We Drive The QX60, Crunch The Data, Name Easy Cars To Fix, and the Pacifica

QX60 Overview And Trims

Time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2025 Infinity QX60. Final assembly location, Smyrna, Tennessee. S M Y R N A. Available trim levels, pure, Lux, Sport, and Autograph. I have the Sport all-wheel drive. Part two. It's in PT2. I don't know what that means. It didn't explain it.

I guess not.

Design Upsides And Letdowns

Size class. I would consider this a mid-size. It is a three-row and it's tight in the back seat. So keep that in mind. If that's what you're looking for, it's available for purchase. This is a Pathfinder-based SUV. Seats including the driver six. And that includes obviously the third row. Exterior changes from last model year. Well, it was all new in 2022, but it has been refreshed for the 2026 model year. And I think you might like it. I think it's a little bit sharper addressed, if you will. Sharp, sophisticated-looking grill. Uh nicely sculpted sides. The hatch fits the upscale overall, but it's unremarkable. It looks like all of the other SUVs out there, which is kind of a bit disappointing. Black wheel well openings, which seems to be the trend these days, and I'm not exactly sure why, but okay. If you don't like to have your car fully painted, then that's the way to go. What I liked about it, the conservative styling, but with a modern infinity flare. Make it a little bit more unique in the back, especially.

Interior Tech And Usability

Interior highlights, upscale styling and surfaces, comfy seating. Front seats have uh built-in headrest speakers. Uh it's not the first company to do that, but it certainly is unique. Um, and uh it works really well. You don't have to turn the volume up on the overall in the car system. You just uh turn it up just a little bit and you got plenty of juice right there at your ears. There you go. Umtainment system is easy to use. Uh phone chargers, not complicated. Just throw the phone in there. Cargo trunk room. Well, it's small with the third row up back there. I will tell you that. What I liked about it, the two-tone services surfaces throughout the interior. We could use improvement, but maybe perhaps uh better use of the um instrumentation space, the instrumentation space in front of the driver. It was a little it was a little confusing to me. I didn't know why that they used up all that for such little information, but that's just me.

Powertrain, MPG, And Towing

Engine, two-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with 268 horsepower and 286 pound feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Tow rating? Three tons. Yeah, it's a lot for that little bitty motor. 22 miles per gallon city, 27 on the highway for a combined 24. I got 24.2 miles per gallon over 426 miles. What I liked about it, the three-ton tow rating. I didn't really realize that until I drilled down into my research on the car and going, wow, 6,000 pound tow rating? Pretty incredible. Um could use improvement. At times there is a significant turbo lag, and uh it seems like a little bit of a disconnect between the engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission. I'm sure that that'll

Driving Impressions And Pricing

be something that won't be a significant factor for everybody, but it was uh noticeable for me. Uh ride and handling, overall ride quality is superb. It could use improvement. I just put a big question mark because I really don't know when it comes to ride and handling. It uh is a pretty sweet ride. Okay, here's the pricing. Base trim price 61.7. Oh price is tested 65,100. Base model price 51590. As far as competitors, the Acura MDX is one, it starts at 51.8. Now remember, the base model price on this particular vehicle is 51,590. Acura MDX base price is 51,800, almost identical. Genesis G V 80, 57.7, and the Lincoln Aviator for 56,910. And that's my review of uh this week's car of the week, the 25 Infinity QX60. Next week we're gonna go.

Easiest Cars To Work On

All right, uh, time now on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show for Jeff's Car Culture. The easiest cars to work on.

