We had the chance to see Infiniti’s new 7-seater crossover model in showcar trim at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California this past August, but now it’s time for the final production version of the JX to make its world premiere at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
To answer your first question, we didn’t find any styling changes whatsoever from concept to production, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise as there was nothing really conceptual about the JX study in the first place.
There are some interesting styling cues to be found on the JX such as the crescent-cut D-pillar and the swoopy belt line, but it’s hardly a looker in our books.
Hop inside and you’ll find the familiar Infiniti styling sprinkled with plenty of wood accents and leather trim as well as a variety of gizmos such as a 15-speaker Bose Cabin Surround sound system with Acoustic Waveguide bass technology and the Infiniti Connection telematics system.
The highlight of the cabin is of course the 7-seat layout with Infiniti promising ample room for all seven passengers. There are three rows of seats, with the second row offering nearly six inches of travel. Furthermore, both 2nd and 3rd row seats are split folding (60/40 2nd row, 50/50 3rd row) and recline for improved occupant comfort.
“With the new JX, you are able to leave a child seat securely latched to the 2nd row while getting in or out of the 3rd row – just another example of the vehicle’s inspired flexibility and versatility,” says Infiniti Americas Vice President, Ben Poore.
“It might seem like a small detail, unless you’ve ever tried to use a 3rd row in a vehicle with child seats, and then it’s ‘why didn’t someone think of this before?’,” he adds.
The JX will be offered with a standard 3.5-liter V6 producing 265-horses at 6,400 rpm and 248 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, in both front-wheel drive and with Infiniti’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.
The six-cylinder gasoline engine is matched sport-tuned Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Infiniti says that fuel economy is expected to be rated at 23 mpg Highway, 17 mpg City and a real-world 19 mpg combined for the front wheel model.
The 2013 Infiniti JX is scheduled to go on sale in the States next spring. It will be available in a single trim level with pricing set at $40,450 for the FWD model and $41,550 for the AWD version, not including a *$950 destination and handling fee.
2013 INFINITI JX INFINITI JX CONCEPT