PAUL LAGUETTE
Width 73.8”Height 73.6”Length 188.4”music saved to iTunes, it has no
idea what to do.
Even more frustrating is
that the software is incredibly
buggy. And because Infiniti’s
service department couldn’t
find anything wrong when I
took it in, I can only assume
there’s an issue with the soft-
ware itself.
Over the past several
months, I’ve had to deal
with the navigation screen
flickering, detecting phantom
inputs, randomly rotating the
map, and displaying confusing
messages. The lower screen
has been more reliable, but it’s
still crashed on me and given
me at least one “Launcher
has stopped unexpectedly”
message.
With no solution in sight,
it looks like I’m stuck with the
QX50 the way it is. And if the
dealer can’t figure out what’s
wrong, we’re really going to
have a problem. On a near-
$60,000 luxury vehicle, it’s
simply not acceptable to have
so many problems.2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4
Vehicle Layout Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
Engine 2.0L/270-hp/295-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4
Transmission 8-speed automatic Curb Weight 4,800 lb (MT est)
Wheelbase 118.1 in 0-60 MPH 8.0 sec (MT est) Energy Cons, City/
Hwy 153/140 kW-hr/100 miles CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.85 lb/milearmor, and much more. It
also gets a standard Apple
CarPlay–friendly 7.0-inch
touchscreen, a digital display
on the instrument cluster, and
automatic air conditioning,
among other things.
Nevertheless, we went a bit
nuts with the configurator.
Aside from the black Freedom
Top hardtop ($1,195) and
eTorque engine and eight-
speed auto (effectively $3,000,
as you can’t get the four-cyl-
inder with the standard
six-speed manual), we loaded
our Wrangler up with leather
upholstery ($1,495), the trailer
towing package ($795), LED
lighting ($995), an upgraded
8.4-inch infotainment screenwith a premium nine-speaker
Alpine audio system ($1,595),
blind-spot monitors with
rear parking sensors ($895),
adaptive cruise control with
forward collision warning
($795), steel winch-capable
front and rear bumpers
($1,295), hardtop headliners
($525), body-color fender
flares ($495), and remote start
($495). We ended up tacking
an eye-watering $14,070 onto
our Jeep’s $43,040 starting
price, for a total of $57,110.
With so many features
new to the Wrangler lineup
this year, I’m excited to see if
our 2019 Wrangler Rubicon
can prove itself more than a
weekend expedition toy.This is just confusing/
awesome to look at.“Infiniti’s infotainment system has
driven me to use a magnetic phone
mount and Waze.” Collin WoodardService life:
7 mo/13,072 mi • Avg. Fuel Econ: 20.3 mpgAvg CO2 0.96 lb/mi Energy cons 169 kW-hr/100 mi
Unresolved problems None Maintenance cost $106.21 (oil
change, inspection, tire rotation) Normal-wear cost $0
Base price $46,145 As-tested $ 59,0 8 5 E PA Cit y/Hw y/Com b
Fuel Econ 24/30/26 mpg Real MPG 20.7/29.9/24.1 mpg2019 Infiniti QX50
I
n his second update of the
2018 Infiniti Q60, managing
art director Mike Royer
complained that Infiniti’s
infotainment system feels
like it’s a generation behind.
After several months behind
the wheel of the QX50, I’d say
that’s an understatement.
When I plug my phone in, for
example, the Infiniti recognizes
it as an iPod. When was the
last time someone under 40
used an iPod?
If the system worked well,
though, it would be less of
a problem. I’d still complain
about the dated graphics and
lack of Apple CarPlay, but I
wouldn’t use words such as
“embarrassing” when I did.
Unfortunately, it’s unreliable.
Sometimes the Bluetooth
stays paired. Sometimes it
doesn’t. Sometimes I can play
music off my phone. Some-
times I can’t. The unpredict-
ability is frustrating. And
remember that part about the
it thinking phones are iPods?
Well, when you don’t have anyVOLKSWAGEN
ATLASVOLVO
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ASCENTNISSAN
KICKS
UPDATELAND ROVER
RANGE ROVER
VELAR
UPDATERAM 2500
POWER WAGON
UPDATEKIA
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WRANGLER
RUBICON
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BMW X3 INSIGHTUPDATE
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INFINITI
QX50SEPTEMBER 2019 MOTORTREND.COM 89