My wife and I plus our neighbors took a road trip to the Sea Ranch in California this month and had a chance to really test the JX on various road conditions. We departed from the Tacoma metro area and headed down Interstate 5 to Grants Pass Oregon. We averaged 24.2 mpg using premium fuel the first tank. We were fully loaded with no room to spare. I used the cruise control the entire first leg and used the standard drive mode and manually shifting which I believe helped improve fuel economy. Going up grades, I did need to downshift to 5th, but most of the time I was in 6th. The ride was amazingly smooth and I had plenty of power especially when it passing slower vehicles. The speed sensing cruise control worked perfect, but did perform better when the the shift mode was in drive. I found that changing from 6th back to drive caused the engine to rev up excessively.
A good portion of the drive included extremely windy, but nicely maintained roads. I ended up using both Sport and Manual modes with manually shifting. This provided a very controlled drive and minimal braking and was much better than leaving the transmission in drive. The car handled well in the S and hair pin turns. I was expecting our passengers to get car sick, and that never happened. They all agreed that ride was pretty smooth. I think if the second row seats were raised up a bit more, it would have been more comfortable for the back seat passengers.
The price of fuel jumped a dollar in CA during the 10 day trip, and on a couple occasions I ended up using mid-grade fuel and didn't notice any performance issues. Even with the windy, and I mean windy roads, I maintained between 20 and 22 mpg. I found the distance to empty was right on track and the fuel gage to be very accurate. It was nice to be able to travel over 400 miles between fill ups. I did top off several times just in case.
For the ride itself, it was quiet and once in a while I did notice a slight rattle under the dash speaker which went away most of the trip, and a little bit of rattle in the right front door pillar. Other than that, I didn't experience any other problems. The sound system worked just fine, even though many of the speakers were blocked by luggage/cargo. As for the Nanny's, all worked great. I endeded up really relying on the Blind Spot Warning and Lane Departure Intervention. I did cross the white and yellow lines a few times and it really helped me focus on the road. The car never overheated and I never experienced any warning lights firing off. What I really noticed was how quiet the ride was and we never had a problem being able to hear each other while on the road.
Pre-trip, I used the Journey Planner on the Infiniti Connection website. I have to say, it was a bit confusing at first because the menus are not as clear as one would expect (I am very tech savoy and when I have a hard time figuring something out, others will too). This is an area where Infiniti needs to improve the site and software. However, I will say that once I figured out the tools, I really think they did what I expected and found the upload on the vehicle's screen was seamless.
I know others have found issues with this first year car, and so have I, but after taking such a long trip, I do not have any buyer's remorse. When My wife and I purchased the JX, I didn't have the expectation that this was going to be a sports car. I read all the reviews and was aware of the concerns about body roll, etc. but I sure didn't expect how comfortable this car was on a long ride, and didn't expect how well it handles on very windy roads even when I probably drove at times over the recommended speed limits in the curves. Bottom line, I feel this car is very well made and very safe to drive. Now I want to see how it performs in heavy rain and snow conditions.
As for a wish list, we will be purchasing a Thule once they test the JX, which Thule support staff will happen this December. A little more space for golf clubs and luggage would be nice when traveling with four adults.
A good portion of the drive included extremely windy, but nicely maintained roads. I ended up using both Sport and Manual modes with manually shifting. This provided a very controlled drive and minimal braking and was much better than leaving the transmission in drive. The car handled well in the S and hair pin turns. I was expecting our passengers to get car sick, and that never happened. They all agreed that ride was pretty smooth. I think if the second row seats were raised up a bit more, it would have been more comfortable for the back seat passengers.
The price of fuel jumped a dollar in CA during the 10 day trip, and on a couple occasions I ended up using mid-grade fuel and didn't notice any performance issues. Even with the windy, and I mean windy roads, I maintained between 20 and 22 mpg. I found the distance to empty was right on track and the fuel gage to be very accurate. It was nice to be able to travel over 400 miles between fill ups. I did top off several times just in case.
For the ride itself, it was quiet and once in a while I did notice a slight rattle under the dash speaker which went away most of the trip, and a little bit of rattle in the right front door pillar. Other than that, I didn't experience any other problems. The sound system worked just fine, even though many of the speakers were blocked by luggage/cargo. As for the Nanny's, all worked great. I endeded up really relying on the Blind Spot Warning and Lane Departure Intervention. I did cross the white and yellow lines a few times and it really helped me focus on the road. The car never overheated and I never experienced any warning lights firing off. What I really noticed was how quiet the ride was and we never had a problem being able to hear each other while on the road.
Pre-trip, I used the Journey Planner on the Infiniti Connection website. I have to say, it was a bit confusing at first because the menus are not as clear as one would expect (I am very tech savoy and when I have a hard time figuring something out, others will too). This is an area where Infiniti needs to improve the site and software. However, I will say that once I figured out the tools, I really think they did what I expected and found the upload on the vehicle's screen was seamless.
I know others have found issues with this first year car, and so have I, but after taking such a long trip, I do not have any buyer's remorse. When My wife and I purchased the JX, I didn't have the expectation that this was going to be a sports car. I read all the reviews and was aware of the concerns about body roll, etc. but I sure didn't expect how comfortable this car was on a long ride, and didn't expect how well it handles on very windy roads even when I probably drove at times over the recommended speed limits in the curves. Bottom line, I feel this car is very well made and very safe to drive. Now I want to see how it performs in heavy rain and snow conditions.
As for a wish list, we will be purchasing a Thule once they test the JX, which Thule support staff will happen this December. A little more space for golf clubs and luggage would be nice when traveling with four adults.
