Hours Before Returning The 2026 Infiniti QX 60 I Got a Flat Tire on My Driveway, But The Car Performed Flawlessly Over 800 Miles

Three Key Points For This 2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport's Review

• The 2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD stickered at $66,650 with a new Sport trim, gloss-black exterior accents, 20-inch black wheels, Klipsch 16-speaker audio, and standard captain's chairs in the second row.
• The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder produces 268 horsepower, pairs with a nine-speed automatic, delivers 24 MPG combined, and tows up to 6,000 pounds, matching or beating several pricier European competitors.
• A real 800-mile family road trip from Charlotte to Richmond revealed comfortable second-row seating, composed highway ride quality, wireless Apple CarPlay that held its connection throughout, and a QX60 that handled an early-morning tire pressure scare without a single additional issue.

It was early morning on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. I walked out to my driveway in Charlotte, North Carolina, to drive to church for the Divine Liturgy. That is when I saw it. The rear passenger tire of the 2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD was visibly low. My TPMS read 19 PSI, while every other tire sat at 34. My stomach dropped. The car was due back that same day.

I had just gone through almost the exact same situation the week before, when a strange flat tire interrupted my test drive of the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring. That one turned out to be a slow leak with no visible damage. So I held my breath, started driving, and watched the gauge. The tire held steady. I pulled into the nearest gas station, filled it to spec, and drove to church. After the liturgy, the automotive press fleet team came, picked up the QX60, and dropped off the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee for my next review. But before we get to that, let me tell you what happened during those seven days and nearly 800 miles in this three-row luxury SUV, because this vehicle earned every mile of that story.

What Makes the 2026 Infiniti QX60 Sport AWD Worth Considering at $66,650

The trim I tested stickered at $66,650, including destination charges. That puts it squarely in a contested segment, facing the Acura MDX, Volvo XC90, and Audi Q7. But here is what those premium European and Japanese rivals often charge more money for, while delivering a comparable experience.

The Sport trim is new for 2026. It slots above the Luxe and below the Autograph. It brings gloss-black exterior accents, a sportier front fascia, unique 20-inch black alloy wheels, and an exclusive Dusk Blue interior theme that gives the cabin a rich, contemporary character. If you looked at the 2025 QX60 and felt it was a little too conservative visually, Infiniti heard you.

The EPA fuel economy on my window sticker read 24 MPG combined, with 22 city and 27 highway. Over the course of my test, I drove the QX60 Sport from Charlotte all the way to the Richmond, Virginia area to visit my son, and back. That is a round trip of approximately 800 miles. The highway numbers held up well during that drive. There were no surprises at the pump.

Engine, Power, and Transmission: The 2026 QX60 Moves On From the V6

Here is a fact that some buyers may still be catching up on. The naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6, which was a signature of earlier QX60 models and which Torque News gave a detailed assessment in our 2022 QX60 review covering the nine-speed transmission upgrade, is gone. Infiniti replaced it for 2025 with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four. This engine produces 268 horsepower and 286 pound-feet of torque. It pairs with a nine-speed automatic transmission and, on the Sport trim, standard all-wheel drive.

The first time you put your foot down on a freeway on-ramp, you notice a slight pause. That is the turbocharger building boost. After that moment, the power arrives cleanly and the QX60 pulls with real conviction. Highway passing requires a single deliberate press of the accelerator and the nine-speed responds quickly with a smooth downshift. The transmission never caught me off guard during the entire 800-mile trip. It is a polished, well-calibrated unit.

Some long-time QX60 fans will miss the V6. It had a distinctive character and a strong reputation for smoothness. But the turbocharged four-cylinder delivers the kind of torque-at-low-RPM response that actually suits a heavy family SUV better during everyday driving. It does not rev to excitement, but it moves a family of five with cargo quietly and confidently. That is the point of this vehicle.

The 6,000-pound tow rating also remains. If you plan to pull a boat or a camper on summer trips, the QX60 Sport AWD accommodates that without a payload anxiety spiral.

A Pressing Problem Luxury SUV Buyers Face, and How the QX60 Helps Solve It

Here is something most luxury SUV reviews do not address directly. Buyers in the $60,000 to $70,000 three-row segment often overpay for European badges while sacrificing reliability and feature content. They assume that German or Swedish equals better. But the math does not always support that assumption.

Torque News has covered the QX60 across multiple model years, and one consistent finding is that this vehicle punches above its price bracket on feature content. Our 2023 QX60 Autograph review noted it earned the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award and delivered quilted leather, massaging front seats, and a panoramic sunroof at a price that most German three-row SUVs would charge as options. The 2026 Sport takes that same value-forward approach and wraps it in a sharper visual package.

