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Comments
If you're going to post, do everyone a favor and give correct facts. Everytime you've posted, someone has corrected you with true facts. From the actually price you paid for your vehicle, to Xenon headlights which you don't have, to the leather which are different (if you sat in both vehicles, you'd know that the leather in the pf is perforated while the QX4 is not), to the LE being the exact car as the QX4 (which a number of people have listed the differences). Obviously, you don't know what you're talking about and must be jealous. Your initial post was even a reply back to someone's post so, you must have some pent up frustration for having a PF and not a QX4. Why are you posting on a QX4 forum? No one wants you here. See ya, thanks for coming.
That's all don't read into my posts as you are trying to do. And the last time I looked the USA is a FREE COUNTRY and I can post anywhere I want.
And as far as you purchasing the QX4 for 3.2k below MSRP that would mean you purchased the QX4 below invoice. and I find that hard to believe on a 2001 QX4 however if you are talking about the 2000 QX4 I can believe that they are trying to get rid of the 2000 QX4.
The Pathfinder is nice for people who can't afford luxury.
I have now visited and driven the 2001 QX4 twice in the last week and also the 2001 LE Pathfinder.
While there are absolutely similarites between the two vehicles, for those who have the money, like the looks and "feel" of "added" value or quality that the QX4 has, then it is all in the beholders eye. That is one reason why we all didn't marry the same women!!!
So we can argue the merits back and forth about these cars but I feel that with the upgrade in the engines these year, that it is nice to have a choice between two cars when one considers price, reliability, quality and appearances when compared to the competition.
Also,much of the disagreement in price paid can be due to many factors most of which, in my opinion, is not to deceive anyone but to pass on information based on a honest misunderstanding of the MSRP and the dealers invoice price and the confusion created by the interchanging of those words when one looks at the emails going back and forth.
It is nice to have a site to transfer this knowledge and experience to each other in such a rapid fashion even with the occasional misinformation. Adios!!
A $13,000 VW Golf has rear discs for goodness sake. I'm thinking if I really liked the way the QX4 looked, I could forgo the round clock, auto AWD, fake wood and HID's and buy a pathfinder AND a sentra for the Mrs.
To rebutt jmatero's statements, the difference in pricing on a similar equipped PF LE 4x4 and QX4 4x4 is a little more than $4k. Where do you get $12k? Based on $38k for the QX4, (BTW - I got my QX4 loaded except the navigation system for $37k) a similar equipped PF would be $26k. For $26k, you get a basic PF SE. Also, I've found the all of the seats to be quite comfortable, no complaints from my girlfriend. The 15mpg is due to the fact that the vehicle is new and the engine hasn't broken in. Expect to get 19mpg after 3000 miles. I'm only 5'9" and I have yet to stain my pants walking into the vehicle. I don't have the longest legs so, could it be that some people don't know how to step up into a SUV?
My sunroof is lightly tinted and is UV protected. As long as you have the AC going you shouldn't get a sun burn. It shouldn't be any different than the sun coming thru the front side windows (they're not tinted, but have UV protection). In regard to drum brakes, based on the fact that the rear brakes really only provide stablization and only provide a tiny amount of real braking. I don't think it's a big deal. If anything, when it gets wet, drum brakes won't slip which sometimes happens with disk brakes. Based on the number of problems, it sounds like the vehicle might be a lemon. I've had no problems at all.
For the $4k difference between the PF and QX4, I found the QX4 worth it due to:
Xenon Headlights
Auto 4WD
Softer suspension
17" Wheels provides better handling even with the sofer suspension
Better warranty
Better customer service and dealer experience (I get my [non-permissible content removed] kissed when I go to the dealer)
Better leather
Better exterior and interior
Better paint job
Prestige
Last year, the QX4 was voted the best dollar value SUV over $30k by Intellichoice USA. That's before all of the improvements they've put on the 2001.
Thanks,
Jimmy
Steve, Host
First, there are many examples of the same platform being used for both lower-end and higher priced models, in cars as well as SUVs. None seem to draw the criticism that the QX4 receives.
