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Last week’s photo showed the 2013 JX, a new crossover utility vehicle from Infiniti. Its distinctive rear side pillar should have given its identity away. For a better photo and information, read this week’s road test.
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“We only needed to look in our garage and see the notched side window to determine that the car was a 2013 Infiniti JX35! We were fortunate to be among the first owners of this model, as the kind folks at Bob Richards Infiniti went to great lengths to contact other dealers and secure the car with the color, trim and features we desired.
“The JX is being manufactured at a plant in Tennessee, and we understand that they are in short supply. We don’t know when car manufacturers start determining model years, but it seems odd that we could purchase a 2013 model in May 2012!
“Nevertheless, we could not be happier with our JX. We looked at and drove many comparable cars but felt the size, interior space, ride and finish of the JX best suited our needs. There is ample room to store our luggage on trips to see the grandchildren in Atlanta, or carry whatever we need to St. Simons Island. It has a quiet, smooth ride and many advanced technological features that promote both comfort and safety.
“While some might decry the lack of direct driver control from the driver control assist package, we have come to rely on the warnings of the ‘blind side’ alert, automatic braking if a car or obstacle is too close, and the ‘surround’ camera system that enables us to maneuver easily in and out of tight spaces. We believe that it is inevitable that these features will be found on all cars in the future since they provide an additional level of safety to occupants, other cars on the road and pedestrians.
“We especially like the wide, bright headlight system that illuminates the road as well as the berm areas. This is especially helpful in spotting deer on the side of the road – a common occurrence in this rural part of Georgia.
“Finally, the Infiniti Personal Assistant has been a welcome feature, and we have come to use it far more often than we expected. The assistants have always been pleasant, helpful and more than willing to assure that the correct answer to our question is received. We look forward to reading the review of the JX35 to see if it matches our overall favorable experience.”
The Peseks win a prize from The Augusta Chronicle. Other readers identifying the vehicle were:
AUGUSTA: Carolyn Ogles
CANTON, GA.: David Anderson wrote: “I must admit that Infiniti’s lineup is a handsome lineup of vehicles from the lowest G sedan to the top of the line Titan based QX.
“It appears that Infiniti has positioned the JX as an alternative to the QX for those customers that need just a little more space than the EX/FX lineup offers. (The FX is merely a performance version of the EX so they are similar in size.) If it were me, I know that I would look at the almost $20 grand jump from the JX to QX and that would be enough to send me running back down a level, making the $5,000 premium of the JX over the EX seem like mere “chump change.” The fact that the gas mileage is rated on a par or better with the smaller EX/FX is a bonus, and I am betting with the CVT being the only transmission choice (I really hate that transmission!) it will have no problem meeting or beating its advertised rating.”
EVANS: Wayne Wilke wrote: “The peculiar backwards epsilon-shape chrome on the rear quarter panel window kind of gives it away. It has all-wheel drive, a 3.5 liter V-6, a continuous variable automatic transmission and weighs a whopping 4552 pounds.
“If you like high-tech and TLAs (three-letter acronyms) this might be the crossover for you. Options that are offered include:
“BCI (Backup Collision Intervention), which uses radar in the rear quarters and sonar parking sensors to automatically stop the car, to prevent you from backing into something; BSI (Blind Spot Intervention); LDP (Lane Departure Prevention); DCA (Distance Control Assist).
“What BSI, LDP and DCA each do is self-expanatory. They use the same kind of sensors, cameras, radar, sonar and assorted other gizmos as BCI to prevent the JX35 from doing what IT thinks it should not do.
“If you enjoy driving the car yourself and you believe that those systems may not be 100 percent reliable and that they might some day need repair or adjustment, you might look elsewhere.”
“We only needed to look in our garage and see the notched side window to determine that the car was a 2013 Infiniti JX35! We were fortunate to be among the first owners of this model, as the kind folks at Bob Richards Infiniti went to great lengths to contact other dealers and secure the car with the color, trim and features we desired.
“The JX is being manufactured at a plant in Tennessee, and we understand that they are in short supply. We don’t know when car manufacturers start determining model years, but it seems odd that we could purchase a 2013 model in May 2012!
“Nevertheless, we could not be happier with our JX. We looked at and drove many comparable cars but felt the size, interior space, ride and finish of the JX best suited our needs. There is ample room to store our luggage on trips to see the grandchildren in Atlanta, or carry whatever we need to St. Simons Island. It has a quiet, smooth ride and many advanced technological features that promote both comfort and safety.
“While some might decry the lack of direct driver control from the driver control assist package, we have come to rely on the warnings of the ‘blind side’ alert, automatic braking if a car or obstacle is too close, and the ‘surround’ camera system that enables us to maneuver easily in and out of tight spaces. We believe that it is inevitable that these features will be found on all cars in the future since they provide an additional level of safety to occupants, other cars on the road and pedestrians.
“We especially like the wide, bright headlight system that illuminates the road as well as the berm areas. This is especially helpful in spotting deer on the side of the road – a common occurrence in this rural part of Georgia.
“Finally, the Infiniti Personal Assistant has been a welcome feature, and we have come to use it far more often than we expected. The assistants have always been pleasant, helpful and more than willing to assure that the correct answer to our question is received. We look forward to reading the review of the JX35 to see if it matches our overall favorable experience.”
The Peseks win a prize from The Augusta Chronicle. Other readers identifying the vehicle were:
AUGUSTA: Carolyn Ogles
CANTON, GA.: David Anderson wrote: “I must admit that Infiniti’s lineup is a handsome lineup of vehicles from the lowest G sedan to the top of the line Titan based QX.
“It appears that Infiniti has positioned the JX as an alternative to the QX for those customers that need just a little more space than the EX/FX lineup offers. (The FX is merely a performance version of the EX so they are similar in size.) If it were me, I know that I would look at the almost $20 grand jump from the JX to QX and that would be enough to send me running back down a level, making the $5,000 premium of the JX over the EX seem like mere “chump change.” The fact that the gas mileage is rated on a par or better with the smaller EX/FX is a bonus, and I am betting with the CVT being the only transmission choice (I really hate that transmission!) it will have no problem meeting or beating its advertised rating.”
EVANS: Wayne Wilke wrote: “The peculiar backwards epsilon-shape chrome on the rear quarter panel window kind of gives it away. It has all-wheel drive, a 3.5 liter V-6, a continuous variable automatic transmission and weighs a whopping 4552 pounds.
“If you like high-tech and TLAs (three-letter acronyms) this might be the crossover for you. Options that are offered include:
“BCI (Backup Collision Intervention), which uses radar in the rear quarters and sonar parking sensors to automatically stop the car, to prevent you from backing into something; BSI (Blind Spot Intervention); LDP (Lane Departure Prevention); DCA (Distance Control Assist).
“What BSI, LDP and DCA each do is self-expanatory. They use the same kind of sensors, cameras, radar, sonar and assorted other gizmos as BCI to prevent the JX35 from doing what IT thinks it should not do.
“If you enjoy driving the car yourself and you believe that those systems may not be 100 percent reliable and that they might some day need repair or adjustment, you might look elsewhere.”
