2013 Infiniti JX

Infiniti adds some spice to vanilla luxury crossover segment

"After weeks of revealing teaser images of its new JX concept, Infiniti has officially unveiled the seven-seat luxury vehicle at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance."

Infiniti says the three-row luxury crossover segment is one of the fastest growing among all luxury vehicle segments, so putting the JX into production makes sense. The production vehicle (not expected to differ in the slightest) will be unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Infiniti’s Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura had some strong words for the competition when speaking about the JX, stating “from the dramatic front grille and headlight design to the crescent-cut D-pillar and greenhouse shape, the JX Concept shines as a fresh, bold alternative to the many flavours of vanilla currently dominating the three-row luxury crossover segment.”

There’s no doubt Infiniti had families in mind when creating the JX. It claims that third row seating won’t be the “penalty box” that it is in other vehicles, but will instead provide room for adults to travel in style on extended trips.

Getting into the third row is usually a challenge in just about any vehicle, but Infiniti says by tilting and sliding forward, the second row seats will provide “exceptionally easy” third row access. Not only that, the automaker claims a child seat can be latched into a second row seat and the seat will still allow occupants to enter or exit the vehicle from the rear row of seats.

The production JX will also mark a first for Infiniti – it will be the first Infiniti vehicle to come fitted with a continuously variable transmission. A sport mode can be manually activated, which will allow the driver to move through stepped gears to mimic a conventional sequentially shifted automatic transmission. The production JX will use a V6 engine to provide power, and will reportedly be available in either front- or all-wheel drive.

Infiniti vehicles are no strangers to advanced technology, and the JX isn’t about to change that. It will come with an available 14-speaker Bose-powered surround sound system, a telematics system that will allow the owner to sync his or her calendar to the vehicle, as well as the new Infiniti Personal Assistant, which acts as a 24-hour concierge service for owners of all 2012 Infiniti vehicles.

In addition to Infiniti’s Blind Spot Intervention system, the company is adding a new feature for JX - Backup Collision Intervention, which will help the driver detect crossing objects behind the vehicle and, if necessary, the system will automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision.

“As a premium crossover with a real third row – along with Infiniti levels of hospitality and driving pleasure, the new JX is another breakthrough design from the brand that has been breaking new ground for more than 20 years,” Nakamura added. “We will continue to challenge conventional thinking.”

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