Second, I agree that the "real" price difference is far less if you compare apples to apples. It is also clear to me that the AWD and suspension of the QX4 is much more sophisticated than that of the PF. (I actually prefer the QX4 AWD to that of the ML). This upgrade alone comes close to justifying the price difference in my book, let alone the value of the Infinity badge and other goodies...
Note that this is done transparently and usually
the only way you notice that the system is active
is by the blinking indicator light in the middle of the speedometer. In most situations, 4ETS is only activated for a few seconds at a time. Spinning wheels are useless anyway since all of the engine power leaks out to that axle.
FWIW, the ML's 4WD system is much less likely to slip in the first place because the torque split ratio is set permanently at 48% front/52% aft vs. the QX4's 0% front/100% aft. The QX4's system requires slippage to occur first before the front wheels are activated, whereas the ML's are already activated at all time. This permanent near equal torque split also provides neutral handling in all weather, from dry to snowy.
Is it too soon for any real deals out there on a 2001?
comments??? advice????
premium, sunroof and rear wind deflector
for $34,100. Dallas dealers are not
going below $34,000 for the options
that I purchased.
I traded in a 96 I30 with
79,000 miles. I purchased this vehicle
for my sister, and she is going to love
the HID headlights with 0-3 height
adjustments. I have approximatly
150 miles, and I am averaging 17 mpg in
both city and highway driving. I will
be delivering the QX4 to MD. after 5000 miles.
I am still in the market to purchase
an 2001 CL-S to complement my other suv/car,
2000 RX300 AWD, which has around 6,000 miles.
Both suv's make significant amount of
road noise when traveling greater than 65mph.
Their are differences between the QX4
and the RX300, but the main difference
that I noticed are the ride quality
of these two platforms.
The things that I do not like about
the QX4 are, first, the Bose system
on my QX4 lacks the clarity of my
96 I30. Second, it is difficult for
anyone over 5" 11" to get into the back
seat of an QX4, the rear doors are
really that small. Third, braking
on the QX4 is not as impressive as
the RX300.
Invegas2, what options came with your
vehicle and which dealer?
If you got the same options as I did, then
you got yourself an one heck of an deal or
your pulling a fast one on the edmunds
board.
ace
The dealer called me last week to let me know that they had received the CD with the Nashville data, and he invited me to drop by for a test drive today. I have just completed that drive, and I want to share my experience.
The navigation system lived up to my expectations: It is a very well designed system that is aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, useful and entertaining.
Before beginning the drive, I spent about 15 minutes in the car at the dealer’s lot getting familiar with the system setup and operation. When you first power it on, it displays a legal disclaimer apparently written by some lawyer who was afraid someone might follow the guidance into a ditch. You must press “OK” to advance to the main navigation screen and options.
The QX4 navigation system has a color touch screen so you can rapidly select options and enter alphabetical letters by touching the screen rather than having to use a joystick to scroll a cursor around through menus and graphical keyboards. This is a major advantage that the QX4 system has over its competitors. The screen is larger than those in most other cars and is positioned fairly high on the instrument panel. You can manually dim the display for night driving.
There are many setup options available (it has a scroll bar), but once you set them they are retained for future trips, so you don’t have to mess with setup every time. For example, you can chose fastest route or shortest route, avoid expressways, avoid toll roads and avoid ferries. I selected the fastest route and allowed all modes of travel (we don’t have many toll roads in the South, thank God). You can also choose whether the map display has North at the top or whether it should rotate to show your current direction at the top. Another screen shows information about the number and location of GPS satellites that are available for navigation. In addition, it provides your latitude, longitude and altitude. The latitude/longitude information could be useful if you broke down or got stuck in a snowdrift somewhere and were calling for assistance.
After I finished going through the setup options, I pressed the “Dest” button located next to the screen to call up the destination selection screen. There are quite a few ways to specify your destination: street address, address book, street intersections and point of interest -- gas station, ATM, Infiniti dealers, hospitals, universities, bowling allies, ice skating rinks (I kid you not), and many other categories. If your location can’t be found by any other means, you can use the “Map” option and identify your destination by positioning a cross hair to a location on the map; I believe this is the only time that you have to use a joystick to make a selection.