Yeah, modern cars. So if you're at home and you're a you're a sheet tree mechanic or a home mechanic and you want simple things to fix on a vehicle or maintain, by choosing the right brand and model, uh, you can ensure most of the work can be done without visiting a repair shop. I say most, so you're gonna have to take that in for certain things. So the first one we've got we're talking about is a Toyota Corolla. May uh very well have been one of the most popular cars ever sold in the United States. Because of the popularity, you'll never have trouble finding the parts that you need. Yes. And the engine is easy to access because they use a timing chain rather than a belt. Maintenance is even easier. The best uh thing for the Corolla is known for driving hundreds of thousands of miles uh without any major malfunctions. Even if the body eventually wears out, the engine can keep going strong only with motor repairs. So there you go. Keep that in mind for the next one. Uh Kia Reel. I didn't think of this one, but it's a popular subcompact car that spent a lot of years on the streets, multiple body styles, so you can get the type that best fits your needs. Plus, small engine design makes it easy to get anywhere under the hood for quick repairs. You're also aren't going to spend a lot of time and money on parts. It helps keep the cost down that way as well. Kias are very reliable nowadays, and on the top of the list, most reliable cars. So they're they're up there with all the good ones. So chances are that you don't have many repairs if you own one of these. Hey, what is that? That's a Rio. It's a Rio. Uh-huh. It's a real car. It's a real Rio. It's a real Rio. And then, you know, the next one on the list is a Camry. It is much like the Corolla, but the Camry is just a little bit bigger. You need more room in that vehicle. This vehicle also has spanned many decades on the road with parts plentiful. The Camry has uh been built with multiple engine options. While the four-cylinder engines are the easiest to work on, the V6 shouldn't cause you any more problems than what you might think. So, with a proper maintenance, you can expect the camries to last just as long as the other Toyota cars, making it a good investment if you're looking for something long term. So if you know how to turn a wrench, there you go. Very easy stuff.

They don't make too many V6s and put them in vehicles anymore. Usually is it's a four-cylinder, but I've known people that have had that six, I actually had a V6 in the uh Lexus RX 300 that I bought back in the day.

Yeah, Kathy's got a V6 turbo in hers. That thing was the smoothest thing ever. Yep. And one that I didn't really think of uh on this list would be a Chevrolet Silverado. If you want to work on a truck, there's nothing quite as easy as the Chevrolet Silverado, so they say. Uh there may not be as many on the road as the F-150, but the spacious area under the hood makes maintenance a breeze. You can get underneath the truck and the engine compartment just as easily. You can crawl around in there underneath. If you're looking for the best models for beginners, we recommend anything from the 2003 to 2007 years. Plus, you can find plenty of OEM and aftermarket parts, making it easy to customize, you know, nerf bars, bedliners, and things like that. So some Chevy cars have been uh worked on easily along with a few of the SUVs that they produce. So if you're just dedicated to the Chevy brand, then you're bound to find something easy

Trucks And Long-Lifers

to fix in one of those lines, specifically the Silverado. The next one, a Honda Accord, uh, is another top choice, sitting a little bit bigger than the compacts, uh the Civics, and all the Camries that we talked about before. Uh simplicity is everything in this Japanese car, and it's about it's about where there are plenty of different models to choose from spanning several decades. So if you're into the Hondas, there you go. While you may need to keep up on the maintenance, the Accord is reliable as they come. With proper care, you can get this car to go about 300,000 miles, which is awesome, uh, without any major problems. Major problems. You're gonna have some minor stuff, the maintenance of repairs. Even when repairs are needed, you can find a plethora of OEM and aftermarket. Mike, that means a lot. Uh next one, last one on the list, and you could pick any of these out and go with them from there, but it's the Mazda MX5. The Mazda MX5 Miata is a sports car making it stand out among the lists, even though it's designed to bring a lot of fun on the road, it's simpler than you would think to work on. The engine is easy to access, and all of the spark plugs down are on top. Parts in the car are also easy to swap. Plus, there's a nice supply of aftermarket of things available if you want to decide to customize your ride. Considering how cheaply you can buy a used Mazda uh Mazda Miata, it makes sense that this project would be a good idea.

And if you want to go weekend road racing, they've got a whole racing program for the amateur like you and me to get out there and go for it. Spec racing, it's called. And I'll tell you what, I visited a couple of events where all of the MX5 Miata guys were out there racing their cars, and what a what a what a great group of guys. Kind of reminded me of the Corvette Club back in the day.

Yeah, you remember when we went to Coda with Mazda? Yeah, there was some of them that actually drove their car to the tracks, changed the tires, went racing, changed the tires back, and drove home. Yep, I do. I mean, just amazing.

Well, back in the day, they a lot of people did that before the trailers, so there you go.

All right. All

Pacifica Minivan Walkaround

right, uh, NL Time is now bringing you a car review. One that we've put off way too long. Mars is now bringing you a car review. One that we've put off way too long. Mars has been chomping at the bit for this. Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Mars and a review of the new Chrysler Pacifica. You go, Mikey.

