Infiniti has unveiled its new 2019 QX50 mid-sized SUV ahead of the official debut at the LA Auto Show. According to Forbes, the vehicle was described by a top company executive as, “the most important vehicle we have ever launched.”
The vehicle’s significance is based on the new QX50’s engine – the world’s first variable compression ratio engine (VC-Turbo). The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder mill can optimise both power and efficiency by adjusting its compression ratio to deliver a 35% better fuel economy than the V6 that powers the previous generation QX50.
The turbo-petrol is mated to a continuously variable transmission and produces 200 kW of power and 380Nm of torque. The claimed fuel economy is 8.7 L/100 km in front-wheel-drive form and 9.1 L/100 km in all-wheel-drive guise.
In addition to the new engine, the QX50 replaces rear-wheel drive with an all-new front-wheel-drive platform and it gains the new ProPilot assist technology that debuted on the Nissan Leaf.
The 2019 QX50 will make use of a new type of high-tensile steel, which will reduce the overall weight of the car and improve the torsional rigidity by 23 percent.
