Detroit 2017: Infiniti QX50 Concept previews a sharp new crossover

Infiniti was early into sporting SUVs with models like the EX and larger, more in-your-face FX that spearheaded the upmarket Nissan brand’s arrival in Europe eight years ago.

The EX was getting on in lots of ways even then but delivered a degree of focus in its performance and handling, and this week’s Detroit Show debutant QX50 will be out to capture the appeal, if rather belatedly. One thing for sure, the newcomer leaves the bland old one for dead in the design stakes.

Infiniti’s distinct design is, at last, getting familiar, thanks to more of the made-in-Britain Q30 and QX30 models on our roads, and the new mid-size SUV delivers the same sculpted look with muscular surfaces, and signature grille and C-pillar treatments. 

A compact new engine means it has more of a cab-forward look than its Infiniti SUV predecessors, and consequently more cabin space. The car comes across as premium, emotive and typically impeccably crafted inside and out with a surprisingly practical side.

Infiniti prides itself on its cabin designs and the QX50 looks especially enticing inside with its organic shapes and materials such as leather, nubuck, and open-pore ash wood. Infiniti has applied for a patent for the distinctive “dot quilting” of leather on door trims and seats. It’s like a Chesterfield sofa but more informal, says Infiniti, adding that the QX50 “seeks to bring a degree of elegance and artistry to a segment typified by an uninspiring, clinical aesthetic.”

For such a svelte five-seat, all-wheel drive machine there will be a hi-tech twist under the bonnet in the form of the world’s first variable compression ratio petrol engine. The production-ready VC-Turbo four-cylinder unit in 2.0-litre form is compact, powerful (at least 268bhp with 288 b ft of torque) and economical; Infiniti is targeting 27 per cent more fuel efficiency than a comparably powerful V6 petrol engine. The firm is touting variable compression technology – the CR can vary between 8:1 and 14:1 in just 1.5 seconds – as its alternative to out-of-favour diesel. 

The QX50 is likely to be the first Infiniti to get the new engine when it appears in showrooms from early 2018. The car should look pretty much just like the one you see here, even though this is said still to be a concept, developed from last year’s QX Sport Inspiration show car.

In reality, what you see is what we will get. And we reckon it looks good. With cars like this, the compact 30 series models and handsome new Q60 coupe, Infiniti’s bid to join the luxury big boys is looking stronger than ever.