Yay! So I have to say up front that that my week with this vehicle reminded me of why I like those minivans. They don't fit my lifestyle right now, but I do love them. Now, this vehicle was introduced in 2017, and it is the 2025 Chrysler Pacifica. And uh its final assembly point is in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Uh, a lot of parts come from a lot of places, but that's where they put it together. Now, it's available actually in seven trim levels with four of them involved as part of the hybrids. They're the selected, the limited, and uh the pinnacle. Now we happen to be driving the limited all-wheel drive this week. It is a minivan and it has passenger seating for seven. Now up front, you're gonna find uh the LED functional lights all the way around, projector headlamps, got rain sensing wipers, hands-free sliding doors, and it had the S appearance package. Now, this came with a brilliant white with black trim, and I love that combination whenever they do it right. Had the black side mirrors, roof rails, black wheels on it. Uh, it had the hands-free sliding doors I mentioned, and then it had the panoramic sunroof. Now, this is the two-pane sunroof. Uh, you know,

Cabin Features And Family Tech

it gets hot down here in Texas, but it's nice on a nice moonlit night. Had the uh hands-free power lift gate in the back of it, and it was rolling on some nice 20 by 7.5 inch aluminum wheels that were painted black to go along with the package. And it has a very nice overall sophisticated look, I think, in that black and white combination. Now, inside, this thing is really where it stands out because this is a passenger-related vehicle. It's a people hauler, it's got heated front seats, the second row seats are heated, the front seats are also vented. So the second and throw seat, uh, second and the third row seats are part of the stow and go seating system that comes with uh Chrysler puts in these vehicles so that the seats actually slow down into the floor, and the back seats actually got some push buttons, the front seats. You've got to kind of manually maneuver them, but they all fit down in there nice and flat, so you have a flat floor. Now, up front, you've got a 10.1 inch touchscreen. That's where you're gonna get your Apple CarPlay, your Android, your 360 degrees around video camera so that you can see everything around you. This vehicle had the seatback video monitors on it for the second row people, and uh it's great for the family because they can get in there and the itty-biddies can play and watch things while you're going down the road and not be hollering and screaming so much. And it also had the family cam, that way you could look up into your rear view mirror, and it kind of focuses on the back of the vehicle so you can see what's going on back there. Uh, it also had 19 Harmon Carbon speakers with a subwoofer and a 760-watt amp scattered around. And uh there's just a ton of stuff on the inside of this vehicle as far as value content goes for a family.

V6 Performance And Efficiency

Up front, it has a 3.6 liter V6. Now, this is the rock solid engine that Chrysler uses in all sorts of vehicles. 287 horsepower, 262 pound feet. Now, this vehicle weighs in at four found over 4,000 pounds, and it is all-wheel drive, so it has a nine-speed automatic to back up that engine. The tow rating is 3,600 pounds. Now, the EPA says that you should be able to get around 17 miles in the city, you should look for 25 out on the highway and combined. It's 20. Now, I drove this vehicle 172.1, so obviously it was a lot of in town, didn't get out on the highway much. But I got 16.7 miles per gallon, and I was quite happy with that knowing what it would do and how it would do and how I was driving it. The uh because it has more than adequate power, it'll get you around through traffic around town. It's easy to maneuver and drive in between parking lots and town traffic, and it's quiet. And it's got enough audio in it that you can really hear the quality of the audio because of the quiet, and it's got a lot of glass all around it, so you can see around what's going on all around you while you're driving

Pricing And Competitors

it. And then as far as pricing goes, you know, you can actually get into this vehicle down to the base trim level, the stripper level, $42,450, which I think is very reasonable for the base level of this vehicle. Now, the base trim price that we were driving is $49,570. As we tested it with the MSRP and some options in it, we had the $59,165. It's still under $60,000 for a nice vehicle that's going to comfortably haul a family of seven, got room for some cargo and a lot of things that you can do with this vehicle. Comparables would be a Toyota Sienna. Now, this is a hybrid-only vehicle, it starts at $39,485. The Kia Carnival starts at $38,235. And the Honda Odyssey, which is the higher price one, is at $43,7154. Again, base model comparison across the three of them. So if you're looking for something for the family for a people hauler, I mean we've seen these things used for at concerts, picking up people for taxi cabs. These are nice people hauler vehicles, and I really enjoyed driving it this week.

I always have loved those things anyway.