I used the street address destination option and entered the address of my office, which is about 12 miles away from the dealer’s location. I was able to enter the address quickly by pressing keys on a graphical keyboard shown on the touch screen. After entering the address, the computer took about 8 seconds to calculate a route. We pulled out of the dealer’s lot, and the navigation system told us to enter the interstate ramp to head north to Nashville.
The navigation system provides both visual and audible guidance. The audible guidance is essential for safe use of the system while driving on busy roads. The audible guidance is provided by a pleasing and clear synthesized female voice. I have heard many other synthesized computer “voices”, and I would rate this as one of the best. It is very easy to understand and does not have the pieced-together sound that I’ve heard from some other systems. (It doesn’t have a Japanese accent either.) I turned the radio up loud to see what would happen when the navigation system tried to provide guidance over the music. (Would the electronic woman start screaming at me?) I was pleased to learn that Infiniti had considered this situation: when it’s time for guidance, the radio sound drops to a low (but still audible) level, then about a second later the navigation message is heard, then about a second after that the music returns to its normal volume. Cool. You can set the volume for the navigation messages independent of the radio/CD volume. (By the way, the QX4 is very quiet when cruising at 75-80 on an interstate.) There is a “voice” button displayed on the touch-screen that you can press to have the system repeat the last message that it provided. When cruising on the interstate, the voice button causes it to say how far you are from your destination. It also tells you how far the next turn is either in miles, tenths of miles or feet depending on how close you are.
While cruising north on I65, we passed several interchanges. Each time, the navigation system audibly reminded us to “Continue north on I65”. I became a little concerned when we cruised by my usual exit without any instructions to exit. However, there are a number of viable routes from the interstate to my office, so I decided to wait and see what the computer had in mind. Shortly later, the computer advised me to get into the left lane and continue on I65 at a point where it splits with I40. After that, we were advised to take the next exit. Guidance instructions are provided in plenty of time to allow you to change lanes and get ready to exit.
I then realized the route the computer had chosen: it was a good route and possibly even a minute faster than my usual route depending on traffic and the timing of traffic lights; however, unbeknownst to the computer, some of the roads between our location and my office are undergoing major construction and are closed. One of the setup options allows you to tell the system whether you want it to recalculate automatically the best route from your present position even if your have deviated from the originally calculated route. If you don’t turn on the reroute option, it will guide you back to the original route if you get off it. I had engaged the automatic reroute option, so I looked forward to throwing it a curve by turning on a side street to bypass the construction area.
The system didn’t reprimand me for deviating from the route, but immediately suggested that I turn right at the next corner, which would normally have been the best choice given where we were. However, that road was also under construction, so we proceeded on. The computer advised me to turn right at the next corner, which was possible, and I complied. Because of the detour, we then had to go away from my office for a short distance on a one-way street. I was pleased to see that the computer knew that it was a one-way street and did not ask me to turn onto the street going the wrong way (potential errors in the database like this are probably why they show the disclaimer when you turn it on).
After a few more correct turns, we were cruising down the street to my office. The navigation voice confidently announced that we had arrived at our destination when we still had about 300 feet to go. I don’t know if the premature announcement was to give us time to find a parking place, or whether its database of street addresses may be off by 300 feet, or whether there were GPS inaccuracies. In any case, I successfully found my office.
The navigation display has two modes: “Birdview” and planar. The planar view is just like looking a flat map: streets are shown with the planned route and your current location. This is the only type of view available on other car navigation systems. As far as I know, the “Birdview” system is unique to Infiniti (and Xanavi, a company partially owned by Nissan that makes the system). The Birdview display is shown from a perspective position located several hundred feet above and behind the car (i.e., like a bird or angel flying behind you). You see the road and routes extending into the distance and you see the car on the route in the foreground. Because of the natural perspective effect, roads close to your position are larger and have more detail. For an example image, go to http://www.xanavi.co.jp/en/nav/index.html or http://www.infiniti.com/docs/fr_qx4.html Their example shows major buildings as three-dimensional objects extending up from the ground. I didn’t notice this as we were driving into Nashville, but it may have been there. The Birdview display is very useful because it lets you see where you are and what lies ahead in the distance. I used it consistently while cruising on the interstate.
