The Infiniti QX4 Was A Pathfinder For Ballers

"Margin Of Error" (marginoferror) 02/10/2015 at 12:56 • Filed to: FORGOTTEN CLASSICS, FC, ESSAYS

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Call it the poor man's Range Rover or the Grand Cherokee for people that only want one vehicle, the Infiniti QX4 had a brief but brilliant career.

Welcome to Forgotten Classics.

As demonstrated in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the goal of this series of essays is be to bring cars that are getting no love back in the limelight. FC is also a thorough analysis of why such cars remained obscure and never got the praise they deserved.

This week is our Valentine day special, so we will be discussing a vehicle we all love, the 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4, a vehicle that was a true capable and reliable midsize luxury SUV.

Nissan have a great reputation for building awesome pick-up trucks, just think of the Nissan Hardbody pickup trucks. In the mid nineties, the SUV craze was in full swing, and back then, it was not about half-assed crossover, no sir, it was about rugged vehicle that could use a lift kit so you can hit the great of Africa to hunt some antelopes (African deers) but still look classy parked in front of your local Opera room.

A few examples are Jeep Grand Cherokee :

The Land Rover Discovery :

The Ford Explorer :

The Nissan Pathfinder :

The R50 Nissan Pathfinder (pictured above) was used as a base by Nissan's luxury branch, Infinti, for it's all new Luxury SUV, the Infiniti QX4.

The QX4 was a Pathfinder without the 3rd world turbodiesel engines (no-us) and cloth seats. Instead, it came with the mighty VQ 3.5 engine, leather all around, sunroof, wood, etc. In other words, it came loaded as a Range Rover at a fraction of the price.

The QX4 was a big success from the start. While the company was struggling moving their G20's, M45 and other I or J-something, the QX4 was selling like free hotcakes in a Gulag.

In 2003, Infiniti inexplicably decided to get rid of the midsize QX4 in favor of two models, the Murano-based FX softroader and and the full size pickup-based QX56, which still holds the record for the ugliest vehicle ever made.

Both new vehicles sold a good as the QX4, and Infiniti went back to its former status of marginal luxury brand. We will never know for sure what triggered that decision to kill the QX4, but my guess is that Nissan's design team was on a mission to design outrageous vehicles, and that the classy looking QX4 was declared too conservative.

There are still nice QX4 out there to get for cheap, do not hesitate, they are as good as Range Rovers and as reliable as your accountant's Camry.

Thanks for reading.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:01

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My father had a 1999.5 QX4 (still had a VG33E engine in it). I took my driving test in it.

The one thing I didn't like about it was the fact that I could never get the seat back far enough to be comfortable. That, and it needed a 5th gear, as it turned 3000 RPM at 70-75. The pre-facelift (in 2000) QX4 interior looked like this.

Margin Of Error > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 02/10/2015 at 13:03

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The downsides or real SUVs I guess.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:04

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We will never know for sure what triggered that decision to kill the QX4

Because Nissan was killing the R50 Pathfinder the QX4 was based on in favor of an all-new, BOF design?

I do like the QX4 though. I looking into a couple when I was looking for a mid-sized SUV. But, I noticed there wasn't much difference between a Pathfinder LE and a QX4 other than the badge, front and rear fascias, and some HID headlights.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:06

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This had more room than the facelift interior for me, but if the pedal mounts were slightly further away, it would have been fine. Also, headroom.

The trade off is that the VQ35DE engine came with the facelift interior, and the VG33E engine was before 2001. And if you have the VG33E engine, it's * SLOW * (VG33E was a 168hp V6. The VQ35DE was a 240hp engine.)

Doug DeMuro > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:07

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Ah the ol QX4. It's worth noting that the early ones actually had a tremendously underpowered 170hp 3.3-liter V6 under the hood. The 3.5 came later, I think 2002, which helped matters, but NOTHING could help the awful 3 spoke wheels.

Thanks for a stroll down luxury SUV memory lane.

