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2022 Infiniti QX60 First Drive Review | Wading back into deep waters

NAPA, California — Standing out in a field that includes the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and Acura MDX is no easy task. The trio nails driving dynamics, modern style and tech to a tee, putting all the more pressure on InfinitiÂ’s long-awaited revamp of its top-selling QX60. As a sophomore effort to an SUV that lasted well past its best-by date, the 2022 Infiniti QX60 undergoes a substantial overhaul to bring it up to snuff. Does it succeed? We scored seat time in all three rows for answers. Most visibly in this image-conscious segment, the QX60Â’s fully redesigned exterior is a less fussy, more serene look than the previous one, which debuted back in 2013 as the JX35. Gone are the deeply contoured body panels, whose pinched sheetmetal and curved character lines evoked a certain (and increasingly dated) moment in InfinitiÂ’s design language history. The new QX60 flattens many of those creases, bringing a smoother, more monolithic vibe to the table. According to Infiniti senior design director Taisuke Nakamura, the update embraces the concept of “Ma,” which describes a form of Japanese minimalism. WeÂ’re not sure if NakamuraÂ’s “kimono fold” headlights or “origami-inspired” dashboard are readily identifiable as such, but the redesign is nevertheless a handsome one. The 2022 QX60Â’s redux actually gives it a stylistic leg up on some competitors. The QX60 cabin has also been reworked to become a more livable space, starting with a de-cluttered dashboard that incorporates a fully digital instrument panel, an available 10.8-inch head-up display, and a standard 12.3-inch multimedia screen that replaces an 8-inch unit (the last QX60 never got Infiniti's bizarre double-screen tech interface). Standard tech includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six USB ports, a revamped Infiniti Intouch app that adds greater functionality, and the industryÂ’s first integration of remote starting via Alexa voice command. Up front, the interior comes across as sleeker and modernized, with a low-profile expanse of HVAC vents forming a sweep of horizontal lines across the dashboard. Though attractive, their functionality is somewhat hampered by the need to reach into the narrow slots in order to redirect the airflow up or down.  Some of the cabin's luxury touches are a bit heavy handed, like the Autograph trim level's diamond quilting on the dash whose stitches seem thick and indelicately executed.

Weekly Recap: An '80s encore in the auto world

The '80s returned in a big way this week, as National Lampoon's, Ghostbusters, Miami Vice, and even Tetris were back in the news. While there were far more serious topics (see below), nostalgia mingled with modern marketing to put these Reagan-era favorites back in the spotlight. The '80s were alternately cold and corny at times, but their cultural touchstones can still generate big money. That's why Infiniti recreated an iconic scene from National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) for an advertisement that hawks the QX60 crossover. Actor Ethan Embry, who played Rusty Griswold in a later Lampoon's movie, pilots the Infiniti – which is serving as a modern Family Truckster – for a trip to Walley World. A blonde pulls alongside in a red Lamborghini. They flirt, and she drives on. Christie Brinkley, who played the original girl in the red sports car (she drove a Ferrari in the '83 flick), is riding shotgun and chides Embry with: "A blonde. In a convertible. Seriously?" Okay, it's hardly on the level of "here's looking at you," or even "you can't handle the truth," but it should resonate with '80s babies, many of whom are now having children of their own and moving into three-row SUVs like the QX60. Naturally, Hollywood is going back to the well, too, with a Vacation remake that premiers July 29. Meanwhile, Ghostbusters is returning next year, and director Paul Feig offered a peak at the new Eco-1 in this tweet. In the 1984 classic, the team drove a modified 1959 Cadillac. Now, it will drive a late '80s Cadillac. As expected, the announcement generated support and controversy from movie and car enthusiasts. His tweet had generated several thousand retweets and favorites in the days following the news. Though the '80s Caddy looks, uh, less elegant in comparison to the now-iconic fins and curves of the original Ecto-1, it's about the same time lapse into the past as the '59 Caddy was to viewers in 1984. Speaking of 1984, Miami Vice, which debuted that year on NBC, is seeing one of its hero cars hit the auction block, Mecum Auctions announced this week. The 1986 Ferrari used on the show will be offered for sale Aug. 15 during Monterey classic car week. The white supercar runs a 390-hp flat 12-cylinder engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission and was in storage after the show ended in 1989 until earlier this year. It has 16,124 miles on the odometer and is authenticated by Ferrari North America and Classiche.

The Nissan Patrol may become America's next Armada

Plausible rumors are swirling that the Nissan Patrol, the Land Cruiser rival sold outside of North America, might come to the US as a replacement for the unrelated Nissan Armada. That large SUV's future was left ambiguous after the news of the Xterra's discontinuation, as Nissan's press release ominously promised information on the Armada "at a later date" without further elaboration. That left us scratching our heads and thinking that, perhaps, it would be quietly killed off in the future. If the rumors are true, it will be. And then it will be reborn. It'll join its old platform-mate, the Infiniti QX80, on the Patrol platform. The QX abandoned its Titan-based platform in 2011, becoming the Patrol-based QX80. So you can think of the Armada as catching up, a few years late. The QX80 was refreshed last year, a mainly cosmetic nip-and-tuck. The Infiniti utilizes the 5.6-liter, 400-hp V8 and a 7-speed auto, so it's a safe bet that this powertrain will make it into the Armada version. Less likely, but plausible, would be the availability of the new powertrains intended for the Titan XD and upcoming lower-grade Titans. The massive SUV market tends to be a bit conservative, so the Cummins diesel V8 that's the sole engine in the Titan XD right now seems unlikely. The forums are abuzz with a photo of what's purported to be a leaked marketing image of the new Armada, so head to this TitanXDForum thread if you'd like to see what that's about. (Spoiler: it looks a lot like the Patrol above, minus some of the Nismo flair.) Related Video: