2013 Infiniti JX35: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2013 Infiniti JX35 as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Hauling Bulky Jeep Parts
- The Ultimate Back-up Camera System?
- Does the 6 ft. Ladder Fit?
- Power Liftgate Video
- Not the Best Spot for the SOS Button
- Will Riswick Fit?
- Where's the Anti-glare Button?
- Will the Wing Fit?
- Race Track Included
- Back Seats Don't Look Like Much, Feel Comfortable
- No-Brainer Blog Post
- Looks Like An Infiniti...
- Unusual Wind Noise
- Limo Duty
- Never Curb the Wheel Again
- Guess What This Is?
- Skirting Trouble
- Fixed the Wind Noise
- I Like this Car
- The Roof
- Third-Row Access Part 2
- By the Numbers
- Road Trip Time
- Home Depot Run
- Enough Power For Most, But Not All
- Road Trip Fuel Economy
- Adapting to Adaptive Cruise Control
- Frontup Camera
- Not Much Range
- Power Retractable Mirrors
- Milestone
- Seens From the Road
- Enough Tech for You?
- Pick The Vacation Vehicle
- JX Wins Vacation Lottery
- Greatest Glove Box
- Instant Paint Job
- NHTSA Probe
- Leave It In Sport, Too
- So Close
- Smart Lid
- Removable Boom Boom
- JX Conquers Wyoming, Poses With Tetons
- Wyoming Adventures Part 1 — Fuel Economy
- Wyoming Adventures Part 2 — Awesome Seat Comfort
- Wyoming Adventures Part 3 — Where Men Are Men and Roads Are Gravel
- Wyoming Adventures Part 4 — Practical Matters
- Maintenance Light
- Recalled for Inaccurate Fuel Gauge
- Fuel Gauge Recall Grows
- Waiting for a Windshield
- Service, Windshield and Recalls
- 7,500-Mile Service and a Windshield
- Good Sun Visor Coverage
- Interior Tour Video
- Now Infiniti's Second Best-Selling Model
- I See You
- Cool
- 2nd and 3rd Rows
- Service, Windshield and Recalls Part 2
- It's All Relative
- Strong on the Sales Chart
- Good-Looking Seats
- 10,000 Happy Miles
- Kumbaya, Baby!
- Test Gear and Cheez-Its
- Easy Entry
- Top-Down Cameras A Big Draw
- Backup Accolades
- An Electronics Interface That Just Works
- Yeah, the Turkey Day Groceries Fit
- Another Road Trip For The Holiday
- Holiday Trip Driving Impressions
- Holiday Trip Interior Impressions
- The Rear Seat Entertainment System
- Oil Change Already?
- The JX or the Pathfinder?
- Top Five Qualities
- Questionable New Name
- Premature Maintenance Warning
- Serious About Sunroofs
- Steering Wheel Heater
- The Benefits of Auxiliary Climate Controls
- Why a Crossover Makes Sense
- An Uphill Battle
- Fuel Economy Update for January
- It Has a Real Plug
- Climate Controlled Seats
- Road Noise Eval
- Steering Could Be Better
- 15k Milestone
- Hackomotive Hauler
- Old Habits
- Ooh, Shiny Objects
- Fuel Economy Update for February
- Meet the Infiniti QX60 Hybrid
- 15,000-Mile Service
- Remarkable Dirt Road Ride Quality
- Hay Look at Me and My Cargo Area
- Great Stereo
- Painless 15K Service
- I Just Wanna Sing
- Fuel Economy Update for March
- Another Family Road Trip
- Arizona Road Trip Fuel Economy
- Road Trip Comfort
- Needs More Power?
- Commuter Car?
- A Magical Family Vacation, Part 1 of 3
- A Magical Family Vacation, Part 2 of 3
- A Magical Family Vacation, Part 3 of 3
- Best Crossover Minivan
- Oil Change, Please
- Fuel Economy Update for April
- Road Trip Seat Comfort, An Alternate Perspective
- Road Trip Steering Action
- Dog Report
- 20,000 Miles
- Minivan Alternative
- Cruise Control Notes
- Blind Spot Warning
- How To Deal With the Sun
- Audio Character Count
- A Reminder That It's Big
- Test Team Gives It an Official "B"
- Our Year Is Up
- Fuel Economy Update for May
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
Since its inception, Infiniti has been ruthlessly chasing and relentlessly copying the success and strategy of the German carmakers. BMW and Mercedes offer a rear-drive sedan. So does Infiniti. BMW offers a performance SUV; so does Infiniti. Mercedes offers a seven-seat, supersize SUV; so does Infiniti.
The 2013 Infiniti JX, however, is different. None of the Germans — not BMW, not Audi, not Mercedes — offer a front-wheel-drive, seven-seat luxury crossover. Instead, this is the territory of the Buick Enclave, Ford Flex, GMC Acadia and Mazda CX-9. Nice cars all, but not luxury vehicles. What's a well-to-do parent of three to do?
What We Got
Traditionally with a car like this, we start by making a disclaimer that goes something like, "We live in Southern California where there's no weather; we would have bought the front-wheel-drive version to save cash, weight and fuel."
But that's not the case with the 2013 Infiniti JX. The AWD version is only $1,100 more and it returns the same 18 mpg in the city and only gives up 1 mpg on the highway (23 vs. 24 for the FWD version). And it's only 139 pounds heavier. For a 4,419-pound seven-seat crossover, 139 pounds is nothing. It's just another kid and his hockey gear crammed in the back. Opting for AWD on the JX is a no-brainer, so it's actually closer to its German rivals than its spec sheet says.
If you think it's odd that we skipped straight to driven wheels and didn't mention the power source, it's because Infiniti only offers one engine on the 2013 JX: a 3.5-liter 265-horsepower V6. This is backed by a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that, as we've previously discussed, sends the power to all four wheels.
Before options and a $950 destination fee, this is a $41,550 crossover. It comes standard with heated leather seats, Bluetooth, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, 7-inch color information screen with Infiniti Controller, power-sliding sunroof with one-touch open and close, tri-zone automatic climate control, rearview monitor and keyless entry and ignition. With all of this, the 2013 Infiniti JX35 was feeling like a bargain, but we added some options to try some of its high-tech toys out for the year.
First up is the $3,100 Technology package. It includes back-up collision intervention, heated steering wheel, remote start, intelligent brake assist with forward collision warning, blind spot warning and intervention, lane departure warning and prevention and all-speed intelligent cruise control. Most of these features are not ones we'd prefer to have on our own vehicle, but they are getting more and more common and, with the state of NHTSA today we can see them being mandatory at some point down the line. It's best to have them to evaluate than to continue to pretend that automation isn't creeping into our vehicles.
Next up was the Theater package to help calm the little ones, as this big crossover is almost certainly going to be a road-trip favorite. It runs $1,700 and includes dual 7-inch monitors mounted in the back of each front seat, two pairs of wireless headphones, aux inputs and headphone jacks.
Finally, we rounded things out with the Deluxe Touring package and the Premium package for $2,550 and $4,950, respectively. These added 20-inch wheels, a Bose stereo, advanced climate control, heated second-row seats, rain-sensing wipers, hard-drive-based navigation, an 8-inch display screen, voice recognition, NavTraffic, Around View monitor with moving object detection and front and rear sonar, a more advanced Bose stereo, streaming Bluetooth audio, lumbar adjust and an enhanced intelligent key.
Again, these options aren't necessities, but having them allows us to review them even if they boosted the as-tested price to a more German-like $54,800. Infiniti provided this vehicle for our Long-Term test, so there was no room to haggle it down any cheaper.
Why We Got It
Road Test Editor Mike Monticello doesn't beat around the bush. Not in person, and not in reviews. Just read the introduction to his 2013 Infiniti JX35 AWD Full Test.
If you don't have the time, here's the kicker: "Infiniti has a gender problem. A severe gender problem. For the most part, its products are bought by guys, while all the girls are across the street buying Acuras and Lexuses. If Infiniti is going to grow, it needs to attract more women to the brand."
So the 2013 Infiniti JX35 was designed with a broader appeal than, say, the 2011 Infiniti G37 IPL Coupe. That's good as long as it can handle the day-to-day duties expected of a vehicle in this category. Infiniti also has a long history of developing cars that are exceptionally fun to drive. Will a 3.5-liter V6 and a CVT in a 4,419-pound package continue that tradition?
Current Odometer: 773
Best Fuel Economy: 18.7
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.7
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.7
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Yes, I know; cargo shots aren't sexy. But the key to our new 2013 Infiniti JX35 happened to be handy when the time came to relocate our 2012 Jeep Wrangler's new Expedition One front bumper from the mailroom to the shop, several miles away.
At exactly 72 inches long, the bumper box turns out to be a great bulky-item test subject. I may actually keep it around for comparison in other vehicles after the bumper installation is complete.
Here in the JX it fits perfectly, albiet with no front-to-back room to spare because of the way the hatch kinks forward near the upper corner of the box. I did have to slide the front passenger seat forward an inch or so from rear max, however, but only to make sure the hatch closed. After that I was able to power the seat back into a comfortable position.
If I had placed the box behind the driver's seat I could have deployed the "40" part of the 60/40 middle row to accomodate a third passenger. Even without that extra human the raised seatback would have served as a handy fence to keep the box from scooting around.
I'm a big fan Infiniti's comprehensive Around View 5-camera parking and backup camera system, and I like the enhanced version found on our new 2013 Infiniti JX35 even more.
The animation that shows how far the tires are turned is new; it was never part of the deal on our 2009 FX50. And the predictive path lines that move in response to their turn angle have been improved.
It's easy to see that I'm going to miss that looming orange pillar. What's more, it's pretty darn cool.
Yes, and with a ton of room to spare. Notice the ladder isn't close to touching the Infiniti's front seats, yet there's still plenty of room between it and the JX's liftgate.
The JX's power liftgate works great, but it is a little slow to react when you ask it to do its dance.
Watch the video and you'll see what I mean. Listen for the beeps.
Okay, this isn't about how the car drives, but it's come up a few times already so I figured I would whine about it before anyone else and just get it out of the way.
As you can see, the SOS button is placed precariously close to the map light button. When fumbling around in the dark looking for the map button, I've inadvertently pushed the SOS button a few times now. As far as I know, no calls were made, but is this really the best place for an emergency call button?
The Infiniti JX35 is supposedly a family crossover specifically designed with a third-row seat in mind. This isn't a midsizer like a BMW X5 that has some dinky seat shoehorned in the trunk just so someone can write "7 Passenger Seating!" in ad copy. I mean, just look at those elongated proportions. Infiniti did a good job disguising them with some swoops and fancy details, but there's no hiding the general sausage shape.
So, the JX35 should in theory have a third-row seat that's actually useable. But the question is, will I fit?
Generally, the secret to a third row being accommodating to those older than 8 is a sliding second-row seat. Basically, you take a little from the guy in the middle to give the guy in the caboose a fighting chance. This is the reason a Ford Flex with sliding captain's chairs is hugely spacious in the way back, but one with an affixed second row bench (like our Explorer) is not.
The JX35's second row slides a great deal. Its seat bottom also flips up to make ingress/egress quite easy. The GM Lambdas do a similar trick. As the below photo shows, with the second row pushed as far forward as possible, all 6-foot-3 of me had decent leg room. At the same time, there was still decent leg room for the theoretical second row passenger. In total, three 6-foot-3 people can fit in rows 1, 2 and 3 in the JX35, albeit with decreasing degrees of comfort as you go back.
Headroom could be a bit better, but that's usually the case in all third-row seats save for minivans, the Flex, Honda Pilot, Land Rover LR4 and generally anything shaped like a box.
Sure I look a little snug back there and a higher-mounted seat would increase comfort and space, but I think the JX35 indeed has a truly useful third-row seat. The Riswick test is a tough one and the JX gets a passing grade. Plus, it has a pair of A/C vents, which is a nice bonus. I can't think of another seven-passenger luxury SUV that offers this type of space AND accessibility to that third row.
Shiny, convex center consoles with chrome "jewelry" present a problem: Glare. Sitting in bummer-to-bummer traffic on 405 South, I went to change the scale of the otherwise-excellent navigation screen in our new Infiniti JX35, and BAM! Oh, great, now I'm seeing a giant spot everywhere I look.