When you approach an intersection, the navigation display switches automatically from Birdview to a zoomed-in planar map showing details about the intersection and your route through it. To avoid trying to make the synthesized voice pronounce all the local street names, it simply instructs you to turn left or right at the next street. The name of the street that it wants you to turn onto is displayed at the top of the map. It does know how to say “Interstate 65 north”.
At present, the navigation databases only have detailed street information for a relatively small number of major cities. For example, in Tennessee, Nashville and Knoxville have been mapped, but Memphis and Chattanooga have not. Satellite towns outside the Nashville city limits also have not been mapped yet. For these unmapped areas, only interstates and major roads are shown on the map, and you cannot use the street address selection to set a destination.
Since the dealer is located in a satellite town south of Nashville (Franklin, TN), we were not able to use a street address to set our return destination. Instead, we used the Map option with the cross hair to identify our destination on the map. I noticed that a small flag with the letter “S” (start?) on it was shown at our starting point, so I centered the cross hair on it.
When we were a few miles south of the Nashville boundary, I tried to throw the navigation system a curve by telling it that we needed to detour around a mile of interstate. You do this by touching the screen, selecting “Detour” from a popup menu, then selecting 1, 5, 10 or 20 miles for the length of your route that you must detour around. After thinking about it for about 10 seconds, the computer announced that it was unable to find a feasible detour. I believe this happened because we were outside the detailed Nashville street area, and it did not know about side streets that it could have used for the detour. The rest of the trip back was uneventful, but it did not tell us to exit from the interstate -- presumably because it did not have the detailed street information to know how to get from the interstate to the point we marked on the map. It did announce that we had arrived at our destination just as we turned into the dealer’s lot.
I have only a couple of complaints: First, I would like the map display to appear automatically when you turn on the ignition without having to acknowledge their legal disclaimer every time. Second, the navigation map and the climate control system share the right portion of the touch screen. The climate control information (inside/outside temperature, vents activated, automatic/manual mode, etc.) is shown whenever you adjust the climate control settings, causing the map to shrink into the left half of the screen. However, when switching between the Birdview and planar displays when going through intersections, the screen sometimes reverted to showing the climate control information even though I had not adjusted the climate. It’s easy to expand the map to full screen by touching it, but I would prefer to never see the climate control information unless I made some adjustments to it. Third, the areas where detailed street maps are available are very limited. If I spend $40k for a car with a $2k navigation option, it would be nice if it could at least navigate through Memphis and guide me home to the suburbs. However, I should point out that the mapping data for all current car systems seems to come from one company, Navtech (http://www.navtech.com), so all brands of navigation systems have the same database limitations. Navtech says they are working hard to extend the mapping.
I enjoyed the test drive and plan to order a navigation system on my QX4 when I decide that I’m ready to spend $40k. I have looked at navigation systems on Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar and Alpine (aftermarket). I believe the Infiniti system is state of the art: the touch panel and Birdview display are important advantages over its competitors. The color display is large and positioned high on the instrument panel making it easy to glance at while driving. The audible guidance is clear and easy to follow. The routing appears to do a good job as long as you are in an area for which detailed street information is available. The automatic reroute system is extremely valuable and works well and effortlessly. I found the system to be very user friendly and easy to operate.
Anyhow, I have two questions is for those who have been driving the QX4 for awhile. First, has anyone been using 89 or 91 octane instead of premium (realizing the relatively small additional cost for premium pales in comparison to the overall value or cost of the car)? Many of these engines that recommend premium have sensors built in that allow a car to run on less than premium. Secondly, my dealer mentioned that the preferable mode of driving most times when not raining, etc. is the 2H mode and it is not necessarily good or necessary to leave it in AWD all the time. Any thoughts on this?
I want to import a QX4 to Holland, but because of the very high Dollar rate against the Euro it is, at this moment, not of interest to buy one in the US.
Can anyone tell me where th QX4 is manufactured?
Can anyone give me an E-mail address or website
from the manufacturer.
Thanks,
Peter, Holland
Good luck!
Try www.xpel.com for the 3M clear film for the hood.
richard
I realize the gas subject has been discussed before but I would still like to know if anyone has used less than premium in their QX4 and what the dealers or service people say about it as well as do they really see a significant drop in performance using 89 or 91 octane versus 93 octane. I really doubt if there would be a mileage difference although one posting mentioned a vague difference on one tankfull of each.
