I recently got the chance to drive Infiniti’s new 2027 QX65. If you want a shorthand for this vehicle, it’s the Nissan Murano or Pathfinder, as well as the three-row QX60. Those are good bones for Infiniti. I haven’t been wowed by the Pathfinder; it’s merely fine. But with the QX65, Infiniti’s made some pretty smart decisions, particularly around the three P’s—packaging, pricing, and powertrain. Also, a fourth P, performance. But there’s one area where Infiniti isn’t keeping up, which I’ll get into.
Packaging
Literally, as in fitting junk in your trunk, the Infiniti is a winner. Mostly. Infiniti touts the roominess of the QX65, and they’re also listing the Genesis GV80 as a direct competitor. That’s likely because you can get that Genesis in a fastback coupe, so it’s a good comp in the QX60/65 realm, since the QX65 is essentially the QX60 without a third row.
“Thanks to its raked roof, the QX65 looks better than some of its peers, with more alluring shapes. The cabin is attractive, too, if not stunning.”
As for the numbers, The QX65 does have an exceptionally roomy first row, with 44.2 inches of legroom vs. 41.6 inches in the first row of either Genesis model. The Infiniti’s second row is pinched by comparison, with only 35.7 inches of leg room, vs. 38.7 in the Genesis. Mind you, the second row of the Infiniti doesn’t feel particularly like flying Spirit Airlines—it’s roomy enough for a normal sized adult, but the Genesis’s second row is more loungelike.
Space Where It Counts
Where the Infiniti really wins, however, is in cargo capacity. The Infiniti’s sloped-back roofline doesn’t cleave off nearly as much interior space as a lot of coupe-if-ied SUVs. At one exhibit Infiniti showed the hatch of the Infiniti holding four full-sized golf bags, with room to spare.
That’s not too surprising, since the QX65’s 35.8 cubic feet with the rear seats up trounces the Genesis’s 29.3 cubic feet. Likewise, the maximum cargo volume of 67.7 cubic feet handily beats the 61.1 cubic feet of the GV80 Coupe. It’s worth noting that the non-coupe QX60 also bests the standard GV80 on maximum cargo, with 75.4 cubic feet vs. 71.7, so it’s hardly surprising Infiniti retains its lead in its two-row crossover version.
Related – Infiniti SUV Models Up Close: Smallest to Biggest
Pricing
Let’s not beat around the bush: Infiniti knows what lane they’re playing in. They’re not chasing Mercedes-Benz with their crossover. They’re trying to beat back gains made by rivals like Genesis, which is one of the fastest-growing luxury labels in the U.S. At $53,990, the QX65 is dirt cheap compared to the $81,000 starting point of the GV80 Coupe. Though, to be fair, the standard GV80 starts at $57,700.
Strong Value From the Start
Still, Infiniti is betting that big difference in base sticker is going to bring in lots of buyers, and even at the bottom rung, Luxe AWD grade, your getting a panoramic moonroof and a large infotainment display (12.3 inches) with Google Built-in technology. The latter is pretty responsive to complex voice commands, such as asking not only for navigation functions, but for operating vehicle systems like climate functions. You can also download apps directly to your car (not just your phone), and while that added tech is coming to operating systems across the automotive pantheon, there’s a distinction: Many carmakers want to own the tech operating systems of their vehicles, meaning it won’t necessarily integrate well with the ecosystem of the rest of your life, the way Google almost surely does for most buyers.
Beyond the entry-level grade, there’s even value at the top-rung Autograph edition of the QX65, which comes in at $62,590, which is still well below the GV80 Coupe. That Autograph comes with massaging front seats, open-pore wood trim, and a 20-speaker Klipsch audio system with built-in headrest speakers that sounds fantastic. And the headrest speakers are very compelling, because they make phone calls sound a lot clearer for the driver, since it’s almost like wearing earbuds, save that you can still hear the ambient sounds of traffic. Likewise, turn-by-turn navigation instructions remain clearer, too, like they’re right in the driver’s ears, while the rest of your passengers can maintain their focus on music, a podcast, etc.
Related – First Drive: 2025 Infiniti QX80 Improvements Can’t Hide Its Aging Roots
Powertrain
- Engine: 2.0L turbocharged inline-4
- Output: 268 hp
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Drivetrain: Standard AWD
There’s one default system in the QX65 that’s super smart: It only comes with AWD. That’s not the case with some competitors, who sell base-level FWD rigs to reduce their starting stickers. And, no, you really don’t need all-wheel drive everywhere. But buyers in this class want that setup, and it also drives up resale value. So Infiniti’s ability to offer the QX65 this way is an advantage.
Confident Power, No Drama
It also helps because the 268-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder has been tuned very aggressively. Throttle response is almost immediate, and had Infiniti chosen this level of sportiness paired with front-wheel drive, you’d notice a great deal of torque steer and far worse performance. That’s a non-issue with the QX65. We weren’t on a racetrack, so I didn’t really get to push this vehicle to the edge of what it can do, but on Tennessee back roads it hustled around bends, was quick to jump to Interstate speeds, and despite past experiences with this powertrain where then engine seemed overmatched, Infiniti engineers have clearly sought a tough combination of refinement and quick response. The nine-speed transmission also downshifts quickly, and you don’t even have to be in sport mode to achieve that snappiness.
I won’t go crowning this empty-nester-targeting SUV with chops it doesn’t have, however.
It sits at the sportier end of the luxury mid-size crossover segment, but it’s no AMG Benz. It’s not as sporty as BMW’s highest-zoot offerings, either. That said, it’s a fun, reasonably engaging luxury crossover that’s poised without being oversprung. Also, thanks to its raked roof, the QX65 looks better than some of its peers, with more alluring shapes. The cabin is attractive, too, if not stunning.
No Hybrid QX65
Even though Infiniti is clearly targeting Genesis, they also have clear competition from the segment leader in Lexus. The carmaker sold 113,000 RX units in 2025. That was 43 percent better than another competitor, the BMW X5, which came in at around 73,000 cars. Total sales of all of Infiniti last year came in shy of 52,000 cars. So Infiniti has a lot of catching up to do, and a looming problem for the brand is fuel economy, since they lack any hybrid option.
Exhibit A in that argument is the $55,000 Lexus RX350h, which nets you 37 city/34 highway/36 combined vs. 20/26/22 figures for the QX65. The Lexus’s 246 horsepower slightly trails the Infiniti, but these days, getting nearly 50 percent better fuel economy may be a far more important metric.
Takeaway
Infiniti will eventually benefit from Nissan’s push to produce new body-on-frame SUVs. This follows Hyundai’s announcement to do the same. Although it may not seem obvious at first, manufacturers say it’s easier to stuff in multiple powertrains across a single platform this way (i.e., EV, hybrid, gas, etc.), and clearly modularity is crucial to carmakers surviving a world economy buffeted by trade wars and actual wars.
It’s hard to imagine an Infiniti pickup truck, but perhaps the QX80 moves to this new platform, and with a new Xterra on the way from Nissan, of course an Infiniti version of some kind, targeted at the Land Rovers and pricier Jeeps of the world makes sense.
However, for now Infiniti has to get buyers to care about their brand with just three models. The QX65 is quite good, and priced super aggressively. I’m just not sure that’s enough to peel away Lexus’s repeat buyers and the Genesis brand’s powerful momentum.