It appears the new kid on the block, the Infiniti JX35 has been busy hauling from the day it arrived. It fits a ladder, a huge box of Jeep parts, even a Riswick. Then it should come as no surprise it fits a wing. I was asked to transport the 1985 Porsche 911's "Whale Tail" to a shop for re-installation. As you can see, it fit with ease behind the second row.
We were recently out at our favorite, local track, and I was pleased to find that an accurate representation of it existed on the Infiniti JX35's navigation screen. I won't spoil the fun, but I can tell you that we have some impressive lap times we'll share soon and a new record-holder for our semi-regular Burnout Super Test.
Like most back seats, the rear accommodations in the JX look pretty sparse. I mean, it looks like a bench seat it's so flat. Even the seat backs look like boards. So how is it so comfortable back there?
I'm not really sure. Maybe it's the fact that you can slide them fore and aft, or recline the seat backs to get more comfortable. Or maybe it's the prospect of having your own personal TV right in front of you. Not bad. Regardless of the reasoning, I found the second row a pretty nice place to be for a short time. I guess a longer drive will be the true test, but so far I'm pleasantly surprised.
It's always interesting to see how well (or poorly) our test gear fits into the fleet of long-term vehicles. This week it was the Infiniti JX35's turn. And yeah, it was a no-brainer that it would fit.
But how well?
One of Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton's goals when loading our test gear is to get all of it in the trunk of a sedan without using the rear seat, or in an SUV without having to fold down the second row. These are the things that make him happy...
The test equipment definitely wasn't going to fit behind the third row seats in the JX, but not much of a chore to stack it behind the second row. Easy, in fact.
At least from the driver's seat. But it sure doesn't drive like an Infiniti. Not the ones I think of, anyway. This is my own problem, of course, but when it comes to Infiniti I think of the G37, FX50 and M56, which are all very sport-oriented.
In contrast, the JX flops over almost instantly upon corner turn-in, while the steering is overboosted and unfeeling. And I wish it had a true automatic, not this CVT, which is too rubber-bandy.
Of course, the reality is that this is a new direction for Infiniti. And in terms of people-hauling and comfort, the JX gets it done. My prediction: They'll sell a lot of them. Even if it's not what I think of when I think of Infiniti.
Ed Hellwig came to my desk shortly after our 2013 Infiniti JX35 arrived. He asked me if I'd check for a faint wind noise he thought he'd heard on the driver's side.
"It's very subtle. Kind of reedy. I think it's coming from the top of the windshield on the driver's side," he explained.
I drove it home over the next weekend and heard nothing. Well, maybe a whiff of a peep, but nothing I could be sure of. I checked all the moldings and everything looked OK. The top corner he'd been suspicious of looked more or less like the above photo on both sides.
That was a few weeks ago.
This weekend I drove it again, and this time there was no doubt. The sound was clear and constant at speeds in the 70-plus mph range. Clearly, things had progressed since my last turn at the wheel.
My daughter, riding shotgun, looked at me funny as I turned my head this way and that trying to pinpoint the location. Sure enough, the top corner of the windshield on the driver's side was the clear culprit.
And then I got out at a gas station and saw this...
The cap rail on the driver's side has pulled away at the leading edge, and it now moves freely when compressed with a finger. There can be no doubt that this is what's fluttering about at speed.
We'll let you know what the solution turns out to be, but a dealer visit seems like the first line of defense. First-year assembly hiccups of the molding/wind noise variety are not unheard of, especially on an all-new model like this, so Infiniti may already know about this.
Still, it's more than a little disappointing.
My wife's parnets, Fred and Donna, had their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. We celebrated in Lake Arrowhead, a nearby mile-high mountain town, and at the college campus where they first met, located at the base of the mountain.
And so our 2013 Infiniti JX35 was pressed into limo duty, shuttling the happy couple up and down the winding route between these two significant points. My mother-in-law is prone to carsickness, and has been reluctant to ride with me on this road (CA highway 18) before. A 90's-era Toyota Land Cruiser I once owned may have had something to do with this.
There were no such problems on this occasion, and in fact she gave the Infiniti's flat cornering attitude and non-floaty ride high marks. And though she didn't say so specifically, I think the CVT transmission's seamless power delivery, which never kicks down, never induces any head bobbing in the occupants, had something to do with it, too.
The JX's third row was full-up for the trip, of course, and the folks riding back there had no complaints either. Everyone piled out at the endpoints none the worse for wear and ready to party.
OK, editor Dan Edmunds already pointed out how nicely detailed the 2013 Infiniti JX35's backup camera is. But he didn't point out that when you hit the "Change View" button the second view shows how far you are from the curb. For all those ultra cautious about accidentally curbing their wheels, this feature is a welcomed convenience.
Like a passenger side mirror, it just shows you the rear passenger-side wheel, not the front one, too. But great thing about it is you don't have to move it back into its original position. In any case, living in a city where parallel parking is a fact of life, this curb check is much appreciated.
Time for another round of "Guess What This Is?" It shows up as a button on our 2013 Infiniti JX35's steering wheel and among the cluster of buttons on the panel to the left of the wheel. By the way, yes, I am horrible at Draw Something.
It's actually the button for the Infiniti's Distance Control Assist (DCA) system.
From the owner's manual: "The Distance Control Assist (DCA) system brakes and moves the accelerator pedal upward according to the distance from the relative speed of the vehicle ahead to help assist the driver to maintain a following distance."
The manual goes on to clarify that DCA is only intended to maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead. Its detection range is 490 feet.
Things DCA won't detect?
— Stationary and slow moving vehicles
— Pedestrians or objects in the roadway
— Oncoming vehicles in the same lane
— Motorcycles traveling offset in the travel lane
If you want more info on DCA, here's a video from Infiniti explaining the feature in more detail.
Edmunds.com is officially a "business casual" establishment, but we're on the jeans end of the spectrum. And so it can be fun to put on business attire sometimes. It's like playing dress-up.
But when I dressed more formally last week, it didn't work out so well. My straight skirt wouldn't let me take the wide stance I needed to get into the JX35. It was before dawn and no one was looking, so I hitched it up and jumped in.
Later, I practiced a more modest approach, perching sideways on the edge of the seat, and then pivoting into the car, knees together, in refined way that would have delighted my social-graces teacher, Miss Adair. (I did time in a school for girls.)
Is driver/passenger wardrobe a consideration for carmakers? A Chrysler spokesman said that ingress and egress tests for men and women are part of its consumer product evaluation process. But participants are wearing whatever they happened to put on that day, with no special attention paid to ease of entry for those in pencil skirts, kimonos or kilts. I imagine that's same for other carmakers, including Infiniti.
This attire business is not a big deal. But if you're shopping for a car and you have to wear unforgiving skirts on a daily basis, you might want to make "easy access" an item on your test-drive checklist. (Ease of entry is not a problem unique to SUVs, either. Low cars have similar issues.)
Or you could change how you get into a vehicle, no matter what it happens to be. An interior-restoration specialist told me that the side-saddle and swing-in maneuver means less wear-and-tear on seats, particularly if they're finished in leather. Better for your back, too.
Miss Adair always said good comportment had tangible benefits. Turns out she was right.
Last week we observed an unusual wind noise created by our 2013 Infiniti JX35 when cruising down the highway. We dropped it off at Santa Monica Infiniti. Well, as it turned out, we were mere days ahead of a TSB being issued for just this problem...
The service bulletin applied to one or both roof side molding assemblies. It explained that they could come loose at the front, nearest the windshield. The fix was to replace the entire molding. We called ahead and Santa Monica Infiniti ordered the parts prior to our delivery of the vehicle. In our case, both the left and right moldings were replaced. As expected, the work was performed under warranty.
While the JX was in the shop we requested an oil change and tire rotation. Severe service calls for the first oil change at 3,750. We were a little ahead of that. Overall, it was a quick and painless experience.
Total Cost: $65.98
Days out of service: 1
Ford Flex notwithstanding, three-row crossovers aren't exactly my bag. Don't need 'em, don't want 'em, can't foresee the day when I'd have more than one kid plus a Mastiff to lug about.
Having said that, I like the JX35. Yes it's front-drive-based and has a CVT when other Infinitis do not. Who cares? It's a proven powertrain we've enjoyed in Nissan's Altima, Maxima, Quest and Murano. No, it doesn't handle as well as other Infinitis or its main competitor, the Acura MDX. Who cares? It's not a lumbering pig either, and its steering is responsive enough to make you feel connected to the road. I don't feel tiny in the JX as I do in the Explorer, nor does this Infiniti seven-seater feel 8,000 pounds like an Audi Q7.
What I do care about is the legitimate amount of space in all three rows. If you're going to have a giant crossover with three rows and seven seats, they damn well better be useful. Too many large luxury SUVs are all size and weight, with less practical benefit than you'd expect. What I do care about is the Infiniti infotainment interface, which has to be the easiest to use on the planet. Physical buttons, a multi-purpose knob and a touchscreen create useful redundancy that gives the driver a choice of how he wants to accomplish any given task, while at the same time not being overwhelming.
I've yet to take the JX35 on a road trip, so I'm eager to experience its ride and the long-term comfort of its seats. Also, how will that slower-than-average engine handle the hills and grades that pepper California? I'll have to wait and see, but for now, I like this car.
If, for a second, you can wrench your gaze from the small-but-mighty McMansion posing serenely in the background, you'll see that our JX35 has a sloping roofline. It looks great from the outside, but this design cue can leave things feeling a bit dark and claustrophobic for those stuck in the back rows.
Happily, though, there's a halfway decent solution.
Unleash the rear sunroof. It's gigantic enough to give the cabin an airy feel, and there's even a smaller sunroof up front for those in the first row.
Guess a panoramic sunroof is pretty much an essential amenity now on crossovers of a certain size.
Recently James Riswick posted in part praising the third row access offered in our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35. But James left out the best part. The gang at Infiniti have engineered the JX's second row to be easily moved out of the way for third row access with a child safety seat still in place.
As far as I know, this is an industry first. And it blows away the systems in both the Mazda CX-9 and GMC Acadia, both of which I have personally owned.
Any parent will tell you how valuable a feature this is. Pure genius.
The 2013 Infiniti JX was built for the purpose of getting more women into the Infiniti brand. Is it working? Our very own Jessica Caldwell looks into the issue in her latest column.
The Oldham's are road trippin' to Sunriver, Oregon for a little rest and relaxin' and our long-term Infiniti JX35 is our ride. Trip should cover about 2,000 miles, including stops along the northern California coast and Redwood National Park, where we hope to drive the JX through a tree.
Tune back here the week of July 16th for a full report on the Infiniti's performance.
We're in the middle of renovating a small half bathroom and it has become the project that will never end. In the big box is a 36-inch wood vanity. In the smaller, much heavier box is the vanity's marble top and sink.
Will they fit in our long-term Infiniti JX35?
With ease. As you can see in the previous photo, I folded flat the Infiniti's second and third row seats to accomplish this, but they were very easy to fold and the JX swallowed the boxes easily.
However, as you can see in this photo, I did have to push the boxes in a bit to compensate for the JX's sloping backlight. If I used all of the space on the cargo floor, the hatch wouldn't close because the height of the box interfered with the rear window.
Next week I'll get the toilet.
The lease on my brother's Acura MDX is about to expire. He loves his Acuras (he changes cars every three years and has had an MDX ever since I can remember), but he mentioned that he'd been intrigued by the JX35 when he first heard news of its arrival.
After taking a closer look at the Infiniti, he decided to stick with the MDX when his lease is over.
"What was it about the JX that turned you off?"I asked him.
He replied that it was all about horsepower and torque. With the MDX you get 300 hp and 270 pound-feet of torque. The JX35 comes up a bit short, with 265 hp and 248 lb-ft in its arsenal.
I reminded him that with the JX, you get a fuel economy advantage for the hp/torque deficit. The AWD MDX gets 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined, while the AWD JX gets 18/23/20 mpg (although, as you've no doubt read, our observed mileage hasn't quite hit these numbers). I also pointed out that for most situations, the JX offers power that's perfectly adequate.
But he wasn't sold. While I wouldn't consider him a hardcore enthusiast, he was eager and willing to sacrifice a few mpg for quicker acceleration (at 8.3 seconds, the JX is a second slower from 0-60 mph than the MDX).
How about you? JX or MDX?
Last week I drove our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 2,072.7 miles from Santa Monica to Sunriver, Oregon and back. To cover that distance, which included hundreds of miles of interstate mixed with quite a bit of two-lane and city driving, the crossover needed 119.2 gallons of 87 octane gasoline. That's an average of 17.4 mpg.
