A family beast

An Infiniti JX35 cruises on the road. / Courtesy of Infiniti

Infiniti JX35 large, comfortable but expensive

By Kim Da-ye

A boom in camping has spilled over onto the domestic automotive market with interest in purchasing large family cars soaring. In the last three months, Hyundai Motor launched two models that grabbed the attention of camping enthusiasts — the Hyundai Grand Starex camping car and the seven-seater Maxcruz sports utility vehicle.

The all new Infiniti JX35 crossover launched in May last year seems tailor-made to meet the needs of this trend.

Most importantly, the seven-seater cross between an SUV and a passenger car is huge. The vehicle is nearly five meters long, almost two meters wide and stands 1.75-meters high.

The Infiniti JX35 comfortably accommodates seven people — preferably two adults on the front row, two adults and a child on the second and two kids on the third. However, packing the car with seven people leaves very little space for luggage in the trunk. One passenger that accompanied this reporter on a test drive commented that it is ideal for two couples, each with a child.

The last row is surprisingly wide, but the ceiling is low because of the vehicle’s design. If a driver carelessly drives over a bump, the passengers on the last row are likely to hit their heads on the ceiling.

Secondly, the JX35 is a powerful yet quiet car that glides on the road. A long trip in this vehicle wouldn’t be too tiresome because it cruises smoothly and accelerates quickly — although the two adult passengers on the last row complained of some noise and a wobbling sensation.

The interiors of the seven-seater crossover

The car is equipped with a VQ35DE engine that, Nissan boasts, was on the Ward’s 10 Best Engines between 2002 and 2007. The vehicle touts 265-horsepower and a 34.3-kilogram-meter torque.

While most SUVs are equipped with a diesel engine, the JX35 is fueled by gasoline and, as a result, is quiet. In terms of driving comfort, it is closer to that of a large sedan rather than that of a typical SUV.

If drivers want some fun, they can switch to different drive modes with the “Infiniti Drive Mode Selector.” They can choose from Sports, Eco, Snow and Standard modes. In the sports mode, the car speeds up with a louder engine sound and the torque feels greater.

The car is heavy, but climbs hills with relative ease, even with six adults in the car because of the “Hill Assist” function that prevents the vehicle from rolling back for about two seconds.

Lastly, the vehicle’s smart functions — notably the parking assisting system — make it a women’s car despite its massive size. It’s easy to picture soccer moms getting behind the wheel and taking their children out by themselves on holidays if their husbands are too busy.

This reporter took one vehicle for a drive on a Friday evening in central Seoul where roads are narrow and are prone to traffic jams. The vehicle is huge, causing a belief that it would be difficult to drive the JX35 under such circumstances. In fact, getting the vehicle out of a cramped underground parking lot was not a difficult challenge because the vehicle is equipped with four cameras on the front, behind, left and right sides of the vehicle.

With the cameras and sensors, the car has a “Moving Object Detection” function. When another car or other moving object comes too close from any side, the car’s navigation screen beeps immediately and shows real-time images captured by the cameras.

When drivers park, they will see the rear of the vehicle on the navigation screen as well as a bird’s-eye view. As they turn the wheel, the screen will also indicate which direction the car will move, making parking easier than ever.

What else is there to like about the JX35 other than its family-friendly features?

The design is surely a winner. The car, a beautiful beast, draws attention on the road.

While the Infiniti design is better known for its sleek sedans, the JX35 has managed to retain “family appeal” without becoming dull. Even though it is huge, in a way, the design — accentuated by slender head and rear lamps and a rounded front — shines even more.

Drivers of the JX35 also won’t miss on any of the latest technological features. They include a smart key, a navigation system that connects to Bluetooth and plays music from your smartphone, an intelligent key for the trunk door, an advanced climate control system, and air conditioning controller in every row, ventilated seats, and a moon roof.

And in which areas can the JX35 improve?

Most of all, the car is a little too expensive. Built in the U.S., and with the most expensive trim and all options fitted, it is priced at around $55,000 in the U.S.

There are two trims available in Korea — a front-wheel-drive model that costs 67 million won and an all-wheel-drive model for 70.2 million won. Infiniti, Nissan Motor’s luxury brand, offered in April a promotion of a 24-month installment plan with zero interest or a 1.5 million-won discount provided in the form of fuel subsidies. This is still much more expensive than in the United States.

Some also say that because the vehicle is assembled in the U.S., it lacks the meticulous touch of the Japanese that adds distinction to interiors.

Finally, fuel efficiency will definitely be a discouraging factor for Korean drivers. The gas mileage for an all-wheel-drive trim is 8.2 kilometers per liter while traveling 7.5 km/l in the city and 9.4 on the highway. While this reporter drove around 300 kilometers over three days, fuel efficiency stayed at between 7 and 7.1 km per liter and from 6.8 to 6.9 km per liter while the air conditioning was on.