2025 Infiniti QX50 Review: With The End In Sight, Is This Crossover Worth Considering?

The clock on the Infiniti QX50 is counting down, with the end of the line in sight for what's currently the cheapest point of entry into the automaker's lineup. On the face of it, $43,000 (plus destination) doesn't seem so bad to drive something new off the forecourt of Nissan's luxury-minded division.

Buyers didn't entirely disagree, either. Infiniti sold just shy of 11,000 of the QX50 in the U.S. in 2024 (and around 3,700 of its slope-roofed QX55 "coupe" version on top of that), making it responsible for about a sixth of overall sales for the year. Demand even rose, with almost an 8% increase on QX50 sales versus 2023.

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That proved a rare bright spot in Infiniti's sales trajectory, with demand shrinking for every other product. Now, the numbers don't fully reflect the arrival of the new, third-generation Infiniti QX80 midway through 2024 (total second and third generation QX80 sales were about the same as for the QX50, but with a starting price close to double), but they do raise some big questions about a brand that many see as in free-fall.

So, what are we about to lose out on, with word that Infiniti is discontinuing both the QX50 and QX55 after the 2025 model year — confirmed to SlashGear and first reported by Automotive News – and should we really care?

Launched in 2007 as the Infiniti EX, the compact crossover was rebranded as the QX50 in 2013. The second generation arrived in 2019, though while the sheet metal and interior were all new, it was what lurked under the hood that the automaker was most excited about. There, a brand new VC-Turbo engine promised both the efficiency of four-cylinder ICE and power comparable to the V6 that was standard in the new car's predecessor.

To achieve that, the VC-Turbo — a 2.0-liter inline-four — marked the production debut of variable compression technology. Depending on driving style and conditions, Infiniti's engine will adjust from a frugality-minded 14:1 ratio through to a performance-focused 8:1. The resulting 280 lb-ft of torque neatly bested the 266 lb-ft of the old 3.7-liter V6, although power dipped from 325 horsepower to 268 hp.

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Economy, though, was also up. A 2025 QX50 AWD is rated for 22 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. In contrast, the old V6 car mustered just 20 mpg on the combined cycle, which was pretty woeful for a crossover of its size.

Fast forward to the QX50 experience today, and two things are simultaneously true: the VC-Turbo engine remains a fiendishly clever engineering achievement, and yet it feels outdated compared to the electrification that most rivals in the industry have segued to. It's a reminder, in fact, that numbers on paper aren't necessarily reflective of experience behind the wheel.

The continuously variable transmission (CVT) that Infiniti paired the VC-Turbo with to power the QX50 carries a lot of the blame here. It's not, as CVT examples go, particularly dire: there's not too much slushiness, rubber-banding, or generally swooping oddness that can leave them feeling and sounding so disconcerting next to traditionally-stepped automatic gearboxes. Problem is, neither does it feel all that perky or enthusiastic.

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Peak torque arrives at a reasonably low 1,600 rpm, but even in Sport mode nothing about the QX50 driving dynamic is especially eager. Contrast that with, say, a Mercedes GLA 250 4MATIC: that's down on horses and torque compared to the Infiniti, but its use of mild hybrid electrification means it feels far more spritely, and its 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is markedly more aggressive. The VC-Turbo is fine, but it's hard to argue that fine is sufficient in this segment.

Perhaps I could forgive the QX50 its languid feel if the rest of the VC-Turbo equation carried more weight. It rides comfortably enough — there's no adaptive damping here, or adjustable suspension, but the standard tune is dialed into something firm but still reasonably compliant on all but the worst of the Midwest asphalt I faced — but Mercedes' mild hybrid bests the Infiniti on economy, too. It's rated for 28 mpg on the combined cycle, three points higher than QX50 in all-wheel drive form, and five points more on the highway. My own testing came in several points short of Infiniti's estimates, too.

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Inside, with the news that Infiniti is calling it quits on the nameplate, it comes as no surprise that some of the lingering annoyances about the QX50's dashboard have gone unaddressed. The swooping lines and ample application of soft-touch materials remain pleasant — the Pure trim (from $43,000 plus $1,350 destination) gets leatherette, upgraded to leather on Luxe (from $46,300 plus destination), and semi-aniline leather on Sport (from $51,200 plus destination) — though the omission of heated front seats on the base trim is a head-scratcher. You get those on Luxe trim cars, and ventilation too on the Sport trim.

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It's the QX50's tech which feels most dated, though. Stacked twin touchscreens aren't in themselves a bad idea — Audi has several dashboards that feature them, for example — but Infiniti's graphics are dated (particularly in the map app) and its UI is not as straightforward as it should be. For a dash with so many physical buttons (and plenty of button blanks), the fact that you need to dig into the climate menu just to turn on the heated steering wheel seems odd. There is, at least, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (along with a wireless charging pad and four USB ports on all trims).

Otherwise, what I said almost exactly four years ago about the 2021 QX50 holds true about this 2025 version. I still think it looks good on the outside — especially with the Sport's black trim — and it's still reasonably practical. Infiniti pared back the trim walk to just three versions (and made AWD standard): all get a power tailgate and LED lights. 

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19-inch wheels are standard on Pure and Luxe; the Sport gets 20-inch versions. There's 31 cu-ft of trunk space, that expands to 65 cu-ft if the split 60/40 bench is folded.

Chris Davies/SlashGear

Infiniti's standard active safety tech includes forward emergency braking, rear automatic braking with cross-traffic collision mitigation, brake-assist, blind-spot warnings and intervention, lane-keep assist and highway lane-centering, and rear parking sensors. ProPilot Assist — a hands-on adaptive cruise and lane-keeping system — is standard, too. Sport trim throws in front parking sensors and a 360-degree camera.

Like with the old QX80, arguably the most obvious flaw in Infiniti's argument here comes from its own family. The QX50 struggles to make its case against the latest Nissan Rogue, where — for about the same as a midrange QX50 Luxe — you can have the Nissan in flagship spec Platinum trim with AWD, and the sort of cabin niceties that even Infiniti's most expensive version misses out on. As to whether you're sacrificing badge prestige in the process, well, that all depends on how much cachet you put on Infiniti's logo right now.

The automaker itself clearly doesn't see much lingering value in the QX50 nameplate: neither it, nor the QX55 badge, will be retained. Instead, there'll be a refresh to the QX60 this year, along with a QX60 Sport and a QX80 Sport. Come 2026, we're expecting a brand new QX65 — described as a two-row "crossover coupe" — with styling cues that call upon the old, much-loved FX.

Judged in isolation, the midrange Luxe trim feels like the sweet spot, here. The problem is, the QX50 faces a highly competitive market, one which even Infiniti seems willing to concede that this compact luxury crossover simply can't hold its own in.