For buyers who are comparing the QX60 against competitors, here is a practical tool that helps. The EPA's fuel economy and cost comparison tool at fueleconomy.gov allows you to compare the five-year cost of ownership across vehicles side by side. When you plug in the QX60 Sport AWD and stack it against competitors at similar price points, you will often find the total cost of ownership, including fuel, tells a more favorable story for the Infiniti than the badge alone suggests. Automotive journalists and bloggers in the three-row luxury SUV space reference this tool regularly when making long-term ownership arguments. Bookmark it before you buy.

Interior: Second Row, Third Row, Cargo, and Ride Comfort Over 800 Miles

I want to be clear about something. I drove this vehicle with my family on a real trip. Not a press loop. Not a controlled event. A genuine Charlotte to Richmond drive, through interstate traffic, two rest stops, and luggage in the rear. That gives me a perspective on the interior that a two-hour media event cannot deliver.

The second row is genuinely comfortable. The Sport trim comes with captain's chairs in the second row as standard, dropping seating to six. This is the right call. The captain's chairs feel broad and supportive. On a four-plus-hour highway stretch, my family members in the second row did not complain once about discomfort, which, if you have road-tripped with family, you know is high praise. The second-row passengers had USB charging, adequate legroom, and climate control vents that actually reached them.

The third row is honest in the way that most third rows are not. It fits children and shorter adults without protest. It does not pretend to be a first-class lounge. If your third-row passengers are adults on a long trip, you need to manage their expectations. But for family road trips with kids, and for occasional adult passengers on shorter legs, it does the job. Torque News has addressed how the QX60 handles third-row space compared to competitors in previous model year coverage, and the verdict has consistently been that the third row is fine for its intended use.

Cargo behind the third row comes in at 14.5 cubic feet. That is enough for a weekend trip if your family packs smart. For longer trips, the power-folding third row opens things up significantly. The cargo area is well-shaped with usable floor depth. I loaded luggage for two days in Richmond, and the power liftgate handled it without drama.

Exterior Design: The Sport Trim Earns Its Name Visually

This is where the 2026 QX60 Sport trim changes the conversation. Infiniti's signature double-arch grille remains, but the Sport wraps it in dark chrome, drops gloss-black trim across the lower fascia, and mounts the vehicle on 20-inch black alloy wheels that give it a purposeful, planted look. LED headlights flank the grille. The profile is clean and the proportions are well-resolved.

The QX60 has never been an ugly vehicle, but some earlier generations looked a bit cautious in their styling. As Torque News observed in our 2022 review of the QX60 Luxe AWD, the design is scalable and modern, but the Sport trim pushes it a step further in assertiveness. This is a three-row family SUV that does not look like it gave up on being interesting in order to be practical.

The Sport trim also gets a unique color pairing option in Dusk Blue exterior over a dark cabin with contrasting leather elements. It is the kind of design decision that makes buyers feel they chose something distinctive, rather than just checking a specification box.

Infotainment: A 12.3-Inch Screen That Actually Works

One of my consistent complaints about modern luxury vehicles is that large touchscreens often replace the physical controls that made a car easy to operate at 70 miles per hour. Infiniti resists this trend, and the 2026 QX60 is better for it.

The 12.3-inch infotainment display is crisp and responsive. The menus are layered logically. Wireless Apple CarPlay connected without hassle and held its connection throughout the entire road trip. I made phone calls, navigated, and streamed audio with no interruptions.

The 2026 QX60 Sport AWD features the upgraded Klipsch 16-speaker premium audio system as standard equipment. This is a significant upgrade from the Bose unit found in earlier models. The Klipsch system projects the kind of stage width and instrument separation that makes long highway drives genuinely enjoyable. I am no audiophile, but I noticed the difference immediately.

Physical climate controls remain in place beneath the screen. The steering wheel buttons are well-placed. These details matter. They are the details that Torque News has tracked across multiple QX60 generations, as noted in our 2025 QX60 Autograph review covering the cabin refinements and quiet ride improvements.

The 2026 model also features Google Built-in apps and onboard Wi-Fi as standard equipment. The Around View Monitor system has been updated for this model year, providing better camera clarity during low-speed maneuvering. Parallel parking a three-row SUV in an unfamiliar Richmond neighborhood was straightforward with the 360-degree view and clear guidelines.

How the 2026 QX60 Sport AWD Rides and Handles

Let me address a concern I had before the trip. The Sport trim name can suggest that Infiniti stiffened the suspension to trade comfort for feel. It did not. The QX60 Sport AWD rides on a four-wheel independent suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars. The tuning is comfort-oriented. It absorbs freeway expansion joints and highway pavement changes with composure. At no point during 800 miles did a road imperfection arrive rudely in the cabin.

This is a vehicle that makes long-distance driving feel like less of a chore. The seats are genuinely supportive for extended periods. The NVH levels, meaning noise, vibration, and harshness, are well controlled. Wind noise at 75 miles per hour is present but subdued. The turbocharged four-cylinder is quiet under light throttle at highway speeds.

