L.A. Auto Show 2017: Infiniti QX50's revolutionary new VC Turbo engine

L.A. Auto Show 2017: Infiniti QX50’s revolutionary new VC Turbo engine

Nov. 28, 2017 5 PM PT

It’s difficult to imagine what any automaker could do to goose the midsize sport utility vehicle market. But Infiniti is coming to the 2019 model year with luxury appointments on a new platform with a revolutionary power plant under the hood.

What is it?

Infiniti is adding to its already substantial SUV line with the QX50, a luxury midsize crossover laden with new technology. Built using high-tensile-strength steel and an industry-first variable compression ratio engine, the QX50 is said to be 23% lighter than the current model, and the engine delivers 35% better fuel economy than the V-6 engine it replaces.

Why it matters

The QX50’s new internal combustion power plant, coming at a time when many car companies are focusing more energy on hybrid and electric technologies, “will extend the functional life span of gasoline engines,” one analyst said.

“The internal combustion engine keeps evolving,” said Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer. “The variable compression technology Infiniti is debuting in the QX50 represents a major breakthrough in both performance and efficiency.”

What's new?

The heart of the new vehicle is the revolutionary (but untested with the public) power plant, under development for decades but appearing here for the first time in a production vehicle. The 2-liter VC Turbo, in-line 4-cylinder engine is able to instantly adjust the piston stroke to transform compression ratios and maximize efficiency, combining what Infiniti calls the power of the traditional gasoline engine with the torque and fuel economy of diesel.

The ability to allow the VC Turbo to choose its own compression ratio makes this power plant an “engine engineer’s dream,” said Shinichi Kiga, Nissan’s chief power train engineer. The VC Turbo is also 20 kilograms lighter than the engine it replaces, Kiga said, but costs no more to manufacture.

The competition

Infiniti’s new offering enters a full field. The QX50 will join sweetly configured sporty SUVs from BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Land Rover, Jaguar, Lexus, Acura and even Maserati and Alfa Romeo — many of which already offer multiple variations — and even its own QX60. The Japanese brands have tended to be bestsellers, but the German marques command fierce brand loyalty, meaning Infiniti may struggle to grab sales.

The details

The QX50's engine will put out a promised 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, and deliver a combined fuel economy of 27 miles per gallon on the front-wheel-drive models and 26 mpg on all-wheel-drive versions. Capable of 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, it will have a top speed of 143 mph. The vehicle will also be outfitted with the ProPilot semi-automated driving-assist package found on other Infiniti and Nissan vehicles.

The L.A. Auto Show runs Dec. 1 to Dec. 10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Times coverage is at latimes.com/autos.

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Charles Fleming

Charles Fleming writes about automobiles and motorcycles for the Los Angeles Times’ Business section. He also writes the urban hiking column LA Walks. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Variety and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, he is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess,” the New York Times bestseller “My Lobotomy,” and “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and its sequel, “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.”