Now the EPA rates the JX at 18 mpg city, 23 hwy and 20 combined, which makes it as fuel efficent or better than its seven-passenger competition.
Obviously, I came nowhere near those numbers. The best I did, and I'm in no way a hypermiler, was 19.7 mpg on an all-interstate tank. And two other all-highway tankfuls averaged just 18.2 and 18.3 mpg. My worst tank during the trip was 16.0 mpg. That tank was at least half city driving.
Maybe I should have parked somewhere else.
Observant readers will notice that in this photo the cruise control is set to 70 mph but the car is only going about 26 mph. Welcome to the wonderful world of adaptive cruise control.
Infiniti calls its system Intelligent Cruise Control and uses forward-looking laser sensors to watch the speed of the car in front. If the car ahead speeds up our speed increases up to the preset maximum speed. But what happens when — as so often happens in Los Angeles — the car in front of you goes slower and slower until it isn't moving at all?
I tried this last night on the freeway and found that the JX reduces the speed all the way down to a full stop. Then, a chime is heard, the system is cancelled, and the SUV begins to creep forward again. This adaptive cruise control system works with another JX feature called Distance Control Assist (DCA) which reduces the throttle input, then applies the brakes, when traffic ahead slows.
During my freeway test it was really hard to make myself keep my foot off the brake. After years of driving, that's what I do when traffic slows down. But I suppose I could get used letting the car do this for me. The question is, would I want to? And would this ultimately create a dangerous situation? Would I eventually rear end the car in front of me and then turn to the JX and say, "I thought you were going to step on the brakes!?" But I guess that's why they bundled this with DCA.
I've always thought of cruise control — and adaptive cruise control — as features to use out in the wide open spaces where there is only the occasional car straying into my path. But used responsibly it could be a stress-reducing feature for a commuter in Los Angeles or another traffic-snarled urban area. Assuming you know who is in control — you or the car.
Infiniti has created a page of videos explaining these features.
You've seen our longterm 2013 Infiniti JX35's bird's eye-view and sideview displays that form parts of its Around View 5-camera system, but we haven't shared this yet. It's the JX's frontup camera, just like a backup camera except nose-mounted. Yup, that Crown Vic you see above is in front of the JX, not behind it.
Whaaa?
All this technology proliferation, so much complexity, grumble grumble whinge grum- waitasec, this thing is handy. Where has it been all my life?
Here's the frontup camera. It's located beneath the big Infiniti emblem on the schnoz (yes, there are bugs on the car).
The display blinked on automagically as I was creeping forward during a parking maneuver. This big SUV has a large, proud nose that makes it difficult to accurately judge the location of the front bumper, and this camera takes out all the guesswork.
No more parking by braille. In theory, at least. It's still up to the driver to apply the necessary attention (and skill) to execute a clean parking maneuver, but the camera makes it so much quicker and easier.
I've already posted about the miles per gallon our long-term Infiniti JX35 recorded during the recent Oldham family 2,000 mile road trip. In that post I pointed out that I'm no hypermiler, used the JX's Sport mode exclusively and ran the crossover on 87 octane fuel (91 octane is recommended) for the entire trip. Ultimately I averaged 19.7 mpg with a mix of interstate, city and two-lane driving.
The Infiniti's fuel range, however, was far more disappointing than its mileage. The crossover has a 19.5 gallon fuel tank, yet it was difficult for me to drive it further than 300 miles on a tank of gas. In fact, I only managed that feat twice over 2,000 miles (324.3 miles and 307.6 miles).
I took the above photo immediately following a fill up, which followed two tankfuls of pure interstate travel. As you can see the Infiniti's computer says there is 355 miles worth of fuel on board.
On the open road that just isn't enough. Four hundred miles per tank should be the minimum for such a vehicle under such conditions.
And of course the JX's range is worse in the city, and that's going to drive moms crazy. Around town, during mommy duties like dropping the kids off here and there and visiting Target 10 times a week, the JX's fuel range per tank is far below 300 miles.
I predict that JX owners will find this to be an issue.
I've always wanted to drive a car through a tree. I'm weird like that.
Two weeks ago I made it happen. I was driving the family from Southern California to Sunriver, Oregon for a week of vacation. On the way we detoured a bit west to Leggett, California where the Chandelier tree, a 315 ft. tall Redwood, has been playing tunnel since the 1930s.
The hole is six feet wide by six feet nine inches tall. The JX just fit once I utilized its power retractable side mirrors, which fold neatly against its door with the press of a button.
Needless to say the experience lived up to all the hype.
If you grab hold of this and drive north to Bend, Oregon, and then by a miracle find your way back again to Los Angeles. you are pretty well assured that the odometer will be registering some serious miles.
Thanks to Mr. Oldham's recent adventure, the 2013 Infiniti JX35 is showing some 5,166 miles. It's a fine and luxurious ride for a family. You'll be stopping at gas stations, though, as the trip computer suggests here. And then sure as heck someone will want an ice cream.
Some more images of the JX from the Oldham Family Road Trip Vacation. Cue the music.
Yesterday I was impressed by all the technology that was jammed into the side mirror of our Escape. Today, it's the back of the center console in our JX35. Don't ask my why I find this interesting 'cause it's not really, but man look at all that stuff jammed onto the back of what used to be nothing more than an armrest.
You have not one, but two power points, seat heater controls, volume for headphones and RCA jacks for a game system. Not only that, but above that there are rear climate controls and vents for the back passengers. And we wonder why cars cost so much these days.
Next week I'm hauling from Southern California to the Tetons (yes, the ones in Wyoming). I'll be taking on of our long-term cars. Here's the deal: Because I'm I fan of sanity, the four-year old, one-year old and wife will be boarding a plane the same day I leave. They will be bound, utlimately, for the same destination.
The car I take has to haul two people, two bikes and piles of backpacking and climbing gear. That leaves only a few options:
I've got it boiled down to between the JX35, Explorer, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Unfortunately,the Quest isn't available. What would you take?
It's official. The JX wins the Jacquot vacation lottery. It was a close race, but because of its luxury amenities and space it was a fairly easy choice over the Explorer and Grand Cherokee.
The JX offers more cargo area width than the Explorer but less vertical height. Because we'll likely need to lie bikes down in the back, I figure the extra width will help a bit. See the Explorer's cargo area below.
When it comes to powertrains I see them both being about equal at altitude, but at the lower elevations I'd guess the JX is marginally quicker. Both will be more efficient and more comfortable than the Grand Cherokee SRT8. Acceleration isn't a big priority here anyway with most of our miles coming in the Great American West where traffic is sparse.
It's my hope to come back with some shots of the JX in front of the Tetons. We leave Thursday, but with wifi hotspots few and far between in Wyoming I don't anticipate being able to do many running updates. Look for those late in the trip or when I'm back in about two weeks.
It's not like I spend a lot of time and energy critiquing and poking around in glove boxes. But the JX35's is a standout, for two reasons.
First of all, the thing is huge. Look how deep it is. You could practically fit a suitcase in there.
And second of all, it's completely lined in felt. The felt lining adds a finished, put-together feel that I like. And felt just has a way of making everything feel more expensive.
Nice job, Infiniti.
The menu choices on the Infiniti JX35's vehicle information display are the usual selections, such as Driver Assistance, Maintenance, Alarms, Vehicle Settings and Language.
And then there's something a little different: Body Color. We live in a world of advanced car technology, and the JX35 has more than its share of it, but can it really change shades like some kind of SUV chameleon?
Sadly, no. The selection just changes the color of vehicle that appears in the vehicle information display. You can choose silver, white, brown, red and couple other colors.Our car's actual color, the handsome emerald graphite, is not among them.
You might wonder why an automobile company would make this a menu option. I did. I expected to find some safety/alertness explanation in the owner's manual. Or at least an isn't-this-cool call out. Nope. We are left to ponder this feature on our own.
The NHTSA is looking into two complaints from consumers who reported “false application of emergency braking” in the 2013 Infiniti JX35.
In one driver's case, the car brought itself to a stop in the middle of a bridge. Luckily, no accident resulted. He then drove the car directly to the dealership where they turned off the intelligent brake assist systems. After it happened to him again on the same bridge, he returned the car and was granted a refund.
Infiniti spokesman Kyle Bazemore in a phone conversation with Edmunds.com said “We are aware of the two complaints to NHTSA. We are investigating the issue. As soon as we have made a determination, we will provide a comment.”
These types of complaints could result in a recall. We haven't had any problems with our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 except for a rattling roof rack, which was replaced. We'll keep you posted as this story develops.
Last night was my second time in the JX. The first — a simple home-and-back commute — left me thinking of the JX as the big, soft, slow-responding three-row SUV that it is. Last night, however, something was different. Small prods at the throttle actually produced a response. Not a big jump, mind you, but a response.
It wasn't how I remembered it.
I discovered this morning that the previous driver left the JX in Sport mode. Thank you, Carroll. This is a pleasant surprise going into a long journey.
This big bruiser is different in Sport mode. You don't need to plan as far ahead to pass or dig into the throttle nearly as much. Push the throttle and the JX responds. It's nice.I plan to leave it there just like many of us did in the long-since-departed Infiniti M56.
My worst obsesive tendencies come out when packing for a long trip. This leads me to unconventional thinking. In this case it produced this attempt to maximize use of the JX's vertical space by standing bikes up tranversely rather than simply laying them down in the storage area (relax, this is a test fit with only one bike — and it's clean). As you may or may not recall, I need to carry two bikes, two people and bunch of backpacking/climbing gear about 1,500 miles.
Bikes are terribly awkard things...
...and carrying them efficiently is rarely possible. They're too tall to stand up in the cargo area. But I knew if I could get two of them to stand up on the floor I could avoid stacking our other luggage on top of them. And it looked like it was going to be possible:
But it's not:
The door won't close. I hate this.
When packing, I'm irrationally excited when things fit just right and something this close violates my need to have it just so. Back to stacking everything on top.
Errrrr.
This I like.
Infiniti designed the hinges on the JX's rear cargo bin to hold its lid open at any angle between 45 and 90 degrees. Open it this far and it will hold position until you're done loading. It's also damped so you can drop it without a slam, which is always good if you've got kids around.
Nice.
What's this? A removable subwoofer? The handy features in the JX's rear cargo bin just won't stop. Yesterday it was the lid and today this.
This fastener unscrews to release the sub which contains two small downward-facing speakers. The plug below is easy to use, too.
Yup, that's the shot I promised. When it comes to open space and easy photography, it's hard to beat Wyoming. Idaho, however, might just have it beat.
You see in Idaho there's no problem stoping here to take a picture of a car and some mountains. This is the Grand Teton as seen from the Idaho (West) side. The previous shot was taken from the Wyoming (East) side.
I'll provide full report of the JX's fuel economy, usability and function on this road trip in the coming days, but it seemed appropriate to open with some striking shots.
First, the facts then the numbers. Similar to Oldham on his vacation, I used Sport Mode exclusively, but per Infiniti's recommendation, I filled the JX with 91 octane fuel every time.
My trip was 2,679 miles long and I averaged 20.8 miles per gallon — 3.4 mpg better than Oldham, who makes no claims to be a hypermiler. Nor am I, of course, but this is a substantial difference which I can't easily explain.
I can't complain about the JX's range. My best tank was good for 401.6 miles during which the JX consumed 19.251 gallons from its 19.5-gallon tank. Six of the eight fill ups I recorded on this trip exceeded 300 miles. My best tank was 22.2 mpg and my worst was 19.3 mpg. Probably 95 percent of these miles passed on two- or four-lane roads and the trip included two trips across Utah, which has segments where the speed limit is 80 mph. I did very little city driving.
Also, all else being equal (which it never is, of course), no case can be made for saving money by using regular 87-octane fuel in the JX. Had I averaged the same fuel economy as Oldham did on his trip and used 87-octane fuel, I would have spent $67.76 more for fuel to complete this trip (using the U.S. Energy Information Administration fuel prices for August 13, 2012).
The EPA rates the JX at 18 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, 20 mpg combined so my highway number falls at about the EPA's combined rating.
I hereby declare the JX35 to have the most comfortable seat in our current long-term fleet. This Monday I spent more than 15 hours in its driver's seat and covered almost 1,100 miles. This feat by itself isn't so spectacular, but it comes with a caveat.
