and the zero gravity front seats proved comfortable even as the miles stacked up on the long trip to Road America. The front seats offer heating and cooling options, which are very nice.

The driving position is good with a lot of options to get a perfect position. Visibility is above average, but rear visibility is low. The surround camera and blind spot monitoring help make up for this.

In the second row, the bench is comfortable and there is enough room for adult passengers. The bench seat reclines slightly and moves forward and backward to handle taller passengers or more cargo. It would be nice to see rear heated seats on the higher trim model, but there is an optional control the rear temperature and two vents.

There isn’t a load of road or wind noise that comes into the cabin, but the engine is louder than I expect in a luxury SUV. In a sporty SUV engine noise is great, but there’s a little too much for the QX50.

Infiniti’s luxurious QX50 interior looks great and I really loved the multitude of materials that deliver an impressive look throughout the cabin. The mix of blue Alcantara and wood trim definitely works.

The interior is roomy in the front seats and in the back. Cargo space is good for a smaller SUV and I found the in-floor storage in the rear perfect for stashing accessories on a road trip. During day to day use, it’s a great place to keep the little things you need in a cargo area without hearing them roll around or losing space. I fit three carry-ons and backpacks as well as other miscellaneous items in the cargo area easily, but it proved a good idea to leave the cooler at home.

2019 QX50 Tech & Safety

At first glance, the two infotainment screens look like they could be the best thing to happen since blind spot monitoring, but they lack cohesiveness and must have features in 2019.

The top screen is for navigation only and the bottom is for the rest of your functions. While it is nice to always see a map, the two screens are of different qualities and ultimately we had to add a third screen to the mix with a smartphone mounted to the dash. That’s because there is no support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It would be great to put Waze on the top screen and keep car features handy on the lower screen as we see with many big infotainment screens from Volvo and others, but there is simply no support for these options on the QX50.

The Bose premium audio system sounds good. We paired an iPhone and an Android phone to the system easily. Bluetooth call quality is good, and you can also stream from the phone as well.

From a safety and driver aid standpoint, the QX50 delivers a standout performance. With the ProPILOT Assist feature, the car keeps you in your lane on the highway even around small curves. This isn’t autonomous driving, but it takes a lot of the mental stress out of driving on a long trip. The adaptive cruise control is great for keeping with the flow of traffic. Downsides to these systems include the beeps the ProPILOT Assist makes each time it finds or loses the road markings to keep you in your lane and the occasional slow down when on a curve with adaptive cruise enabled.

Blind Spot Monitoring helps with reduced visibility out the rear and the interior indicators are easy to see.

2019 QX50 Driving

Driving the QX50 through several states and scenarios offered a good look into the overall performance.

Infiniti’s fancy new engine offers enough power and while the continuously variable transmission isn’t perfect, it does mimic gear shifts preventing the whine that some CVT’s exhibit while accelerating. The engine noise is still louder than I expect for a luxury SUV that isn’t sporty.

Steering is OK, but despite an array of customization options and drive modes, it felt like there is too much play. Despite this, the overall handling is good.

On longer trips with ProPILOT Assist, the steering feel isn’t an issue since you’re letting the car handle most of the driving for you.

The new engine offers up better than average fuel economy with a 24 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. The AWD version is rated the same for the city and 30 mpg on the highway.