67
summed up the experience best: “Ask for mod-
erate acceleration around town and the QX50
alternately surges and sags, lunges and lags, like
an excited puppy on a leash. It’s almost impos-
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inexcusable for a $60K vehicle—or any vehicle,
for that matter.”
Power isn’t necessarily what Nissan engi-
neers were after in designing the VC-T. The
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and development and hundreds of patents?
Twenty-seven miles per gallon on our 200 -mile
75-mph highway loop, not notably better than
SERVICE
—
Dealer Visits
- Scheduled ................... 5
- Unscheduled ............... 0
Days out of Service ....... 0
Unscheduled Oil
Additions ................... 0 qt
change and inspections
and replaces the cabin
air filter and key-fob
battery. $150July 30, 2019
29,467 miles
30,000-mile service:
Dealer changes the oil,
replaces the engine air
filter, flushes the
brakes, and inspects
the QX50. $276November 8, 2019
35,614 miles
We swap back to winter
rubber.
November 27, 2019
36,677 miles
37,500-mile service:
Dealer changes the oil
and cabin air filter,
rotates the tires, and
performs inspections.
$172
January 6, 2020
40,128 miles
Long-term test ends.Normal Wear: $1404Maintenance: $1029Damage and
Destruction: $0
Repair: $0
TOTAL
$8397Gasoline (at $3.28 per Gallon): $5964OPERATING COSTS FOR
40,000 MILESSERVICE TIMELINE
—
July 2, 2018
274 miles
Long-term test begins.October 5, 2018
7397 miles
7500-mile service:
Dealer performs an oil
change, inspections,
and a tire rotation. $90November 12, 2018
10,288 miles
We install Pirelli
Scorpion Winter Run
Flat tires ($1380).
January 7, 2019
14,944 miles
15,000-mile service:
Dealer changes the oil
and cabin air filter,
flushes the brakes,
rotates the tires, and
performs inspections.
$341April 24, 2019
20,699 miles
We refit factory tires.May 6, 2019
21,343 miles
22,500-mile service:
Dealer performs an oilLIFE EXPECTANCIES
—
Tires............ 40,000 miles
Brake Pads
- Front ........ 50,000 miles
- Rear ......... 60,000 miles
WHAT BITS AND
PIECES COST
—
Headlamp ............... $2051
Engine Air Filter ........ $36
Oil Filter ..................... $10
Tire ........................... $321
Wiper Blades ............. $60
Front Brake Pads ..... $107
Wheel ...................... $1155
YEAR 0 1
$ 0$2 0 K$4 0 K$6 0 K2345FIVE-YEAR DEPRECIATION
Depreciation data from ALG, based on
15,000 miles per year.its myriad competitors that don’t have computer-operated links
complicating the sacred process of suck, squeeze, bang, blow. The
Audi Q5’s turbo 2.0 -liter, for instance, lags only 1 mpg behind while
the BMW X3’s stretches to 31 mpg. There’s a distinctly Rube Gold-
bergian element to the VC-T that becomes even stronger given the
minimal return. The whole point of a Rube Goldberg machine is to
use absurd complexity to accomplish a trivial task. Then again, this
V`Wb`aaUR¼_`aTR[R_NaV\[\SaURaRPU[\Y\Tf
and the ubiquity of its pursuit suggests that
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the potential in it. Maybe future iterations
dVYYQRYVcR_NOVTTR_]Nf\ß
DUR_RN``\ZR6[¼[VaVcRUVPYR`±V[PYbQ-
ing the previous generation of this one—
UNcR ORR[ \cR_Yf ½V[af aUR _VQR ^bNYVaf
here is relaxed but not lazy, absorbing road
imperfections while maintaining secure and
`aNOYRO\QfP\[a_\Y6[¼[VaVμ``aRR_OfdV_R
system, called Direct Adaptive Steering, has
no physical connection between the steer-
ing wheel and the front tires, and it shows in
aUR`f`aRZμ``f[aURaVPV[QVßR_R[PRa\_\NQ
surface and driving zeal. Scorching your
favorite stretch of back road? Ambling along
the freeway? Cranking 90 degrees into a
parking space? Doesn’t matter; there’s no
feel to any of it. But buyers in this segment
likely aren’t looking for much steering feel,
and the rack is at least quick.The QX50’s cabin
impressed us with its
exquisite detailing
and infuriated us with
its maddening info-
tainment controls.$33,300
$27,425
$23,850
$20,125
$16,625$59,085A complex
machine made
simple.