Here's that caveat: I started the day with terribly stiff neck which is a product of stomach sleeping and bike crashing. It was bad enough that looking from side to side forced me to rotate my entire torso — Herman Munster style — to follow my head. It's not the condition I'd choose for a drive like this, but I had to get home. My physcial therapist says that one of the best cures for this problem is good posture — slouching won't cut it. So I made a conscious effort to sit upright in the JX. I adjusted the lumbar support aggresively, set the seat back upright and settled in for the haul.
Mercifully, I found the seat downright therapeutic. It was awesome. And by the end of the day most of the pain and stiffness was gone. Maybe it was dumb luck, but I've sat in plenty of car seats that made this problem worse.
Also, this little roadside gem is in Powder River, Wyoming. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they Tumble Inn hasn't served any sizzlin steaks in quite a while, but the place is certainly a gorgeous example of roadside decay.
"Welcome to Wyoming." That's what the sign says. What it should say is this: "Welcome to Wyoming Where There Are Two Seasons: Winter and Road Construction."
Windshields beware.
This is a typical Wyoming highway in August. You see, with only about three months to work on the highways and nine months of freeze/thaw cycles to destroy them, the state is riddled with this nonsense all summer.
It's still worth it.
But this time it cost us a windshield.
This started as a chip in the top left corner of the windshield. But the state's wildly flunctuating temperatures (40 to 100 degrees in 24 hours on our trip) made the crack spread like wildfire.
We're currently sourcing a windshield, but the JX is so new that our local Infiniti dealer can't get us one until the end of the month of the begining of next month. We're investigating other options and will let you know the what, when and how much as soon as we sort it out. It's not going to be cheap.
Yes, that's a shot of the JX in front of Idaho's largest army surplus store. Can't ever have too much surplus.
Anyway, here are a few thoughts on the JX's drivability/usability on a trip like this.
First, it's comfortable. As I've already discussed, long days in the saddle are no problem in this car. I found its range to be adequate as well. Does anyone really need to go more than 375 miles between stops anyway? I don't. I have to eat more often than that.
But it's good for other reasons, too. Its nav system is handy for easily pinpointing potential stop locations and telling you how far away they are. And its adaptive cruise control is absolutely brilliant in everything from thin traffic to stop-and-go slowing.
I only found it obviously power deficient once and that was on Wyoming's 9,659-foot Togwotee pass when I attempted to make a double pass. Certainly the combination of Nissan's 3.5-liter V6 and the CVT isn't as effective at motivating the JX as it in smaller cars, but engine drone was never troubling and simulated shifting made power readily available.
It is big, however. And you feel it. I attempted to follow a friend's Audi Q5 through the mountains and was working pretty hard to keep up. Then again, he wasn't able to stuff two bikes and two weeks worth of adventure gear in the back of his Audi. I'd call that a worthy trade off.
I do wish the rear hatch didn't beep so many times or so loudly when it's opened and closed, but that's a small issue. Overall, the JX is solid road tripper.
After completing a near 3,000-mile multi-state excursion, it's no surprise to see the maintenance light pop on in our new Infiniti JX35.
The Infiniti JX has been recalled to address an inaccurate fuel gauge. The gauges on some JX models have been overestimating the amount of fuel available. This could cause drivers to run out of gas without notice, which could lead to stalling while in motion, and/or getting stranded.
Infiniti reports that 1,116 models are impacted, and the manufacturer says it plans to start getting in touch with affected owners in the near future. The problem will be solved by dealers free of charge.
Yesterday we reported via autoevolution that Nissan was recalling 1,116 Infiniti JXs for inaccurate fuel gauges.
Today NHTSA issued the official recall, saying that 7,842 JX35 vehicles are actually involved.
In case you've been wondering why there have been no posts during the past week on our long-term Infiniti JX35, have a look at the photo above.
The JX has been officially "parked" until we can source a windshield to replace the damage that occured during Josh Jacquot's Wyoming trip.
No luck yet, though, which is not a big surprise since it's not uncommon to have trouble getting replacement glass this early for a new model.
Our 2012 Infiniti JX35 is back in the service driveway. This morning we dropped it off for a short list of concerns: 1) It was due for an oil change; 2) The new windshield arrived; and 3) Two recent recalls needed addressing...
The service is straightforward, including an oil change and multi-point inspection. By now, you know all about the windshield. But the recalls are relatively new.
One recall involves reprogramming the IBA (Intelligent Brake Assist) feature. The second recall has to do with the fuel tank tube, which could be routed incorrectly and lead to a false readout on the fuel gauge.
We'll let you know how it goes.
We told you that our 2012 Infiniti JX35 was due for its 7,500-mile service appointment. The dealer requested our JX35 overnight for the windshield adhesive to cure. Otherwise the maintenance could have been done in a few hours.
Fresh oil, a new oil filter and a new windshield came to $408.29. Most of that went towards the replacement glass, of course. The fuel tank tube and IBA reflash recalls were covered under warranty.
Total Cost: $408.29
Days out of Service: 1
It's been done before, but that doesn't mean it's not handy. Discovered this little gem on the Wyoming trip earlier this month. Saved me on several occassions as there were some long days behind the wheel including one 15-plus hour drive from Wyoming to California.
Usually I find these extension more useful when visors are in the "swung out" or longitutidal position, but here the sun was sneaking between the rearview mirror and the windshield header so it worked perfectly.
See an interior tour of our new Infiniti JX35. You can also hear it starting.
My camera freezes at the end so I couldn't do a second, less shaky take. Sorry about that.
That didn't take long. With 2,378 models sold in August, the JX35 now stands as Infiniti's second best-selling vehicle of the year (the model was launched in March). Looks like the brand's fans were ready for a luxury crossover that compares favorably with the Acura MDX.
Infiniti's total U.S. sales last month came in at 11,155 units, up 23.6 percent year-over-year; year-to-date, the manufacturer's sales reflect a 21.1 percent increase. Overall, Infiniti reports that last month was its best August in seven years.
The Infiniti JX35's backup camera offers an overhead view as well as rear view.
As Jay mentioned in a previous post, the JX35 also offers a forward view.
Do you think the overhead view is useful or would you rather just see behind you? Or do you think backup cameras aren't necessary at all?
I need summer to end. No offense to sun lovers or anything but my house does not have air conditioning. I live near the beach and I get a cool ocean breeze most days of the year.
There are usually two weeks during summer that are unbearable and make me wish I had an air conditioner. But this year it has been dragging on for about six weeks. I'm ready for fall, Mother Nature. I'm so ready.
Over the weekend we went out for ice cream and then stayed in the cool Infiniti while we finished our cones. I didn't want to go back into the hot house. No ocean breeze and the Infiniti's plush interior and strong A/C made me contemplate sleeping in the car for the night.
Is your car more comfortable than your house?
And yes, I know. That is the worst Photochop ever.
Adjustable second row seats are nice for long road trips. Infiniti JX35 passengers can recline the seat and also adjust the seat forwards and backward if they need more leg room.
Pull up the center bar under the front of the cushion to move the seat into position. The lever on the side controls the angle of the seatback.
You can tip the seatback forward for access to the third row and also use the seatback release lever to slide the seat forward with a child seat in place to allow access to the third row. Of course, a child should not be in the seat at the time.
The third row seats can also be reclined for comfort by pulling the latch on the upper corner of the seatback.
Both rows fold flat for extra storage.
A few weeks ago we told you our 2013 Infiniti JX35 was off to the dealer for routine maintenance, a new windshield and recall work. What we didn't tell you was how the visit went. That was because the paperwork sat on my desk and, well, I dropped the ball. So here is the recap...
Service: The 7,500-mile maintenance went off without a hitch. And due to a clerical error, we weren't even charged for it. Infiniti owns this car. As it turned out, the dealer had initially billed them for the $47 oil change.
Windshield: New glass was surprisingly affordable for the JX. The dealer called in a third-party installer at a cost of just $361 to us. A seal for the windshield was not sent in the first shipment, which ulitmately equated to 2 days out of service. Still, this cost beat the $1,300 we paid for new glass on our long-term M56.
Recalls: Both campaigns, for the fuel tank tube and IBA reprogramming, were completed.
Total Cost: $408.29
Total Days out of Service: 2
There's nothing like going from a hybrid hatchback to a V6 SUV to put a bright light on fuel economy.
At the end of a few days in our 2013 Toyota Prius C, I had averaged 48 mpg. This morning's average mpg for the Infiniti JX35 was 19.7 mpg, according to the onboard computer. Our fleet fuel economy log puts the average a little lower: 18.7 mpg.
I'm not comparing the Toyota Prius C to the Infiniti JX35. That would be apples and oranges. Cats and dogs. Venus and Mars. But I wondered how the JX35's fuel economy would look if it were stacked up against the SUVs that our reviewers called out for comparison: the Acura MDX, Buick Enclave and Lincoln MKT.
The JX35 looks better in that company, as the fuel-economy comparison from fueleconomy.gov highlights in the image up top. The JX35 has its continuously variable transmission to thank for that — and that's about all the thanks it deserves.
The sales numbers for Sept. are out and the JX is proving to be a hit for Infiniti. Not a huge hit, but for the second month in a row, the JX is the brand's second best selling model behind the G series sedans.
Say what you will about crossovers, but there is a reason nearly every major manufacturer makes one these days. They sell, and they sell in big numbers. Turns out, the average car buyer likes the idea of an SUV-sized vehicle that drives like a car.
Much about the JX35's cabin is unremarkable, but I like the look of the seats. Infiniti has a knack for using attractive, vaguely vintage-looking leathers in unusual colors. And the piping's nice, too.
We're just about half way through our one-year test of the Infiniti JX and we've driven the vehicle exactly 10,000 miles. That puts us and the JX right on pace to cover 20,000 miles in the 12 months, which is always our goal.
So far the Infiniti has been very enjoyable to live with and drive. And it has been very reliable, however, there have been two small issues. The crossover suffered from a loose roof side molding assembly, for which Infiniti had already covered in a service bulletin and a recall related to its fuel gauge accuracy.
This menacing image popped up in the large mirror of the Infiniti JX35 as I was driving home from the office the other day. That's right, it's a Buick Regal Grand National.
At first I figured it had to be Chris Walton (or Cdub, as I call him) driving our GN long-termer home in preparation for testing it the next day. But when I got close I realized this example was a bit rattier than ours.
Still, it's rare to see a Grand National out on the road. And since we have one of our own, that makes this a cool kumbaya post.
And everyone loves a good kumbaya post.
Our Infiniti JX35 was once again subjected to test gear hauling duty. But honestly, it doesn't care. It continues to amaze with its gigantic interior volume.
Heck, not only did all of our test gear fit behind the second row of seats, but the second row was pushed all the way rearward (it adjusts fore/aft) and the seatbacks were even reclined a significant amount. And there was room left over.
Apparently there are folks on staff who use the JX for something other than lugging around test equipment. Like hauling kids.
I found the proof in the back seat area: Cheez-Its were strewn about the floor.
Now, it's no big deal for me to pick up a few Cheez-Its. But come on, don't waste a perfectly good snack food by throwing them on the floor. That's just wrong.
I like when I can slide easily into the driver's seat of a car. Sometimes, the seat bolsters get in the way. Sometimes, the roofline is so low that I have to duck my head.
But the Infiniti JX35 offers easy access for me. Once in the seat I still feel secure even though the bolsters are on the smallish side. It's also easy for me to get out without feeling like I'm taking a leap to the ground.
Nice for a shorty like me.
We've blogged a few times about the top-down camera system in our JX (here, for instance), so I won't bother you with the details. But having used it a couple times, I do find this feature to be quite valuable. It's one of those things where you didn't really know you wanted it, but once you start using it, you like it a lot.
This is especially true on a large-ish crossover like the JX. I frequently drive my daughter to her elementary school, and the parking lot is cramped and crowded with kids and SUVs during pick-up and drop-off times. With the JX's cameras (top-down and rearview), the parking experience becomes definitely easier.
I'm not saying this is a necessary feature. But for all the poor parking jobs and tentative, multi-point back-outs I see of SUVs in the school lot, I can see it being a big draw to somebody who uses his or her crossover SUV for lots of errard running.
We're big fans of Infiniti's Backup Collision Intervention (BCI) system, first introduced on the 2013 JX.
Seems Popular Science agrees with us, having named the new technology to its "2012 Best of What's New" list.