Margin Of Error > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 02/10/2015 at 13:08

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The R50 kept going for a few years as the x-trail, and the r51 was never infinitified

Margin Of Error > Doug DeMuro 02/10/2015 at 13:09

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You are welcome, Mr. Demuro ! thanks for stopping by !

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:09

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The old QX isn't bad, the new one however is disgusting.

Margin Of Error > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/10/2015 at 13:10

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yea, verily

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:14

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It's like the front an rear ends were designed but different people who were alloyed to communicate. and That big chrome vent on the fender... ugh

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:15

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Did anyone else go around calling these "Q-by-fours"?

Margin Of Error > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/10/2015 at 13:16

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It's atrocious.

Margin Of Error > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 02/10/2015 at 13:17

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LOL, never thought of that, very clever !

HammerheadFistpunch > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:18

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the QX56 was sort of still the same formula since the Armada on which it was based shares the same F platform as the R51 Pathfinder, and I beg to differ, the QX80 is WAY uglier.

Textured Soy Protein > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:21

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1. This generation of Pathfinder (and the QX4) is actually unibody, not body-on-frame. Kinda like a Grand Cherokee in that it's unibody but with trucky-ish running gear and suspension.

2. The FX is not Murano-based. It's on the FM platform shared with the Z, G, and M.

3. The QX4 (and Pathfinder) got the VQ35 in 2001.

4. When it came out, the QX4's big advantage over the Pathfinder was full-time 4wd, which was not available on the Pathfinder (in the US, at least). In '01 when both were updated with VQ motor, the Pathfinder LE gained full-time 4wd. Between an '01-'03 QX4 and an '01-'04 Pathfinder LE, the QX4 swaps out the Pathfinder's digital clock for an analog one, adds HID headlights, wood trim on the steering wheel, and heated rear seats. The '01 QX4 got an updated interior but the Pathfinder kept its old interior for a couple more years. The '03 Pathfinder got the upgraded interior.

(I spent a fair amount of time trying to buy a VQ-equipped QX4 or Pathfinder.)

HammerheadFistpunch > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/10/2015 at 13:24

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They were, this is what its supposed to look like.

The y62 patrol...MUCH nicer.

Birddog > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:30

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The Pathy/QX and first gen Xterra are some of my favorite rigs.

Nissan wasn't afraid to gear these things short either.

Most Jeep GCs were lucky to get differentials in the 3.23-3.55 range while Nissan was stuffing 4.30 or deeper gears front and rear.

Perfect if you plan on stuffing 33" tires under it.

Robert Chandler > Textured Soy Protein 02/10/2015 at 13:32

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The unibody allowed the foot wells to be lower than a conventional frame design without sacrificing ground clearance. It made for more comfortable seating positions.

carcrasher88 > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 13:46

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And, like many other Infiniti models of the 90's and '00s, the Japanese were able to buy it as a Nissan. In this case, the Terrano Regulus, literally a QX4 with Nissan badges.

Textured Soy Protein > Robert Chandler 02/10/2015 at 13:52

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I'm cool with unibody, I have a Grand Cherokee.

Widget_Master > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 14:25

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My grandparents had a QX4. It was nice to drive, and the AWD helped in the snow. It guzzled gas though.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 14:31

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They never put a 5sp auto in this car?

Margin Of Error > Widget_Master 02/10/2015 at 14:36

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it was a proper 4WD, but yes the VQ was never a frugal engine.

Margin Of Error > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 02/10/2015 at 14:37

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I do not have this information at the moment

Margin Of Error > carcrasher88 02/10/2015 at 14:38

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I like that hood mounted mirror

carcrasher88 > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 14:48

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Ah, yes. The familiar Japanese wing mirror.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Margin Of Error 02/10/2015 at 14:51

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My friend has a QX4, and I looked at one at one point. Excellent value.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Margin Of Error 02/11/2015 at 10:09

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I am only seeing 4sp versions. I wonder what would swap in?

