Infiniti QX4

jiamin · January 2003

Yes I agree with bigorange30. My driving pattern tells me that my QX4 will spend $300 more on gas than some better MPG SUVs. But I saved about $2000 on purchasing QX4 compared to some other SUVs. In about 7 years it'll break even. So to me, the low MPG is just a feeling, not an actual loss of my money.

losthat1 · January 2003

Use regular in my Volvo XC and never have had a problem. Must one use premium? Has anyone used regular without problems in the QX4? BTW can anyone tell me what Q X 4 means? Why not a regular name.....Explorer, Voyager, whatever?

bigorange30 · January 2003

You should use 91+ octane. Many have experienced knocking when using regular. You can also lose performance. Some have not seen knocking but it adds only pennys (~$150) to your gas cost each year. Its not worth the risk that it will mess up the engine has some have suggested. This is a high performance engine and needs the octane.

bigorange30 · January 2003

I like it. Infiniti's practice as many luxury brands do (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes) is one of naming with letters and numbers instead of words. The X usually means SUV or crossover vehicle (X5, X3, FX35/45, MDX etc.). the Q is a signature of Infiniti. the Q45 is the signature car for Infiniti. It is certainly cooler than names like Aztek, Accord, Civic, Previa, Sienna or Lumina. Some car names don't have any meaning and some mean something that has nothing to do with something that would be attractive in a car.

petem5 · January 2003

Pete's wife here, and I am so happy with my 2001 burgundy pearl QX4, the purchase of which capped off an intensive 6 month review of all vehicles that I found visually appealing with a comfy seat, (comfy seats are hard to find) and capable of toting weekend stuff plus 2 dog crates side by side. IT seemed to be a tough decision between the Q and the Volvo XC, but financing incentives and a very negotiable (below invoice)price made it easy. I also checked out these boards and everyone here was happy. The XC board was not a happy place. I wanted to be happy (especially for this kind of money!).

I have 24000+ miles, all done on premium gas (the Volvo calls for premium too). Are you really going to risk hurting an expensive vehicle over a $100/year difference between regular and premium? I don't think the mileage is bad for a vehicle of this size or weight -- you can go almost 350 miles per tank (the gas warning light comes on early -- I think the 350 is doable, but who wants to get stuck trying?). The one obvious thing the QX4 lacks is a trip computer figuring MPG and how many miles you have remaining (even my crappy 1987 Renault Encore had one of those).

The heated seats work great and have been a great comfort to me now that we are in single digit temps overnight. Even the back seats are heated.

Visibility is also excellent -- big side mirrors and no blind spots. This was an issue with a lot of other things we tested.

Service at the dealer is excellent (bagels, juice, coffee, televsion, leather couches), but we don't go there often because it is almost an hour away. There is a Nissan dealer only 2 miles away, so we go there for oil changes and they are perfectly nice too but without the breakfast.

I don't know why Infiniti never got the sales thing right. Maybe the Q was just too big for those RX 300 people. I do think the I35 is a far better looking car than the Lexus ES 300, not to mention the fact that it has a kick-butt engine and my strong personal feeling that a so-called "luxury" car stickered over $30,000 should come standard with leather.

Love my Q.

bigorange30 · January 2003

How do you get that? I am lukcy to get 250. Maybe your using that 100 octane racing fuel or something.

losthat1 · January 2003

Picked up the new QX4 and so far I am really enjoying it. Pete's wife, you describe my feelings well. One question-should the stereo controls and cruise on the dash light up at night? I know they do on our Volvo XC70.

I absolutely love the sound system... it's the best I've heard! Love the seats too. Much more comfortable than our Volvo for me. It was a big decision--new Volvo XC90 or this and I'm really happy we went in this direction. Thanks for all the imput.

bigorange30 · January 2003

Fantastic.

petem5 · January 2003

Losthat, what color is your new Q? The dash does light up at night for the stereo, but I wasn't paying attention to the cruise. I like the Bose system too. I do sometimes press the CD buttons when I mean to press radio buttons though.

BigOrange, what kind of driving do you do to only get 250? On the Edmunds specs page, it lists 316.5/379.8 as the city/hwy. range. We've only tested mileage a couple of times, but I know I can do over 300 on my usual around town and to work driving, and the 350 has been on long trips/highway driving.

bigorange30 · January 2003

I usually get gas with about an 1/8 of a tank and I have usually put about 200 to 220 miles on it since the last fillup. I have only seen the low fuel indicator a few times before fillup though. Are you telling me that I could go another ~150 miles on 1/8 of a tank of gas?

reb12 · January 2003

I'm starting to get the roof rack whistle at speeds in excess of 65 mph with certain wind conditions. Are there any fixes for this short of removing the rack??