Here's a Nissan-produced video on how the system works:
James' post about the MyFord Touch system in our Focus ST reminded me how Nissan/Infiniti is still quietly going about using its excellent interface. It's not all fancy pants like MFT, MMI, CUE and so forth. It won't input your hand writing or book you a table at Texas Roadhouse. It doesn't even have a name, near as I can tell. It just consists of some buttons, a knob controller and a touchscreen. But it works. It works really well.
There's a small learning curve for remembering where the specific buttons are. But for me that's really it as far as negatives. There's no frustration involved. The iPod interface is still arguably the best in the buisness. And you can combine the buttons and touchscreen operations all to your liking.
I suppose some people will want all the added tech in the other interfaces. But for me, Infiniti's system hits the sweet spot.
I know, it's hardly headline-worthy news. But I do like how the raised third-row seat keeps the lined-up reusable bags secure. And wait, there's more!
If you happen to go to Target later on that day to buy exciting stuff like diapers, you can fold down the third row for more room.
Kurt and Mark, I know you are so jealous of the things I get to do with the JX instead of your upcoming Black Friday autocross in the Focus ST and FR-S.
Scott took our JX to Oregon. Josh took it to Wyoming. In contrast, my 700-mile road trip with my family for Thanksgiving is small (sweet) potatoes. Still, I'm looking forward to driving the JX. It should be pretty ideal given that it's comfortable, roomy, upscale and, yes, has a rear-seat entertainment system for the kids.
I leave tonight. If there's anything in particular you want me to pay attention to and report on, just let me know.
For the holiday weekend I schlepped my family in our JX35 long-termer from my home in Fresno Calif., down to Orange County and then San Diego for Thanksgiving at a relative's house (pictured).
Overall I came away pretty impressed with Infiniti's three-row people hauler over 750 miles. I've got notes about the driving experience today, and I'll follow those up tomorrow with details about the interior.
First impressions, especially if you're used to Infiniti's other vehicles, might not be all that kind. The JX's handling around corners is pretty soft — there's nothing sporty about it. But after spending a lot of time behind the wheel, I really came to appreciate what the JX offers. I couldn't have done the 14 hours total of driving with my family in tow nearly as comfortably in, say, an FX as I did in the JX.
That soft suspension tuning is a boon for the highway ride quality, as the JX snubs out most of the rough stuff. I don't think it quite has that indestructible feeling that you might get from a European crossover, and crossing big dips on the freeway makes that soft suspension tuning reappear. But overall it did a very good job of keeping my family happy. It's also impressively quiet at speed, and the 13-speaker Bose audio system has a high quality sound to it.
In a similar fashion, the V6 and CVT combo isn't going to impress you with athletic performance. But there's enough power to handle real-world acceleration (passing, freeway entrances) without any issues. The responsive CVT is also great for climbing grades, which I encountered while going over the I5's 4,000-foot Tejon Pass. Subtle throttle increases due to a change in grade are met with subtle increases in rpm. There's really no need to switch over to the manual mode for a fixed ratio; the CVT's got you covered.
Fuel economy over the 750 miles checked in at 22.6 mpg.
I also used the JX's adaptive cruise control occasionally. It proved most valuable in the 1.5 hours of gridlock traffic that I encountered Thanksgiving day (OC to San Diego). Just set it and let the JX creep along to match the slow-going traffic. My father-in-law, who was sitting next to me, was rather impressed with the technology as he'd never seen it before. "The car pretty much drives itself, doesn't it?" he remarked while we were moving in slow stop-and-go traffic. Yep, I said. He paused, and then replied, "Well, want to play some cards?" The only thing that was a little annoying was that the ACC would shut off if I came to a complete stop, meaning I'd have to reset it.
More on the JX's interior room and features tomorrow.
As a follow up to yesterday's post about what it was like driving our JX35 for 750 miles, I've got some notes about the interior and hauling both cargo and six passengers. Yep, you also get to see a picture of all the *stuff* I had to bring along.
I only have two kids, so in terms of size the JX was in theory a bit of overkill. But since it was a long holiday trip, I ended up utilizing most of the JX's cargo hold for the drive.
The third-row seating also worked out well. For the actual Thanksgiving day drive from Orange County to San Diego, I also brought along my in-laws. My mother-in-law sat in the third row with my five-year-old daughter, while my wife was in the second row with my one-year-old.
As James noted in a well-written previous post, the key to a useful third-row in a vehicle this size is easy access and adjustability via a sliding second-row seat. My mom-in-law didn't have much trouble getting back to the third-row, and the sliding function allowed me to move up the second row part with my one-year-old so that she had plenty of leg room. I wouldn't say it's super comfortable back there since there's minimal thigh support, but for the 4.5 hours total of round-trip drive time, she said she was just fine. The JX's rear climate controls and second — and third-row air vents (floor and mid-level) were also appreciated.
The only notable downside was the small amount of cargo space available with the third-row deployed. But even here, it was still enough for what I needed it for, which was transporting a couple pies and other food for the Thanksgiving dinner. And overall I was really pleased with the JX. For me, it was a pretty ideal size for this kind of trip. Anything much bigger would have been, well, too big, while anything smaller would have made the trip not nearly as easy.
(The Aliens' APC tank, unfortunately not coming to a long-term fleet near us.)
I utilized our Infiniti JX35's rear-seat entertainment system (RES) on my recent road trip for the Thanksgiving holiday. Details about its makeup and some opinions on its performance follow.
I think this is one of the first (if not the first) long-term vehicles in our fleet with dual 7-inch displays mounted in the rear of the front headrests. There are some notable advantages to this: 1) The individual screens allows rear passengers to watch separate media; 2) No need for an overhead console to take up sunroof space; 3) The screens are at eye level (and can tilt); 4) No deployed overhead display that blocks the driver's rear view.
Along with the system you get two wireless headphones that are programmable for the left and right of the JX. You also get a remote control.
As is typical, you load DVDs into the vehicle's CD player. You can also watch movies on the main screen as long as the JX is parked.
Controlling the screens can also be done through the JX's main center stack display. As you can see, you have some different inputs here, including USB, which is for movie files off of a USB-style drive (not from your iPhone or iPod).
Along with the rear RCA inputs and controls, you have a 110-volt outlet, meaning you can conceivably hook up something like an Xbox and play it through the entertainment system.
As for the system's sound and visual quality for rear passengers, I'd say its fine and certainly good for kids. But I don't think the wireless headphones are all that comfortable and screen resolution is average. Certain minivans, such as Chrysler's 2013 models, now offer rear entertainment systems with HD displays, HDMI inputs and Blu-ray players. For a luxury-branded, people-hauling vehicle like the JX, part of me expects a little more.
MSRP for the system is $1,850. (For comparison, the RES on the Acura MDX is $1,860.)
I once argued in a previous post about another car's RES that I'd just keep the money and buy a tablet computer or two for my kids. Most commenters disagreed. That point aside, I like the JX's twin-display design and find it to be advantageous over a traditional single overhead display.
The oil change reminder popped up on our JX recently. I was all set to make an appointment at the dealer until I noticed that it was just at the dealer back in September for its 7,500-mile service. It seems when it was in for service the dealer set the reminder pop-up to be at the manual's more severe, 3,750-mile interval. No big deal as it's really easy to reset the monitor. We've got about 3,500 miles to go now.
I was watching the Cowboys snatch a win over the Eagles last night and saw some ad spots for the new Pathfinder. Nissan's showcasing a lot of higher-end features that are also on our long-term JX35, including the 360-degree parking camera system, the dual-pane sunroof and the dual-screen rear entertainment system.
It turns out you can get the Pathfinder with nearly all of the high-end features that also come on the JX, including the heated/ventilated front seats, keyless ignition/entry, heated steering wheel and surround-sound Bose sound system. The underlying mechanicals are pretty much identical, too. What you do get with the JX35 is a more premium interior design and a few exclusive features, including xenon headlights and options like adaptive cruise control, collision warning and the lane departure/blind spot monitoring and intervention systems.
Yet if you load up a Pathfinder and stay away from the JX exclusive options, the Pathfinder will cost about $9,000 fewer as compared to an equivalent JX.
Undoubtedly, there's a market for the JX35. Yet these two vehicles are similar enough that I think the smart JX shopper would want to look at the Pathfinder as well, especially if he or she isn't planning on getting the exclusive safety features.
I've spent a lot of time with our JX35 the past few weeks. Overall, I've enjoyed driving it. I was thinking about why I'd recommend it to a potential buyer, so here are my top five reasons why.
The right size: The JX should work well for familes with two or three kids. The third-row seating is roomy enough to be actually useful, yet the JX's outside footprint is still manageable enough for parking lots.
Nice highway drive: It's very quiet and comfortable. Multiple hours behind the wheel aren't a problem.
Features galore: Our JX has an impressive amount of features that can be useful or enjoyable. These include: keyless ignition/entry, heated/ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate, 360-degree parking cameras and safety features like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection.
Easy-to-use electronics interface: I did an earlier post on this, but mostly it's just simple to use.
Doesn't look like a minivan: OK, this last one is a little unusual. There's no question that a minivan is the ultimate family vehicle. But if you're one of those people who can't stand the idea of owning a minivan, the JX could work out nicely. It's the Nissan Quest's sharper, better looking cousin.
Earlier this month, BMW announced that they would be ditching decades of brand building and market familiarity and rebranding the 3 Series Coupe and Convertible as the 4 Series. The move was...questionable, and now Infiniti is doing the same thing.
The G is gone. The M is gone. The FX and JX are, too. Instead, everyone gets a Q. Next year for example, our Infiniti JX35 will be known as the QX60. Clearly this will be instantly recognizable to shoppers compared with the QX50 (nee EX), the QX70 (nee FX) and the QX80 (nee QX) and nobody will confuse it with Volvo's XC60, XC70 or XC90. Or with any current Infiniti product.
Over the weekend this warning illuminated on the instrument panel of our 2013 Infiniti JX35. The light is premature. We're not actually due to change the oil and filter for another 1,500 miles. The recommended maintenance schedule for the Infiniti divides service into 7,500-mile intervals. So unless something happens between now and 15k, we'll just wait to see the dealer.
In case you didn't know, our JX35 is very serious about its glass roofs. Two of them. The front sunroof is standard equipment. The rear, however, which covers both the second and third rows, is optional and part of the $2,950 Deluxe Touring Package .
Here are a few photos for you sunroof enthusiasts out there.
I'm not a big sunroof guy, but these are hard to miss and undeniably cool if one can appreciate their sheer size relative to the roof itself. The rear glass has a power-operated sunshade which is useful for both keeping the sun out and entertaining young children.
Our 2013 Infiniti JX35's Climate Controlled front seats and its heated rear seats are part of its optional Deluxe Touring Package, which costs $2,550. But its heated steering wheel is oddly part of the optional $3,100 Technology Package, which also includes Infiniti's very cool Back-Up Collision Intervention (BCI), remote engine start and a laundry list of other worthwhile gadgets that seem right out of The Jetsons.
I haven't used the crossover's heated wheel much, but this past weekend I was feeling a little crazy. And a little chilly. And in need of a little pampering. And a heated steering wheel was just what I needed.
It worked. The Infiniti's wheel heats up quickly and remains properly toasty until you shut it down. The heat is also evenly allocated around the wheel and its spokes, with no annoying hot or cold spots. It's one of the finest heated steering wheels I've ever used, and is just another reason why I'm a fan of spending time in this people mover.
When it comes to luxury vehicles, it's often the little things that make a difference. A good example is the rear seat climate control setup in our JX35. As you can see, it's nothing particularly fancy, but it is there. There are plenty of luxury crossovers that don't go this far, so the rear passengers are left at the mercy of those in front.
It may sound trivial, but after driving carpool on a few cold mornings, the ability for my rear passengers to leave the heat cranked up well after I was plenty warm up front earned some high marks from the peanut gallery.
If I had to complain, I would only say that I wish the front seat controls were so simple. Obviously, there's more functionality involved, but it takes time to get used to where the ventilation controls are in relation to the more obvious temperature buttons. A small complaint, but one I've noticed more than a few times.
Crossovers often get a bad rap. They're either considered wannabe SUVs or ill-proportioned wagons. Once you use one for a while, however, it's easy to see why they're popular.
The JX is a good example as it drives far better than most real SUVs. It has a precise suspension, quiet interior and good performance for a V6-powered vehicle of its size. It's easy to forget how big it really is.
Then the other day I decided to buy a storage chest for my bedroom. It's about five feet wide and thankfully not very heavy. I was hesitant to buy it at first since I wasn't sure if it would fit in the JX. Turns out I was way off.