Your boy, BJR > Margin Of Error 02/24/2015 at 15:09

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Acura SLX: Bro do you even obscure rebadged Japanese luxury SUV?

Mason Goodman > Your boy, BJR 03/09/2015 at 13:46

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Is that a Trooper?

Your boy, BJR > Mason Goodman 03/09/2015 at 14:00

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why yes saabguy, yes it is.

L80GAGA > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 07/19/2015 at 17:10

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Yes thw QX4 did come with a 5spd manual but only in 2WD form. The Pathfinder could be had with the stick in 4X4 form, these are the 3.5L versions which came after 2001.

Andrew Dent > Textured Soy Protein 11/12/2015 at 11:36

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I’m hoping you have the answer I’ve had trouble finding on the forums. I had a 2003 SE Pathfinder that was intimidating to drive in the rain, especially on bumpy highway exit ramps. I’ve read that the full-time 4wd on the LE powers only the rear wheels until it detects a slipping wheel, and only then does it give the front wheels torque. Is this true, and will that keep me any safer in the rain? Is there a benefit to the QX4’s ATTESA system that will help rainy highway driving?

Textured Soy Protein > Andrew Dent 11/12/2015 at 12:02

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As far as I know the QX4 and the Pathfinder LE with the VQ35 have the same exact full-time 4wd system. They both have this same switch on the dash:

In 2WD mode, you’re rwd-only.

In AUTO, it’s awd, where the computer varies the front/rear torque split on demand. Technically it’s waiting until the rears slip before it sends power to the front, but in practice, the awd computer is usually rather proactive about sending torque to the front.

4H locks the front and rear axles together so you’ve got a fixed 50/50 front/rear split. This is for driving in particularly rough conditions. For normal, rainy driving, you should stick in AUTO.

4LO has the same locked 50/50 torque split but engages the low range gear in the transfer case for crawling up or down hills at slow speeds, or pulling out of situations where you’re stuck.

This 4wd system is on the 2001-2004 Pathfinder LE, and all years of the QX4. The ’01-’04 are more desirable because they have the VQ35 engine.

As for whether this will help in rainy highway driving, sure 4WD AUTO will give you some more mechanical grip than driving in rwd mode. But good tires are just as much if not more important. Unfortunately there are a lot of really crappy all-season truck tires out there so you may well have something on there that’s not ideal for the conditions.

Andrew Dent > Textured Soy Protein 11/12/2015 at 12:27

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Wow, thanks for the quick and detailed response! I’ve just noticed on the “ATTESA” wikipedia page that the QX4 is listed under applications while the Pathfinder is not. It very well may just be an accidental omission or assumed to include any car on that platform. I just wanted to make sure. I’ll pay extra attention to which tires I choose on my next Pathfinder but the live rear axle will always be in the back of my mind while driving over bumps in the rain.

Just to be clear, this is the situation I’m worried about - Driving on a curved road in the rain, hitting a bump and losing tracking in the rear wheels. If that happens, would I need to apply a small bit of throttle to let the auto-4wd know that the rear wheels are slipping? Or will the system detect the rear wheels instantly and correct that oversteer?

Textured Soy Protein > Andrew Dent 11/12/2015 at 12:39

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I wouldn’t go too much off that wikipedia page. The Pathfinder and QX4 had different options in different regions and it could well have been that the Pathfinder was left off, since the at least in the US, the R50 Pathfinder on which the QX4 is based only had the auto 4wd system on one trim level (LE) and only on certain years (’01-’04).

As far as how to drive it in the rain, the 4wd computer is constantly checking for wheel slip based on the individual ABS wheel speed sensors. You shouldn’t try to give it extra gas to “encourage” the computer, because it’ll know the wheels are slipping before you do. You’ll just end up encouraging the car to slide.

Andrew Dent > Textured Soy Protein 11/12/2015 at 17:46

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Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such quality answers to my questions. I’m looking forward to my next Pathfinder!