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THE GROUNDBREAKING QX50 MOVES INFINITI FORWARD

- Jonny Lieberman

At some point in the past I spent time behind the wheel of the old QX50; however, I have no memory of doing so and as such hold no opinion of Infiniti’s compact premium SUV. Well, other than it was never much to look at.

The all-new QX50 is handsome. Detractors will grumble that it resembles a Mazda CX-3. So what? The Ford Fusion has looked like an Aston Martin for years. We’ve all survived. The QX50 shows off Infiniti’s talent and affinity for putting sharp creases into curved metal. Such handiwork is impressive from a stamping perspective with the added benefit of looking premium. The interior is (for the most part) pretty spiffy, as well—especially on higher-trim models with the blue suede accents. I do have one giant gripe, but let’s save that for later.

But enough about design and materials. The QX50 will go down in the annals of car (geek) history for one very important reason: It’s the first production vehicle to come with Infiniti’s VC-Turbo 2.0-liter inline-four. The VC stands for variable compression, and the VC-Turbo can run at anywhere from 8:1 to 14:1. If the governing computer sees a need for 10.5:1, the engine’s compression can switch to that ratio in an instant. Long story short, the high 14:1 compression ratio is great for low-load, high-mpg cruising. The 8:1 ratio is best for creating big power with the help of a turbocharger. Based on the driver’s right foot, the engine literally repositions the bottom end of the connecting rod to vary the compression.