After folding down the seats, there was more than enough room. I didn't even have to pack stuff in neatly, the chest fit fine leaving plenty of space for other cargo. Once I got it home, I just flipped the seats back up and it was back to a seven-passenger people hauler. Not a bad combination of utility and third-row passenger space.
Trying to merge the 4,400+ pound, 265-horsepower Infiniti JX35 onto the freeway is laborious. It lumbers along while its CVT advances through its pulleys.
It's heavy and it feels heavy. Passing is difficult. But once the JX35 gets going, it offers a comfortable, quiet ride.
I could see buying the seven-passenger JX35 as a minivan alternative. It makes a much more luxurious and attractive companion. But its lack of oomph makes me wish for a bit more spunk.
I'm not a minivan fan, but I'd rather drive a Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey feels light on its feet and sportier in a middle-aged kind of way.
We accumulated just over 1,100 miles on our 2013 Infiniti JX35 in January. It was a slow month considering our goal is 1,700 miles every 30 days. Fuel economy during this stretch averaged to 18.3 mpg. This was only a tick better than our lifetime average.
The only record set this month was for the fewest miles driven. It turns out that travel by airplane does little to put miles on cars. Our goal next month is to keep the JX35 away from airport parking lots and, instead, pointed at the open highway.
Worst Fill MPG: 12.0
Best Fill MPG: 22.3
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.2
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 20
Best Range: 401 miles
Current Odometer: 14,343 miles
Our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 (as well as our new long-term Jeep Cherokee SRT8) is equipped with a 120 volt AC outlet, or a plug, as you might call it around the home. It's a great feature. And I use it. All the time.
It's on the rear of the console between the JX's front seats and it can be turned on with an easily reached button on the crossover's dashboard. Turning it off keeps things safer for little ones riding in the back seat.
I use it often to charge my phone, once to plug in a small vacuum and occasionally for my camera's battery charger.
Heated and cooled front seats have become a must in upper end luxury cars and crossovers, but Infiniti does them right. Our 2013 Infiniti JX35's Climate Controlled front seats are part of its optional Deluxe Touring Package, which costs $2,550. They offer six overall settings, three for heat and three for cool, and they perform wonderfully.
But my favorite part of Infiniti's package is the controller itself. Unlike the button found in most cars, Infiniti uses a little dial.
Why is this better? Simple. In most other cars, that button needs to be pushed to activate the bun warmers each and every time you climb behind the wheel. Even if you just run up to an ATM and had left the car for a minute you must reactivate your seat heaters.
Infiniti had a better idea. Infiniti's dial remembers. It allows you to choose your favorite setting just once. No matter how many times you turn the car on and off, it always remains in that setting. So each and every time you climb behind the wheel that seat is climate controlled to your liking.
Infiniti has made the climate controlled seat a set-it-and-forget-it operation. And I think it's brilliant.
The 2013 Infiniti JX35 is a long stretch removed from the sporty, fun-to-drive vehicles we're used to Nissan's luxury brand producing. You know, like the FX and the G. But in terms of moving lots of people and stuff in quiet comfort, the JX definitely gets the job done.
To this end, the JX35 produces almost zero road noise. Once you get it wound up to highway speed, which is a noisy, commotion-filled affair as the CVT wants to keep the V6 pinned high in the revs, the big Infiniti becomes utterly silent. You're hard-pressed to hear the engine, or anything from those 20-inch tires.
Some wind does rustle around the large mirrors and tall side windows. But I'll take a bit of wind noise in the name of safety and the ability to see around me.
Actually, the steering in our long-term Infiniti JX35 AWD could be a lot better.
Initial turn-in is pretty quick for such a large and heavy SUV. But there's almost no feeling to the overboosted steering whatsoever. You really have no idea what those front tires are doing.
On top of that, it exhibits a very odd, rubber-bandy feeling as you return the steering back toward center. Not helping any of this is that the JX rolls into turns like a Spanish Galleon.
In the end, will it matter for the majority of people (I'm guessing women) who will buy this thing? Probably not. They'll just think the steering is light and easy, probably won't care if feels about as precise as a wet noodle.
We've reached the 15,000 milestone with our 2013 Infiniti JX35 AWD. In general it's been doing pretty well, although we have suffered through some annoyances and recalls.
We'll blame the cracked windshield on Wyoming. Or Jacquot.
The recalls included a potentially faulty fuel tank tube and reprogramming of the Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA).
And then there was a dislodged roof molding that caused excessive wind noise.
Beyond these few niggling problems, the JX has impressed staffers with its easy ability to haul people and things in ultra comfort and quiet. Lots of electronic gadgets to play with, too.
Crossing the 15k mark means our JX is due at the dealer for maintenance. More on that soon.
This week our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 was pulled out of regular test-fleet duty to service as a logistics vehicle for Hackomotive 2013, an Edmunds' hosted event set to revolutionize the car shopping experience.
With no minivans in our garage, the seven-passenger JX is currently our largest people- and cargo-hauler.
Read more about Hackomotive as the event continues through Thursday afternoon.
Clearly, this isn't the intended use of the JX35's rear seat entertainment system. But old habits die hard. I still like to turn around while in reverse and brace myself against the passenger headrest, and there's a perfect finger-grabrest thanks to the headrest monitor's screen bezel.
But this caution is becoming increasingly futile in today's cars, especially in tanks like the JX35. There's almost no point since it's hard to get perspective on where you are and what's under the beltline. More often it's just eyeballs dancing between rear windows, mirrors and the rearview camera. Which makes it all the more surprising when you get in cars like the Impreza or Nissan Leaf for example, cars that have pretty open greenhouses. You start to notice visibility as a character merit, something you took for granted five or so years ago.
Meanwhile, check out that headrest. It's a thick as an ice-block!
Maybe I'm easily impressed, but I think the audio interfaces in Nissan/Infiniti premium models are among the best around right now. Even better than BMW's traditional design. Simple, streamlined and, but for the plasti-chrome trim, a classic look.
I know everything is going touchscreen, dial controller and i-Thing eventually, but score one for redundant buttons and an interface you can almost work by memory and touch.
During the month of February our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 logged a mere 885 miles and we pumped in 50.842 gallons to get there. That figures to 17.4 mpg, which comes up a little short of the EPA estimate of 20 mpg.
On the plus side, we did manage to break the 15,000-mile mark on the odometer and it'll still hang around for another couple of months.
Worst Fill MPG: 12.0
Best Fill MPG: 22.3
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.2
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined) : 20 mpg
Best Range: 401 miles
Current Odometer: 15,327
You already know the Infiniti line-up will all be renamed Q-something. At the 2013 New York Auto Show, we'll get a look at the 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid.
This is the hybrid version of what was formerly known as the Infiniti JX35. It will go on sale this summer and is expected to be priced around $45K.
For more details, read our Edmunds news article:
2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid To Debut at 2013 New York Auto Show
The email from Car Czar Mike Schmidt arrived at 6:58 this morning. It was a simple assignment: Drop the JX off at the Infiniti dealer for its 15,000-mile service which should consist of an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and interior cabin filter replacement. The total should tally about $170 according to Schmidt.
John Flanagan, the service writer at our Santa Monica Infiniti dealer was prompt and polite. He remembered our old M56 and volunteered a few coupons to drop the cost of the oil change and tire rotation. The estimate came to $167 and we should have the JX back later this afternoon clean and ready to go.
Last Saturday I drove the JX down the most poorly maintained (but still maintained) gravel road in Orange County. It was wet. This particular road is easily accessible and just about the only place in the county to find mud. So it's a homing beacon for fools after a rain storm.
Because of high idiot factor the road is often riddled with potholes and littered with overturned brodozers. And there's nothing brodozer drivers like less while they're upside down than being passed by a crossover luxury SUV which shares its platform with a car.
But that's just what happened Saturday morning. I didn't even lift as I passed the first of two inverted trophy truck wannabees. More importantly, I noticed that not only was I going quickly, but I was doing so in remarkable comfort. Turns out, the JX is blessed with both adequate damping and a fair amount of wheel travel, not things I would expect in a big, soft crossover.
But as I charged down the road the JX swallowed the washboard like I was on a smooth ribbon of pavement. Later in the day it dried out.
So I did it again.
This weekend I simultaneously stuffed one folding table, ten small chairs and two straw bales into the JX35's cargo area.
Then I vacuumed. A lot.
My two favorite things about of our 2013 Infiniti JX35 share one screen: the stereo and the parking cameras.
I'm a big fan of subwoofers, and I'll always remember what my father told me about music, "If it's too loud, you're too old." Driving to work this morning I decided on a record I like to play to test the quality of speakers, Mumford and Sons' Sigh No More. Marcus Mumford has a voice that encourages singing along vigorously in traffic and no commute is truly complete without a banjo of some sort.
The stereo on the Infiniti JX35 did not disappoint. At near-full volume, the speakers lost no quality and drowned out my terrible but enthusiastic singing just as I desired.
When I got to our office here at Edmunds, I even had fun parking the JX35.
The Infiniti JX35 isn't particularly large but going from driving our Ford Focus ST one night to the Infiniti the next, sure brings your parking confidence level down a notch.
Luckily for me, the Infiniti JX35 has a super-useful birds-eye view feature:
I could easily tell how centered I was in the parking spot from all angles. I could see if the rear bumper was sticking way out, and how much room I had in front of me before I'd give a Mercedes a love tap. The side views gave me perspective on poles and if opening my doors would ding other cars.
The technology interface in the Infiniti JX35 is simple and easy to use. Equally important, it's the landing spot for an excellent sound system and an elaborate but incredibly functional camera array. In the tech department, the JX35 ranks among my favorites in the Edmunds long-term fleet.
With just over 15,000 miles on the odometer, our Infiniti JX35 started asking for a little maintenance. Nothing big, just a basic service that included replacing the in-cabin air filter and changing the oil.
It was supposed to be a quick turnaround, but after dropping it off the dealer informed us that the air filter wasn't in stock. The service advisor offered to overnight one to the dealer so we could pick up the next day and we agreed.
Sure enough, first thing the next morning all the work was done and it was ready to be picked up. The estimate was right on, so we paid $167.13 and were on our way. The dealer washed it, too, so it came out looking considerably better than when it went in. All in all, it was the kind of painless experience that we expect from a luxury brand dealership.
As you know by now, I have the first-generation iPod Touch. Most of the cars in our fleet have started to ignore it. Our Jaguar XF still plays it for me. But even our Honda CR-V, which I wrote a post about how well it operated, has started to ignore it.
I thought I was doing a good thing by upgrading its software. But now it's like it doesn't exist when connected to a car.
I thought our 2013 Infiniti JX35 would play it for me. It has so many audio options including a USB connector instead of a dedicated iPod hook-up. But when I connect, it plays one second of a song, then just stops.
Now, I'm not saying this is the fault of any of the cars in our fleet. I obviously need to get a newer iPod. But I think a generic USB connection should be able to play anything I hook up to it.
Any suggestions?
Our long-term Infiniti JX35 traveled 1,167 miles in the month of March. They must have been some pretty tough miles because over the course of five tanks of 91 octane gas, we only averaged 16.6 mpg this month, lower than our lifetime average of 18 mpg.
Our overall average is right on par with the 2013 Infiniti JX35's EPA city rating of 18 mpg. The JX35 is rated 23 mpg highway with a combined rating of 20 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 12.0
Best Fill MPG: 22.3
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.0
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 18/23/20
Best Range: 401.6 miles
Current Odometer: 16,658
We've had our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 since May. And in July the Oldhams piled into the crossover for a Griswold-style road trip to Bend, Oregon and back to Los Angeles.
Well, we're at it again, only this time we're heading east. This week the JX is once again overflowing with Oldhams and we're road trippin' to Arizona and possible points unknown. Hopefully, I will return with stories to tell and profound observations.
Please tune in next week to experience the magic.
Last week I drove our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 about 1,500 miles including a road trip from the Pacific Ocean to Scottsdale, Arizona and back. The majority of the mileage was on the highway with four folks aboard, and all of it was covered with the JX drinking 87-octane fuel.
The luxury crossover averaged 18.6 mpg during the week. The worst tank average was 17.2 mpg and included over 100 miles of city driving. The best tank averaged 20.1 mpg and covered only open road through the California desert.
Remember, the EPA estimates the Infiniti JX35 at 18 mpg city and 23 mpg hwy.