Thanks, Rick

jiamin · January 2003

How many miles can one tank of gas allow us to drive is not so accurate as MPG, since people fill in gas differently. One time I was 100% on hiway, a few times at 95 MPH, mostly at 85 MPH, for about 300 miles. I got 18.7 MPG. Now I've been 100% city driving and got more or less 15 MPG.
Regular or premium gas again. QX4 engine compression ratio is 10:1 and RX300 is 10.5:1. If RX300's gas recommendation is regular then why ours is premium? Anything else I'm missing?

losthat1 · January 2003

Petem5-Q is "millenniumjade/silversage" and beautiful. When I first looked at the Q I wasn't sold on the front end...but now like the look.

I am surprised that Infiniti will not produce more and that sales are not better. Unless you need a big back seat this is the ultimate medium sized SUV. Fit and finish are superb, heated leather seats great, etc. I am very pleased and don't regret the choice between this and the Volvo XC90 for $$$$$$$$$$$ more with a wait. I've had my fill of issues with Volvo service.

It's funny reading the boards how important it is for many that dogs and dog crates fit into an SUV. Someone should start a new post "SUVs and Dogs". I'm really happy that the Q has lots of room in the back for crates,etc.

Discovered after purchase that the audio system has a 6 cd MIX on it. Wow-drove all over listening to the mix from 6 favorite cds. Wanted to keep driving just to use the stereo!

Saw the new FX at the dealer. It looks like a $54K rocket ship. Not my style. Glad I found the Q before there are no more. The lease is up on our Volvo XC70 in two years. It will be interesting to see what's out there then.

Filled up and I'm getting 14.5/mpg mixing city and highway driving. Not surprised but had hoped that it might be better. Most long distance driving (20,000+mi./yr.) is summer highway driving so hope it does better.

What a way to beat the January blahs!

tidester · January 2003

Someone should start a new post "SUVs and Dogs"

But then cats and plants would feel left out ...! ;-)

tidester, host

losthat1 · January 2003

Tidester! Only cats I see in my neighborhood near SUVs are on the warm hoods. (Better than under the hood.) We need to save the plants for VW bug vase holders. You could grow an avocado plant in one and have it wrap all over the bug....quite different and eye catching!

petem5 · January 2003

Big O, I think when you fill your tank may be the issue, if your Q is anything like mine. You say you rarely wait for the indicator light -- my light comes on with about four gallons left -- which is way more than an eighth of a tank. The bottom half of my tank appears to be "the bigger half." How many gallons are you putting in when you fill up with an 1/8 left?

bigorange30 · January 2003

about 15 gallons in. With a 21.1 gallon tank, that should leave about 6 gallons. Wow, I didn't think that I was filling it up to early but my wife does drive it during the week. That means it should be able to go another 90 miles or so. That will put me around 310-330 miles probably but do you guys really let it go to the last gallon before you fill it up? I guess 350 really is possible on the highway though. I am gonna have to try pushing this thing a little further I guess.

petem5 · January 2003

Losthat, nice color choice. My mother-in-law just got a 2003 XC 70, she had one before a couple of years ago and she missed it. She hated the XC 90 -- the look, the drive, the seats, everything about it.

I would have been happy to have a wagon, I used to be very anti-SUV (mostly due to the drivers)and we don't have kids, so no excuse for a minivan. Other than the Volvo, they just don't have enough room (my pugs need a lot of room!). We tried the Passat wagon, but the seats are like sitting on stone. And you lose cargo room if you want 4WD. The Suburu VDC was really good overall (nice stereo!) but for 33K, you can't tell me that there's no power passenger seat.

Someday they'll ask me before they build the cars!

jiamin · January 2003

I also fill in about 15 gallons, usually at the last small meter division. Somewhere I read that gas also works as the fuel pump heatsink. So if the tank is too empty then it hurts the pump.

lotlizard · January 2003

This board makes it clear that fuel cost is a bit high on the QX4. What about tire life, brake life, timing belt life, and associated replacement costs? Problem areas other than the gas gauge? What are you paying for scheduled service and how frequent are the services?

