Back in November, Infiniti launched a new vehicle called the QX55. The QX55 is not out there just to compete with its German counterparts; it also carries the weight of serving as the successor of the flop QX70 and also the automaker’s first SUV coupe offering in the market. The SUV coupe market is filled with mature and seasoned offerings from several automakers, but can the Infiniti QX55 stand out and make a name for itself?

Infiniti QX55 Exterior

While the overall design philosophy, in terms of shape, doesn’t have a lot of pizzazz, the QX55 is slapped with a lot of bling that makes it stand out. The big grille on the face is dipped in chrome and honestly, it wouldn’t look out of place even on a mid-size pickup truck. The headlights feature LED DRLs. The fog lamp surrounds, which also act as air inlays, are quite large and try to add to the sportiness element.

The sloping roofline at the rear is present and you can be certain of it hampering the headroom for the rear passengers on the inside. But, the rear seats can be slid forward, thus negating this at the expense of the legroom. On the bright side, it also gives you some extra cargo space without flipping the seats down.

People have polarizing opinions about SUV coupes, but this one isn’t too loud on those lines. Flashy colors with chrome bits are a different story, but in darker shades, it doesn’t scream for attention. The coupe rides on 20-inch machine-finished wheels as standard. They are wrapped in 255/45 section all-season run-flat tires. As for the curb weight, the QX55 weighs between 4,015- and 4,065 pounds, depending on the trim. The front/rear weight distribution ratio stands at 58/42.

The QX55 doesn’t have a loud, protruding derriere like the BMW X4’s. But, that said, it is busy at the back. The big hatch door has noticeable indentions along with the Infiniti badge, lettering, and the ‘QX55’ badge. The piano key taillights look sweet and extend to the side of the body. Overall, there is a lot of chrome all around. If you aren’t a fan of the bling, you can get a chrome-delete done and have yourself a rather-smart looking coupe that will age well.

How Big Is It?

The QX55 measures 186.3 inches in length, 74.9 inches in width, and 63.8 inches in height. The front and rear tracks are 64.4- and 63.8 inches wide, respectively. It has a wheelbase of 110.2 inches and a ground clearance of 8.6 inches. The QX55 is a luxury coupe and not meant to be taken off-road. But, if you happen to get caught in such a situation, you should know that the approach angle is rated at 17.4 inches, departure angle at 23.6 inches, and breakover angle at 19.1 inches. Tread lightly.

2021 Infiniti QX55 exterior dimensions

Infiniti QX55 Interior

The Japanese automaker is offering the QX55 in three trims – Luxe, Essential, and Sensory. In terms of the layout, there’s nothing out of the box here and everything seems well laid-out. However, it does seem a little dated. The base trim is offered with leatherette-wrapped seats, the mid with leather seats, and the top Sensory trim with Semi-aniline leather-appointed seats. Heated seats are standard on all the trims, but cooled only on the top two.

The QX55 comes with a dual-screen setup. The top unit is an eight-inch touchscreen system, whereas the lower one is a seven-inch touchscreen. It is compatible with Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. The Luxe trim is offered with a six-speaker setup, whereas the Essential and Sensory trims come with 16-speaker Bose Performance Series audio system. Stuff like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi hotspot are standard. The other features include:

-* dual-zone climate control (tri-zone in top trim)

-* rear AC vents

-* sunvisors

-* cruise control

-* 60/40 split rear seats

How Much Space Does It Offer?

On the inside, the coupe comes with a headroom of 39.9 inches, shoulder room of 57.9 inches, hip room of 55.6 inches, knee room of 28.4 inches, and legroom of 39.6 inches in the front row.

The QX55 offers 36.9 inches of headroom (three inches less compared to the QX50, which shows how steeply the roofline slopes), 57.1 inches of shoulder room, 53.8 inches of hip room, 25.6 inches of knee room, and 38.7 inches of legroom.

2021 Infiniti QX55 interior dimensions

This two-row coupe offers a cargo space of 26.9 cubic feet with all seats in place. This is 4.6 cubic feet less than the QX50’s cargo space. Flip down the rear seats and you now have 54.1 cubic feet of space available at your disposal.

Infiniti QX55 Drivetrain

Infiniti is offering only one engine option on the 2022 QX55 – a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged mill that dishes out 268 horses at 5,600 rpm and 280 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine is mated to a Continuous Variable Transmission with manual shift mode. The QX55 also comes with Infiniti all-wheel-drive system as standard.

Although the official performance figures aren’t out yet, the 2022 QX55 is expected to sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 6.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 155 mph. CVTs are generally pretty lousy, so we’ll have to see how it responds in the real world. The coupe, by the way, redlines at 6,000 rpm.

Behind the wheels are 13-inch discs at the front and 12.1-inch discs at the back that help with the braking duties. As for the suspension system, the QX55 comes with a MacPherson strut suspension setup at the front and an independent multi-link suspension at the rear. The QX55 comes with a 16-gallon fuel tank, but Infiniti hasn’t revealed the fuel economy figures yet.

2021 Infiniti QX55 specifications

Infiniti QX55 Price

The automaker has not revealed the prices yet, but expect it to be in the $40,000 to $60,000 bracket, thus making it marginally cheaper than the competition. Infiniti is looking for a 2021 Spring launch for the QX55 in the States and Canada.

Infiniti QX55 Competition

BMW X4

A German coupe that comes with a load of bells and whistles, but a shape that doesn’t sit well with everyone. Is there a reason to not consider it? Well, if you don’t have a problem with how it looks, it is a fantastic proposition. The X4 is offered with two engine options. The xDrive 30i features a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder twin-turbo engine that dishes out 248 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque; pretty much the same as the Infiniti QX55. The M40i, however, is what throw the Japanese out of the water. The 3.0-liter, six-cylinder twin-turbo engine makes 382 ponies and 368 pound-feet of twist. The coupe starts at $51,600, but can go up to $80,000 with optional goodies.

Read our full review on the BMW X4

Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe

The GLC Coupe in the non-AMG avatar is the Infiniti QX55’s other rival. Just like its Bavarian counterpart, this coupe also comes with a rich feature list and a smart cabin that seems a lot more modern than the Infiniti’s cabin. The engine specs, however, are on par with the Japanese. It is powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine that makes 255 ponies and 273 pound-feet of torque. The performance specs are also almost identical – 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds. The standard Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe starts at $51,650.

Read our full review on the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe

Infiniti QX55 Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The coupe comes with a host of safety and driver assistance features, some standard and some optional, but this is what all is offered on it:

-* Keyless Entry

-* Head-up Display

-* Lane Departure Warning

-* Forward Collision Warning

-* Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection

-* Blind Spot Warning

-* Rear Cross Traffic Alert

-* Rear Automatic Braking

-* Distance Control Assist

-* Intelligent Cruise Control

-* Traffic Sign Recognition

-* High Beam Assist

Infiniti QX55 Packages

Infiniti is offering two optional packages on the QX55. Both of them are optional only on the Essential trim since the top Sensory trim comes standard with all these features. You can’t have this on the base Luxe trim.

ProAssist Package

-* Cube design LED headlights with auto leveler

-* Adaptive Front Lighting System

-* Distance Control Assist

-* Intelligent Cruise Control

-* Blind Spot Intervention

-* Lane Departure Prevention

ProActive Package

-* ProPilot Assist (Steering Assist, Intelligent Cruise Control with stop and hold),

-* Head-Up Display

-* Traffic Sign Recognition

-* Direct Adaptive Steering