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" On Sale Date: April 20, 2012 Price: $40,450 (FWD), $41,550 (AWD) Competitors: Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Buick Enclave, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, Ford Flex, GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, Lincoln MKT, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner, Volvo XC90 Powertrains: 3.5-liter V6, 265 hp, 248 lb-ft; CVT, FWD or AWD EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 18/23\u201324  What&amp;#039;s New: Although there are many players in the large mid-luxury sport-utility game, Infiniti hasn&amp;#039;t been one of them until now. With seven seats, lots of leather, many standard features, and pricing that starts close to $41,000, Infiniti&amp;#039;s JX 35 fills that void. In the brand&amp;#039;s lineup, it slides in beside the five-passenger FX35 and well below the near-$60,000 threshold of the more powerful QX56.  The JX35&amp;#039;s foundation is a stretched version of the new &amp;quot;D&amp;quot; platform that will also support the next Nissan Murano SUV and Altima sedan. The engine is Nissan&amp;#039;s go-to 3.5-liter V-6, tuned here for 265 hp and paired with Nissan&amp;#039;s continuously variable automatic transmission.  Tech Tidbit: Some of Infiniti&amp;#039;s passive safety features are a little intrusive, but its new Backup Collision Intervention system should be universally appreciated. Using radar, the system detects objects behind the vehicle as well as those approaching across traffic. If the driver fails to respond to the system&amp;#039;s warnings, it applies the brakes.  Driving Character: Though luxurious, the JX35 is foremost a vehicle designed to accommodate good-sized families in comfort and safety. As such, its on-road persona is bland, characterized by unhurried predictability, smooth ride quality, and exceptionally quiet operation. There&amp;#039;s substantial body roll during hard cornering, but hard cornering will be rare in this vehicle&amp;#039;s daily driving menu. It doesn&amp;#039;t inspire haste but, for a family hauler, haste isn&amp;#039;t a particularly important trait. However, there are times when a little extra punch can be useful in any vehicle, and at 265 hp the JX35&amp;#039;s V-6 leaves something to be desired.  Favorite Detail: The Infiniti&amp;#039;s telematics includes a clever feature for watchful parents. They can program drive-zone limits into the vehicle&amp;#039;s trip computer. If the teenager behind the wheel of the JX ventures outside the zone&amp;#039;s limits, the system notifies the parents via smartphone or PC. Driver&amp;#039;s Grievance: Nissan has improved its continuously variable transmission, and there are six artificial shift points programmed into its electronic controls for manual operation. But there&amp;#039;s still a trace of asthmatic wheezing, reminiscent of a slipping clutch, in the CVT in ordinary drive mode. And the electric power steering is vague.   The Bottom Line: Infiniti&amp;#039;s JX35 development benchmark was Acura&amp;#039;s MDX, the segment&amp;#039;s current gold standard. Measured against the MDX, Infiniti claims an edge in roominess, interior flexibility (including 5.5-inch fore-aft second-row seat adjustability), easy third-row access, an impressive array of infotainment options, and passive safety features, some standard and some optional. The JX marketing mantra at launch is &amp;quot;inspired performance for seven,&amp;quot; but this refers more to keeping everyone inside the vehicle happy rather than to being fun to drive.  The JX35 is smooth, quiet, and competent, but it can&amp;#039;t match the 300 hp and crisp reflexes of the MDX. Infiniti says the reason for the relatively modest horsepower is that mpg is more important to buyers in this class than 0-to-60. And indeed, the JX35&amp;#039;s EPA ratings beat its Acura rival by 2 mpg on the city cycle (18 versus 16), and 2 or 3 on the highway (23 or 24, depending on drivetrain, compared to 21 for the Acura).  The basic JX is priced at $40,450, plus $950 in destination and dealer charges, but the cost rises quickly. Add $1100 for all-wheel drive. If a buyer opts for all the option packages\u2014there are seven\u2014that will add as much as $16,470 to the total. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/reviews/a7506/2013-infiniti-jx35-test-drive-8210617/>