Although I like the looks of the QX4, is it worth the extra $15,000 compared to a CRV, which gets 25 mpg on 87 octane, has similar interior room, and still goes 0-60 in 9 seconds, albeit on cloth seats? How would you compare a 2001 QX4 with a new CRV -- in this case the cost might be similar. I do not tow anything, and I drive on roads. Any comments are appreciated.

tidester · January 2003

You could grow an avocado plant in one and have it wrap all over the bug....quite different and eye catching!

LoL! You MUST post a picture of that when you do it! ;-)

tidester, host

Jack44 · January 2003

It sounds like you'll be very happy with the CRV and the fact that in the 2 1/2 years I've owned my 2001 QX4 I've had no problems...And the only time to the dealer, which was a very nice experience, was for a regular checkup...And at that time it was nice to have a new G35 to drive for the day...If luxury is not a need, you'll be happy with the CRV...A Civic and G35 are probably the same in interior space too, but they are different cars, but the Civic will get you from point A to B a lot cheaper...If driving experience doesn't matter, and if anything should happen and you don't mind waiting with all the CRV owners at the dealer, you'll be happy...Oh, I did have to replace the windshield wipers...I can't change your mind...nor can reading all the other things that people say...

bigorange30 · January 2003

This is really an apples and oranges comparison. If initial cost and fuel effiency is your criteria, then the CRV is for you. Its just not for most QX4 owners. Well, initial cost was a factor for me too but in favor of the QX4 over others like the Sequoia, RX300 or MDX.

petem5 · January 2003

with a 4 cylinder engine, 160 hp, 15 inch wheels and 72 cu. feet of cargo. The Q has a 6 cylinder engine, 240hp, 17 inch wheels, and 85 cu. feet of cargo and 4WD on demand. Cloth vs. leather. As Big Orange says, this is apples and oranges comparison. And whether to take new CRV vs. 2001 Q -- that really depends on your feelings about a used vehicle and your desired minimum standards of transportation.

See my raving endorsement of this vehicle on post #1546. I haven't had to replace anything and I go to the Nissan dealer for oil changes. I imagine the tires are going to be expensive when that time comes.

Jack44 · January 2003

Just went out and did the old stick the key in the tread check...Down about 1/2...Compared to spare tire...I've got 27,000 miles on the Michelin LTX's that the car came with...

eds1300 · January 2003

The Michelin tires still has some thread left, but I am planning on getting 4 sets of new tires around 55,000 miles mark.
Schedule maintenance prices are not bad compared to Lexus, but I got killed on brake service, front rotors resurfaced with new pads($399) and the rear drum cleaned($89), they also replaced the inside air filter for $99 along with 30K service for $400.

Jack44 · January 2003

Simple answer...No...

And eds1300...Are you going again with Michelins?

eds1300 · January 2003

yes, I am planning on purchasing the same Michelins from tirerack.com. I still have close to 1/4 to 1/5 of thread left. This vechicle still rides and handles great.

Has anyone tried to raise the HID light level. I have mine set at max. which is the 0 level, but I want it to illuminate further.

bigorange30 · January 2003

Aren't you afraid of blinding other drivers?

We're getting alot of negative press about this.

lshactman · January 2003

I was wondering if anybody could help me. My lease is up on a RX300 (in a week) & I am looking for a more affordable option. I'm looking at a 2000 QX4, but it has 69,000 miles on it. My cost would be $16,000 for the car. Does anybody own a QX4 with that many miles on it & could anybody offer any advice for me? I would really appreciate it.

bigorange30 · January 2003

Most people consider the 2000 and before very underpowered. The engine was changed in the 2001. You might want to see if you can push yourself to a 2001.

lshactman · February 2003

Thanks for the engine info on the 2000 QX4. If anybody has any additional information about a 2000 QXR with 69,000 miles on it, I would really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I'm in a time crunch & need to decide this week.
Thanks!

Jack44 · February 2003

That's also pretty high mileage...But at $16,000, that's a pretty good deal...But with the new QX4/5's coming out, and the 2001's having the better engine, as bigorange30 mentions, [I have a 2001], you're going to be the last person who want's that vehicle...

lshactman · February 2003

Are the engines bad on the 2000 QX4's or do the 2001+ cars just have stronger engines?

bigorange30 · February 2003

They were 170 hp and 200 ft-lbs of torque. The new ones are 240 hp and 265 ft-lbs of torque. The problem for me with that kind of engine is in acceleration. I like to be able to pull out easily into traffic or pass a slow car on a 2-lane easily. I would have the 2000. I decided not to buy the 2002 4Runner because of its underpowered engine of about the same size.

couimet · February 2003

I do have a QX4 with 240 hp and I do Love it. I did have a PF with 170hp and loved it. Power beyond the the 170hp is really relative to your needs and wants.