I got the Infiniti hood deflector with my QX4. It's not the prettiest thing but it does a great job in protecting the hood. In regard to the grill and bumpers, I decided not to go with the 3M laminant b/c as the car ages, not being able to wax and take care of the paint in that area, the car's paint job would not match the rest of the vehicle. JMHO
QX4. I test drove this today and actually stopped at the local Merecedes dealer as well to look at the ML320 too. Had a hard time getting any help in the Mercedes dealer and certainly NO interest in a TEST DRIVE from THEM.
But @ the Infiniti dealer I found a very knowledgeable salesperson who was quick to explain the differences between the PF and the QX4. Also when asked to test drive, he was quick to get a key & plate.
I can tell you a few things were quickly noted. (1) The sound proofing is MUCH better, it is hardly noticeable and I had the bose stereo off too. (2) The interior is VERY RICH looking and alot more attractive to look at. (3) The ride, the QX4 has a better ride and handling is far better than the PF.
However I did notice a few things they could/should do differently. (1) The drivers seat is more comfortable, BUT they need a power lumbar. For people like me with back problems the cushion that will not go away only hurts my back (but that can be surgically fixed by the dealer before hand). (2) They need to add an auto dimming mirror and replace the ugly compass/temp gauge to a nicer one. Those and the absolutely useless running boards.
Otherwise I find the QX4 alot more attractive than the ML320 and worth the $4-5k over the PF. But for about $40k you can find a nice 3 year old Toyota Land Cruiser that is ALL LUXURY.
If I go with a Nissan/Infiniti product it will be the QX4 as long as I can make the seat fix it is there. Worth the money and the ride is nice.
The answer is that you can leave it in "Auto" mode, but you cannot leave it in 4WH mode. In Auto mode, 100% of the power is going to the rear wheels unless it detects front/rear slippage at which time the electric clutch that links the front and rear differentials enagages and sends up to 50% of the power to the front wheels.
My dealer did not understand the QX4 4WD mode very well, and I had to do some research and experimentation. Originally, the dealer told me that you could leave the car in 4WH mode all the time. Of course, for this to be possible there must be a 3rd differential between the front and rear axles. I knew there was a CLUTCH between the front and rear axles, but I suspected that there was not a DIFFERENTIAL. So I asked if I could drive the car around the sales lot with the selector set to 4WH. The salesman was happy to agree, so I put it in 4WH mode while parked and then pulled out of the parking place while turning sharply right. My suspicion that there was no center differential was quickly confirmed. Halfway out of the parking place, the car bucked, resisted going forward, and I had to give it gas to force it to roll even though I was on a slight downward incline. I let off the gas and turned the slector to "Auto". There was an immediate release, and the car started rolling on its own.
So I believe I can say with some confidence that there is a CLUTCH between the front and rear axles that is activated when front/rear slippage is detected, but there is no center DIFFERENTIAL. So, you can drive on dry pagement in either 2WH or Auto modes, but you cannot switch to 4WH (or 4WL) unless you are on a slippery surface.
Nissan seems to be very proud of their Auto "All-mode drive" system. Personally, I believe it is inferior to true AWD systems such as are used by the Mercedes ML, BMW X5 and Land Cruiser. Because AWD systems are delivering power continusouly to all 4 wheels, they reduce the chance of slippage starting. The "All mode" system only switches into 4WD after slippage has started and been detected. However, once it is in 4WD, you do have a locked front/rear connection so you can't lose all power through one slipping wheel. Mercedes and BMW address the one-wheel-slip problem by using anti-lock braking to stop the slipping wheel. I don't have any experience with these systems to be able to evaluate how well they work in snow/ice compared to a true locked front/rear system.
The QX4 system does indeed use a hydraulic clutch setup to activate the front wheels. You're right that it is not as good or as useful as a permanent 4WD system (all wheels are powered all of the time), but the All mode 4WD system is superior (much smoother and faster to react) to other auto 4WD systems on the market made by Ford or GM. I'd take the all-mode system over any part-time 4WD system (a la Pathfinder) anyday.
Drew