I'm consistently impressed by the comfort provided by our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35.
Two weeks ago I drove the luxury crossover about 1,500 miles including a road trip from Santa Monica to Scottsdale, Arizona and back, including a short side trip to the California/Mexico border. Such trips are a great way to evaluate the seat and ride comfort of a vehicle. After six hours behind the wheel you either appreciate a cars comfort or you're ready for that appointment with the chiropractor.
The JX is perfect for such trips. Its driver's seat is a wonderfully shaped piece, its suspension tuning perfectly pulls off the Goldilocks (you know, not tooooo firm and not toooooo soft) and its cabin is fantastically quiet. Driving the Infiniti JX hundreds of miles is always a stress-free experience and spending the entire day behind the wheel is easy.
I'm hesitant to tell you that the Infiniti JX35 needs more power, but the Infiniti JX35 needs more power.
I'm hesitant because you may not feel the same way. If you're a driving enthusiast as I am, and that's for you to decide, you'll agree with me. If you are my wife or the dozens of other normal folks I've exposed to our long-term JX over the past 11 months, you will call me a power junky and give me an eye roll.
It's not that the JX is slow. In fact, its acceleration is on par with many of its competitors. And its 3.5-liter V6 is rated at 265 horsepower, which is a lot. It just doesn't feel fast. And I find myself pressing its throttle pedal all the way to the floor more often than I should have to, more often than I do when I'm driving other like vehicles.
Merging the Infiniti JX on the highway is a full throttle event, especially if it's loaded with people or things. Passing a slow truck on a two-lane road in the JX is also a pedal to the medal exercise, and there have been a few times when the JX just doesn't have the go to get the job done.
And that's a bad feeling. You pull out, introduce the JX's gas pedal to the carpet and quickly realize the Infiniti's V6 engine and CVT transmission just aren't getting you up past that truck quickly enough, so you retreat and fall back in line. Yes, even in Sport mode.
I had to go to the Bay Area and was handed the keys to one of my favorite cars: the 2013 Infiniti JX35. I felt a bit wasteful driving alone in the big luxury SUV, but I enjoyed using the advanced technology systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning.
On the way north I took the scenic Highway 101 up through Santa Barbara. But on the way back I had to leave San Francisco during rush hour and took the Bay Bridge to Interstate 5. I found myself in traffic that was going from about 5 mph to 65 mph and back again. Here's what I learned about the adaptive cruise control.
It's hard to trust.
Yes, it will brake as aggressively as needed to keep from hitting the car in front. And it will take your speed all the way down to zero. But it's so hard to turn such a vital function as braking over to an unseen radar system. In truth, it probably does a better job than most humans. For one thing, it's never distracted. But this human couldn't keep his foot off the brake.
Here's another typical scenario that I wanted to test. The radar keeps the JX at an established distance from the car in front. This distance is somewhat adjustable but even on the closest setting there is space between the Infiniti and the car in front. California drivers don't like spaces. When a car pulls into this space the Infiniti doesn't overreact, it just cuts power until the space is reestablished.
The lane departure warning system is nice but, in truth, you begin not to notice the beeps that alert you to going out of the lane. Partly, this is because the striping is so narrow the beeps are going off all the time.
I liked these systems so much that if I were a commuter, driving in stop-and-go traffic every day, I would buy a car with these features. Over time I think it would cut driver fatigue and might help reduce rear-end collisions.
Living and working in Southern California has many benefits. First, the warm weather and dry climate make people happier. Sure, the traffic and earthquakes can change people's moods, but the balance is more than fair towards the good.
When entertaining guests in any city, transportation is often the key to a smooth trip or calamity. Add to that brew three young children aged 4, 8 and 11 and the pressure is on to keep future drivers safe and the trip packed with happy memories.
After negotiating the proper times for traffic it was all on the shoulders of the vehicle that would be my visiting family's first impression of how my hosting skills would be judged.
The 2013 Infiniti JX35 was an absolute dream to drive. Sleek. Comfortable. Fast. Safe. This seven-passenger vehicle is the first I have experienced in big city traffic that didn't feel like a cruise ship in a speedboat race. The JX35 benefits from the best of the SUV design while offering the gusto of a sports car (not really, but you know what I mean) to keep up in times of swift traffic. The AWD 3.5-liter 265-horsepower V6 backed by the CVT works well.
My family each had the legroom, luxury and stabilization to keep their ride on a cloud. Zero issues with motion sickness for rear passengers and also plenty of room for Grandma and Mom to stretch out on the journey to Disneyland. It even fit all of the luggage.
With travel from LAX to the resort park taken care of, we then focused on the main goal: family fun. Disney more than met our expectations with a wonderful dinner at the Tangaroa Terrace followed by a fireworks show that blew every fourth of the July out of the water.
Fed, exhausted and tucked in our beds, we slept the night away in anticipation of invading every ride before us just outside our windows.
We descended upon both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure Theme Parks. With newfound appreciation for cars, it was only natural we found ourselves at Cars Land where racers, flying tires, and tractors surrounded us.
It was a day of momentum. We soared over California. We swam with Nemo. We spun in teacups and trained to be Jedi Knights. If that wasn't enough, we cruised Autotopia twice, and boarded the Disneyland Railroad stopping just outside of ToonTown where none other than Mickey and Minnie waved goodbye to us on our stroll back to the Infiniti JX35.
So, in a landscape surrounded by children, rolling toys, carts, speed racers and more incredible things to see than any imagination could handle, it is a nice touch that the JX35 has thought of everything when it comes to seeing what is around you.
There are comprehensive camera views to keep your automobile and the world outside of it untouched. A 360-degree parking camera is priceless but the piece de resistance is the front and rear sonar all in an 8-inch display screen. Yes, now you can see on ALL FOUR SIDES of your car as you back out of a spot, pull into a narrow one or navigate that nighttime errand.
Quite simply, you can see everything any parent, guardian or uncle can know with certainty that the coast is indeed clear.
The combinations of Around View monitor with moving object detection and front and rear sonar is a revolutionary stroke of genius. The stress level of the driver is diminished and the safety of the ride flourishes.
Not a bad way to travel to and fro the Happiest Place on Earth.
The last leg of our week-long adventure saw Santa Monica, CA as our starting point with many different daily destinations. This was the most intensive test for the Infiniti JX35 for we worked the automobile through all forms of beachfront, city, and freeway life on the road exploring the best L.A. had to offer.
The standard of family-sized vehicles used to mean a lot of space at the expense of low MPG and high fuel costs. We traveled more than 400 miles over the week and didn't have to worry about too many stops at a gas station. I filled up after the weekend at Disneyland and didn't need gasoline until the family departed LAX and returned back to the Midwest almost a week later. The average MPG matched the OEM claims exceeding 18 mpg for the trip. Do we want more? Of course.
From walking the Third Street Promenade to playing games like ski ball, and chasing the waves on the beach, we were delivered swiftly and safely by the Infiniti. We swam our way through the autos alongside us on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, beneath the Hollywood sign and even as we touched the stars at the California Science Center where the Space Shuttle Endeavor is docked.
Thursday we packed up our gear and chanted along the way to a Whale Watching Cruise before stomping and clapping our way to a Lakers Game on Friday night. The ideal family trip came to a close on Saturday with a final morning on the beach, a relaxed packing of all the new toys and memories into a cargo space with more than enough room to handle it all.
After three kids, grandma and mom all took their comfortable seats in the back and alongside me, the captain, I checked the Around View cam one more time, seeing that the coast was still clear. After a quick and quiet ride to LAX, we all hugged and hoped to be so lucky as to do it all again very soon.
Thank you, Infiniti JX35, for making the journey safe and fun.
Captain Dave.
I'm a minivan lover, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. There's a time and place for a sporty coupe, but unlike a convenient, cargo-and people-consuming minivan, a coupe has no place in my daily life.
But for those afraid of the minivan stigma, the Infiniti JX crossover is about as close as you can get without the benefit of sliding doors.
Roomy seating for seven, nearly 16 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, and still drives like a car.
All that, and good-looking enough to improve your image instead of killing it.
Over the weekend, our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 politely flashed a message asking for an oil change.
The JX was already scheduled to play support vehicle on a video shoot early this week, but we're hoping to get it to service in the next few days.
This month our long-term Infiniti JX35 took us on a trip to the desert in Borrego Springs, California where the heat soared up to 104 degrees. Even with the air conditioning on constant blast and continual hill climbs the JX was able to maintain close to its EPA rated combined 20 mpg in sport mode.
Our overall average remains on par with the EPA city rating of 18 mpg.
Worst Fill MPG: 12.0
Best Fill MPG: 22.9
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.1
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 18/23/20
Best Range: 401.6 miles
Current Odometer: 20,141
Not all tucheses are created equal. The bossman Scott Oldham recently took our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 on a road trip and came back raving about the seat comfort.
Me, not so much. I found that the JX35's driver seat gave me road butt in less than two hours. It's the bottom seat cushion that's to blame. It's too flat and unsupportive, and it creates pressure points right on each cheek. Squirm, squirm.
For long-haul comfort a seat should conform better to the various curves, nooks and crannies of one's backside. Now you know.
Road trips often involve long stretches of freeway driving. The boring ones do, anyway. Besides, you wouldn't choose the Infiniti JX35 for one of those road trips that involved fun roads. It just isn't a performance-oriented kind of carryall/wagon/crossover thing. But I digress.
On said long freeway stretches you get a really good idea of a car's straight-line stability. The JX35 itself feels well-planted here, but its steering requires constant corrections around center to maintain a straight heading. It's not Honda Insight-bad levels of steering corrections, but it is noticeable.
So, electric power steering (EPS), then, right? Nope. I originally assumed the same, that this hysteresis was a byproduct of EPS, as it so often is. But it turns out the Infiniti JX35 has hydraulic-electric steering, meaning it has an electrically-driven hydraulic pump. Go figure.
See that picture of my dog Mya in our 2013 Infiniti JX35? We're on our way to Mammoth for our annual trip to catch the very last of snowboarding season. At this point in the road trip, we only have about 50 miles to go and she can't wait to get out. Normally she's great on long road trips. We've taken her to Sacramento, San Francisco and Sonoma and she'd spend the entire trip asleep. So this time I couldn't figure out why during this trip she was all groan-y and fidgety. It couldn't be because of the car.
It's not as loud as the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which she disliked. She had ample room sitting back there with my friend Esther and we stopped occasionally for doggy bathroom breaks. At one point we pulled over to the side of the road because she was all whiney. I figured she wanted to go potty. She didn't.
It wasn't til we reached our destination and unloaded the car that I noticed that the seat heater for her seat had inadvertently been switched on. Oops! I mean, she had a thick Army blanket to at least buffer some of the heat but poor dog!
On the return trip home? All was fine. As for how I like the Infiniti JX35 for dog hauling? Love the protruding fasteners of the seatbelts for quick and easy buckling in of a squirming dog, the rear-seat vents for flowing air in her face and ample storage for doggy paraphernalia.
We were a little late in capturing this photo of our Infiniti JX35's odometer passing 20,000 miles. It's due for routine maintenance including an oil and filter change.
Over the year we've spent with the Infiniti JX, we've had very few problems. We cracked a windshield at one point. And there were some recalls that we reported in our last milestone update. But other than that, it's been pretty reliable.
Knock on wood.
For Mother's Day we supplied a list of vehicles for Mom's who don't want to drive a minivan. I would add our long-term Infiniti JX35 to that list:
Top 10 Vehicles for Moms Who Hate Minivans
What would you add?
Our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 has adaptive cruise control which, like most such systems, is too conservative unless you're driving on very lightly trafficked freeways.
However, the JX35's adaptive cruise also has another annoying characteristic. It slows you down in corners. Yes, if you take a bend with the cruise set at a speed that results in a lateral g value exceeding some predetermined (and very conservative) threshold, the JX35's will reduce your set speed. After you exit the bend and straighten the wheel, the cruise resumes your original set speed. This is beyond aggravating. Infiniti is not alone with this nannying behavior, but that does not excuse it.
Fortunately, this "feature" is deactivated when you revert to conventional cruise. You didn't actually need another reason to choose conventional cruise over adaptive cruise, but now you have one.
Our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 warns us of side-approaching traffic by flashing a blind spot warning light near the driver-side mirror on the inside of the car.
I find Infiniti's system is a more effective alert for me than some other cars. It pops up in my peripheral vision more so than the type that lights up on the actual side mirror outside of the car.