Do try both and decide based on your needs, wants and funds ...

lshactman · February 2003

Thanks Big Orange30 & Couimet for the engine information! I did test drive the 2000 QX4 yesterday & my only complaint was on the highway it didn't seem like the gears were shifting fast enough. I'm assuming that is because of the engine size. The car was very nice & in great shape. The ride was not as smooth as my RX300, but I think I'm going to buy it (it's with-in my budget). I just wanted to check the Consumer Reports for the car. I think I can get used to the engine, it shouldn't be a problem for me. It is either buying this car or a 2000 Jeep Cherokee with low miles. I have heard too many bad things about the Cherokee, which would scare me.

couimet · February 2003

With a PF/QX4, you will spend a lot less, a whole less time, getting to know your dealer out of necessity.

lshactman · February 2003

I'm not sure what you are saying??

couimet · February 2003

Meaning that the PF/QX4 are a whole lot more reliable than the GC ...

bigorange30 · February 2003

I can't see why the JGC would even be in the running unless offroading is a whole lot more important to you that how often it will be in the shop.

losthat1 · February 2003

Two interesting experiences in the few weeks I've had my QX4. My neighbor commented how nice my new Lexus-Infiniti looked; thinking that Infiniti was the model of a Lexus. Then someone at work wanted to know how I liked my new Lexus. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. Has this happened to anyone else? I guess I didn't realize how unknown the Infiniti name was to the general public. Guess that just makes the Q more special-a "rare breed" as they say in the dog world.

jiamin · February 2003

Two times my friends asked me for purchase advice and I recommended Nissan Sentra and Maxima. They said they didn't know such cars. One time after I bought 94 Altima, a friend said he liked Accord because every control is within easy reach, and I said in my mind that so does my Altima plus it's lower priced with many more horse powers. In 96 when my 86 used Sentra's timing belt broke, I said bye-bye Nissan I want a much more popular Camry but after so many times of back and forth test drove I ended up with a new Maxima. Now I have 02 QX4.

It's very difficult not to buy or at least consider Nissan/Infiniti.

kchang99 · February 2003

Hi, Folks:
I got a 99 QX4. Since I moved recently, I had to reset my garage door opener (three buttons) in QX4. But I couldn't find, of course, couldn't remember where the instruction is. Anybody can help?
Thanks a lot

jiamin · February 2003

www.nissantechinfo.com, --> Owner Manuals --> Infiniti Owner Manuals ...

eds1300 · February 2003

Kchang99 -
You can use any of those three buttons to program the analog signals used for opening your garage door, security gate and so on. The manual states that you should use the middle botton for your residential/apartment garage. Press the middle botton and then the garage door opener, wait 60-seconds and the sun advisor bottons should start blinking, when that happens your garage door signals have been programmed. I use the middle one for residential and the left botton to open the security gate at my friends apartment. Good luck.

bigorange30 -
The reason why I am trying to manually raise the HID level is because I think my HID bulbs are wearing out or losing their power. I'm not sure if my theory is correct, but it seems my friends 530I illuminates much better than my vehicle.

couimet · February 2003

It took me a while to find it as the URL has changed but visit http://www.homelink.com/home/home.tml for Homelink Instructions ...

couimet · February 2003

Most people know what a Pathfinder is. So when people don't know what a QX4 is, I simply say it's a PF.

dognut1 · February 2003

I understand that there are differences in warranty and service on these two. However, other than real wood and a fancier clock in the QX4 along with xenon headlights what are the real differences between these SUVs? Is there a difference in suspension, sound insulation, Bose audio systems, fit and finish, etc.? In other words what is the benefit of buying a QX4 over a Pathfinder? I'm sorry to see these two models go and would like to get one before they are all gone. The size, towing ability, etc. are just what I'm looking for. Thanks

lspangler1 · February 2003

I just read a press release stating that Nissan has stopped building the QX4 and they are working to sell the remaining inventory.

Infiniti QX4

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