Steering is light, which suits this vehicle's mission. You are not looking for a sporty, direct feel from a 4,695-pound three-row family hauler. You want confidence and predictability. The QX60 delivers that. As Autoblog noted in its review, the Sport trim "adds visual edge, even if it stops quite short of performance territory," and for most buyers, that is exactly the right trade.

Where the QX60 Sport AWD distinguishes itself from competitors is in this ride quality consistency. I have driven three-row luxury SUVs that deliver a composed ride on test routes and then reveal harshness on real road surfaces. The QX60 handled real roads, including uneven Virginia interstate pavement and a couple of rough exit ramps, without complaint.

How the QX60 Sport AWD Compares to Its Key Competitors

The Acura MDX competes directly with the QX60 at a similar price point. The MDX has a more driver-focused character and a sportier suspension tune. But it can feel firmer over rough pavement and the infotainment system, while improved, remains less intuitive than Infiniti's layout. The QX60 is the more comfortable long-haul vehicle.

The Volvo XC90 brings Scandinavian design prestige and a well-regarded plug-in hybrid variant. But a well-equipped XC90 crosses the $70,000 mark quickly. The QX60 Sport AWD at $66,650 delivers comparable cabin quality without the premium associated with the Swedish badge. The Klipsch audio system in the QX60 rivals the Harman Kardon units found in similarly priced European competitors.

The Audi Q7 carries significant badge appeal and a strong build quality reputation. But the Q7 requires premium fuel, optioning up past $70,000 is common, and dealer service costs are meaningfully higher than what Infiniti and Nissan-network service centers charge.

Infiniti's own lineup offers useful context here. The 2026 QX80 S tested by Torque News starts above $100,000, burns premium fuel at 16 MPG city, and delivers a much larger, fuller luxury experience. But for buyers who do not need full-size scale, the QX60 Sport AWD provides most of the refinement at a third of the cost gap. Meanwhile, Infiniti is also developing the new QX65 fastback SUV for buyers who want a sportier two-row profile.

The QX60 also holds a tow rating of 6,000 pounds. Most European three-row luxury SUVs in this segment top out lower, or require a more expensive powertrain upgrade to match it. For buyers who need to pull a boat, a trailer, or a loaded camper on summer weekends, the QX60 Sport AWD does not require a conversation with a sales manager about tow packages.

What 15 Years of Automotive Journalism Taught Me About This Category

After 15 years covering the automotive industry for Torque News, including test drives of everything from the 2016 QX60 V6 AWD to the 2025 Autograph, I have come to trust what repeated exposure reveals. A vehicle that performs reliably across diverse real-world conditions tells you something a controlled evaluation cannot.

The 2026 QX60 Sport AWD carried my family 800 miles across two states, navigated urban streets in Richmond, absorbed miles of interstate at highway speeds, and then handed me a tire concern on the last morning that turned out to be manageable. The vehicle did not fail. The tire held. I made it to church and back. The car went home with the fleet team looking clean and fully functional.

Here is the moral this drive reinforced. Buying a vehicle is not just an aesthetic decision. It is a commitment you make to your family's safety and comfort over thousands of miles and multiple years. The QX60 Sport AWD rewards that commitment. It is not the flashiest three-row option, and it does not try to be. What it does is serve the people inside it, on every kind of road, reliably and with genuine refinement. That kind of dependability is worth more than a badge.

For families comparing their options in the $60,000 to $70,000 three-row luxury segment, the QX60 Sport AWD belongs near the top of that consideration list. It is not perfect. The third row has its limitations. The turbocharged four-cylinder lacks the character of the old V6. But as a total package built for real family use, this vehicle competes and wins in more categories than its price suggests it should.

Have you driven the 2026 Infiniti QX60, or do you own an earlier QX60 generation that you have relied on for long road trips with your family? What was your experience with the third row and the highway ride quality? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Images by Armen Hareyan.

About The Author

Armen Hareyan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Torque News and an automotive journalist with over 15 years of experience writing car reviews and industry news. Now based in the Charlotte region (Indian Land, SC, he founded Torque News in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News on X, Linkedin, Facebook, and Youtube. Armen holds three Masters Degrees, including an MBA, and has become one of the known voices in the industry, specializing in the landscape of electric vehicles and real-world stories of actual car owners. Armen focuses on providing readers with transparent, data-backed analysis bridging the gap of complex engineering and car buyer practicality. Armen frequently participates in automotive events throughout the United States, national and local car reveals and personally test-drives new vehicles every week. Armen has also been published as an automotive expert in publications like the Transit Tomorrow, discussing how will autonomous vehicles reshape the supply chain, and emerging technologies in vehicle maintenance.