Our 2012 Jaguar XF Supercharged does this on the mirror and I only notice the flash if I am trying to change lanes or when I glance at the side mirror. So does our 2013 Cadillac ATS. Some may prefer this method as less intrusive.
Which warning system do you prefer?
Even though we drove to Mammoth in the long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 for a snow weekend, it was warm and sunny out. And, yes, amazingly there still was snow on those peaks. But during a long road trip there IS such a thing as too much sun.
For driver JayKav, on the return trip home, it meant sun blinging off the chrome of the center console and right into his eyeballs like a laser beam. For me it was the unwanted three-hour suntanning session in the passenger seat.
Here's how we dealt with it.
I was able to extend the sun visor to serve as a clothesline for this makeshift curtain. Thank goodness for that extension, else the right side of my face and body would have burnt to a crisp.
JayKav wasn't as lucky, however. We couldn't throw a shirt on the center console because that would mean covering the screen, too. So he just drove with his hand like so. But since the road leaving Mammoth was straight for the most part, he didn't have to move his hand. Maybe next time we'll be sure to pack some painter's tape.
This morning on the way to school, my daughter says, "If I'm ever a famous musician, I'm going to have a short name and only use short song titles."
"What? Where did THAT come from?" I thought.
Then she pointed to the audio display screen. It's true. There's all this empty space. Is there no way to increase the text box on these things?
It's easy to forget how big our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 is compared to an average sedan, or even a small SUV. But every once in a while it reminds you that, yes, it's a big ol' SUV.
Case in point: the dashboard. As you can see in this picture of the center-mounted speaker, the dashboard is huge. Like don't put something up there or it will fall into the crevice near the windshield and never be seen again huge.
From the driver's seat it's not that obvious thanks to a smart design but from any other angle you realize that the windshield is way out there and there's considerable real estate in between. And of course, should you ever try to put the JX in your garage it will once again remind you that it's only a few inches shorter than a Chevy Tahoe.
There is no shortage of varying opinions regarding the 2013 Infiniti JX35 in our long-term updates. With 35 or so unique drivers taking a turn behind the wheel, there's bound to be disagreements about any vehicle's strengths and flaws.
Edmunds' standardized rating system seeks to remove some of the vague opinions from the melting pot, awarding each vehicle a letter grade based on how it stacks up against its direct rivals in a particular size and price class.
The JX35 earns a "B" or "Good" from our test team. Read the break-down by category here.
Our long-term test fleet is in a constant state of renewal. One car leaves. A new one arrives. The latest to leave us is the 2013 Infiniti JX35.
After a year with the JX, we found it to be a reliable, enjoyable ride. We'll have a full wrap-up with all the details in a few weeks.
So, what's coming next? Well, I can't tell you everything because I like to keep some surprises. But I will tell you that we've acquired a new Volkswagen Passat and we're buying some exciting stuff coming soon.
What would you like to see join the fleet?
Our long-term 2013 Infiniti JX35 left us early in the month of May. In that short time we added another 800 miles to the odometer. The majority of those miles were the result of a weekend trip to Mammoth Lakes.
No records were broken in May. It seems like our JX35 fell into a comfortable fuel economy groove, averaging 18.1 mpg. This was equal to EPA city estimations.
Worst Fill MPG: 12.0
Best Fill MPG: 22.9
Average Lifetime MPG: 18.1
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway/Combined): 18/23/20
Best Range: 401.6 miles
Current Odometer: 20,957
Wrap-Up
What We Got
The Infiniti JX35 was an all-new vehicle for 2013. It was the midsize crossover that Infiniti needed to round out its lineup and it was entering a very crowded segment. We opted for a wide-ranging list of options to test out its various capabilities, but the drivetrain wasn't a hard choice. All JXs are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 265 horsepower, and all are paired to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). We opted for the all-wheel-drive variant of the JX to add a measure of all-weather capability.
Standard equipment covered the basics. Leather seats, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, heated first- and second-row seats and tri-zone climate control were some of the notable comfort and luxury amenities. A power rear liftgate, 60/40-split folding second row, 50/50-folding third row and a rearview camera were some of the practical features. The base MSRP for the JX35 was $41,550 before options.
What is a family hauler without distractions to make those long trips more bearable? We chose several option packages to help us feel at home in the 2013 Infiniti JX35. The Theater package ($1,700) was added, which included two 7-inch headrest-mounted monitors, wireless headsets, auxiliary jacks and a 120-volt outlet for the second row. The Deluxe Touring package ($2,550) had comfort items such as an upgraded Bose sound system, improved climate-controlled seating and a rear moonroof. The Technology package ($3,100) increased safety by providing lane departure warnings, intelligent cruise control, parking sonar and Intelligent Brake Assist, which applies the brakes if it senses an impending forward collision. The Premium package ($4,950) added more technology. Hard drive navigation, a larger 8-inch display screen, voice recognition, satellite-based radio and navigation, around-view monitoring and the top-tier 13-speaker Bose stereo fell under this option. All-told, the MSRP for our 2013 Infiniti JX35 was $54,800.
Negotiations weren't part of the deal, as Infiniti loaned us the JX for the year.
Our Impressions
"The JX35 is a new direction for Infiniti. Forget fluid handling and pin-you-into-your-seat acceleration. The JX is about hauling seven people around in utmost comfort and quiet. Along with plenty of handy tech features and a well-engineered cabin." — Editors at Edmunds.com
"I'm hesitant to tell you that the Infiniti JX35 needs more power, but the Infiniti JX35 needs more power. I'm hesitant because you may not feel the same way.... It's not that the JX is slow. In fact, its acceleration is on par with many of its competitors.... It just doesn't feel fast. And I find myself pressing its throttle pedal all the way to the floor more often than I should have to, more often than I do when I'm driving other like vehicles. Merging the Infiniti JX on the highway is a full-throttle event, especially if it's loaded with people or things... and there have been a few times when the JX just doesn't have the go to get the job done." — Scott Oldham
"The JX35 produces almost zero road noise. Once you get it wound up to highway speed, which is a noisy, commotion-filled affair as the CVT wants to keep the V6 pinned high in the revs, the big Infiniti becomes utterly silent. You're hard-pressed to hear the engine, or anything from those 20-inch tires. Some wind does rustle around the large mirrors and tall side windows. But I'll take a bit of wind noise in the name of safety and the ability to see around me." — Mike Monticello
"My mother-in-law is prone to carsickness, and has been reluctant to ride with me on this road (CA highway 18) before. A '90s-era Toyota Land Cruiser I once owned may have had something to do with this. There were no such problems on this occasion, and in fact she gave the Infiniti's flat cornering attitude and non-floaty ride high marks. And though she didn't say so specifically, I think the CVT's seamless power delivery, which never kicks down, never induces any head bobbing in the occupants, had something to do with it, too." — Dan Edmunds
"Long days in the saddle are no problem in this car. I found its range to be adequate as well. Does anyone really need to go more than 375 miles between stops anyway? I don't. I have to eat more often than that. But it's good for other reasons.... Its adaptive cruise control is absolutely brilliant in everything from thin traffic to stop-and-go slowing. I only found it obviously power-deficient once and that was on Wyoming's 9,659-foot Togwotee pass when I attempted to make a double pass. Certainly the combination of Nissan's 3.5-liter V6 and the CVT isn't as effective at motivating the JX as it is in smaller cars, but engine drone was never troubling and simulated shifting made power readily available.... Overall, the JX is a solid road tripper." — Josh Jacquot
"The Infiniti's fuel range was far more disappointing than its mileage. The crossover has a 19.5-gallon fuel tank, yet it was difficult for me to drive it farther than 300 miles on a tank of gas. In fact, I only managed that feat twice over 2,000 miles.... As you can see, the Infiniti's computer says there are 355 miles' worth of fuel onboard. On the open road that just isn't enough. Four hundred miles per tank should be the minimum for such a vehicle under such conditions. And of course the JX's range is worse in the city, and that's going to drive moms crazy. Around town, during mommy duties like dropping the kids off here and there and visiting Target 10 times a week, the JX's fuel range per tank is far below 300 miles. I predict that JX owners will find this to be an issue." — Scott Oldham
"Not all tuchuses are created equal. The bossman Scott Oldham recently took our long-term JX35 on a road trip and came back raving about the seat comfort. Me, not so much. I found that the JX35's driver seat gave me road butt in less than two hours. It's the bottom seat cushion that's to blame. It's too flat and unsupportive, and it creates pressure points right on each cheek. Squirm, squirm. For long-haul comfort a seat should conform better to the various curves, nooks and crannies of one's backside." — Jason Kavanagh
"The JX35's second row slides a great deal. Its seat bottom also flips up to make ingress/egress quite easy.... With the second row pushed as far forward as possible, all 6-foot-3 of me had decent legroom. At the same time, there was still decent legroom for the theoretical second-row passenger. In total, three 6-foot-3 people can fit in rows 1, 2 and 3 in the JX35, albeit with decreasing degrees of comfort as you go back.... Headroom could be a bit better, but that's usually the case in all third-row seats.... I think the JX35 indeed has a truly useful third-row seat.... I can't think of another seven-passenger luxury SUV that offers this type of space and accessibility to that third row." — James Riswick
"The technology interface in the Infiniti JX35 is simple and easy to use. Equally important, it's the landing spot for an excellent sound system and an elaborate but incredibly functional camera array. In the tech department, the JX35 ranks among my favorites in the Edmunds long-term fleet." — Travis Langness
"[The JX35] drives far better than most real SUVs. It has a precise suspension, quiet interior and good performance for a V6-powered vehicle of its size. It's easy to forget how big it really is. Then the other day I decided to buy a storage chest for my bedroom. It's about 5 feet wide and thankfully not very heavy. I was hesitant to buy it at first since I wasn't sure if it would fit in the JX. Turns out I was way off. After folding down the seats, there was more than enough room." — Ed Hellwig
Maintenance & Repairs
Regular Maintenance:
Our JX35 requested service at 7,500-mile intervals, with an additional early oil change recommended at 3,750 miles. For the purposes of our test, that meant three routine visits. We paid a total of $280 for preventive oil and filter replacements and tire rotations to keep the JX healthy. Our only non-routine maintenance expense was a windshield replacement that set us back $360.
Service Campaigns:
We coordinated warranty repairs with routine service, so there were technically no unscheduled dealer visits during our test. That didn't mean there weren't issues. For one, both roof molding assemblies were replaced after we found the front edge whistling in the wind at highway speeds. Some recall campaigns were also completed. Several systems required reprogramming, including the Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA), distance-to-empty meter and main ECM. A final recall involved rerouting a tube in the fuel tank. That said, our JX did not leave us stranded once.
Fuel Economy and Resale Value
Observed Fuel Economy:
The EPA prepared us for fuel economy returns of 18 city and 23 highway mpg. We didn't achieve those. Instead, after nearly 21,000 miles with the 2013 Infiniti JX35 we averaged 18 mpg. Our single best tank took us 401 miles, but in most cases the fuel light illuminated between 300 and 350 miles. This 4,500-pounder was not as efficient as we expected.
Resale and Depreciation:
The MSRP on our well-equipped JX35 was $54,800. After one year of service and 20,957 miles, Edmunds' TMV® Calculator valued the SUV at $44,749 based on a private-party sale.
We typically consider 20 percent depreciation to be good. The JX35 figured out to just 18 percent. In our experience, heavily optioned vehicles tend to retain their value well. We are betting that the $13,250 of extras on this JX helped it in the resale department.
Summing Up
Pros: Extremely quiet cabin at speed, compliant ride, ample passenger room, can swallow massive amounts of cargo with seats folded down, easy-to-use electronics, advanced safety features, strong resale value.
Cons: Can feel overburdened when loaded up, mileage did not meet EPA estimates.
Bottom Line: The 2013 Infiniti JX35 is a well-thought-out three-row luxury crossover that delivers the space, refinement and amenities that buyers expect in this price range. If you can live with 18 mpg, the JX won't disappoint.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | $280.05 (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | $361.33 for windshield replacement |
| Warranty Repairs: | Replace roof molding assemblies, reroute fuel tank tube, reprogram IBA, reprogram ECM, reprogram DTE meter |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 3 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | None |
| Days Out of Service: | 3 |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 22.9 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 12.0 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 18.1 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $44,749 (private-party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $10,051 (18% of original MSRP) |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 20,957 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.