As Christmas calls and the new year is around the corner, I find myself going down memory lane. I’m presently holding close to the wonderful memories made during the Thanksgiving holiday with loved ones — and in a very special set of wheels.
You see, holiday travel has a way of testing everything — your patience, your planning, and especially your car. That’s why, when my husband and I decided to pack up our sons and do a road trip from New York City to Chicago to see my family for a few days to kick off the holiday season, we left our everyday wheels (which we’re grateful for) at home and opted to test the strength of the 2026 INFINITI QX60.
To be specific, we tested the Autograph AWD version (starts around $66,690 versus $51,590 for the standard). This is the model of the car that has the most luxurious features, from semi-aniline leather seating and massaging and heated seats in the driver and passenger seat, to a wood trim and always-on ambient lighting alongside the door panels. Though I didn’t need all of that to make the drive, it certainly made a difference. With my boys in the back and my husband in the shotgun, we logged nearly 26 hours on the road, there and back, with luggage, car seats, devices, snacks, and the inevitable chaos of family travel in tow. (A diaper leak, a few too many stops to use the bathroom, and some insane snowfall — more on that shortly…) Nevertheless, the result was a trip that felt surprisingly calm, comfortable, and even productive. And something we wouldn’t mind doing again.
From the moment we packed up the back, the QX60 made its case as a true luxury SUV for families. With the third row folded down, the cargo area easily fit a trunk, my suitcase, my husband’s massive duffel bag, and plenty of other bookbags, pillows, coats, and items that helped us get cozy in the car and at our lodging, including the must-haves when on the move with kids.
So yes, it is spacious. You can actually tell that from the outside looking in (I was hypnotized by the dreamy Deep Emerald shade with teh Black Obsidian accents). As for its performance, the vehicle is a 2.0-liter VC-Turbo four-cylinder engine paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, delivering 268 horsepower and 286 lb-ft of torque. This allows for a balance of fuel economy and performance, producing an EPA-estimated 24 mpg.
The ride was smooth and steady, which I am beyond thankful for. Some of that was logistics-based. Leaving NYC, which we did around 4:30 a.m. the Wednesday morning before the holiday, we encountered little to no disruption in traffic. We made great time, touching down in the Chi by dinner time. But much of it was due to the car’s capabilities. It hugged the city’s downtown roads with ease, while also cruising long stretches of the I-90 highway comfortably during our journey. It was very easy to handle.
On the trip back, though, we had to make the trek in heavy snowfall. And I mean heavy. The night before, snow had hit the midwest heavily, so as we headed home, we had to drive carefully, especially as we traversed Indiana. Roads were NOT properly cleared and many a car, from vans to coupes and even tractor-trailer trucks, were sidelined and flipped over in the snow on the highway. But thanks to the QX60’s available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and multiple drive modes, including Sport and Snow, we had traction and control throughout varied conditions on our route. By the time we hit Ohio, we were smooth sailing again. There was no sliding, no loss of control, just tunes and conversation — and very cozy, warm seats.
Those tunes came courtesy of the 12.3-inch display for infotainment, and the Klipsch audio system. The car has up to 20 speakers, along with an innovative headrest sound system, allowing me to enjoy music without needing to blare it because I could hear it just fine by my ears. And music I did indeed play, from gospel to keep me focused when it was early and I was nervous, to upbeat Afrobeats and my workout playlist (because you need those energizing hits to keep you very, very alert). The infotainment system was also very helpful, with the Google-built-in system, which we utilized for navigation and voice-controlled assistance. No need to actually pick up my phone to reply to “How is the drive?” and “Where are you guys now?” texts. Eyes on the road!
And major props to the many charging ports. They kept the boys’ tablets powered, which allowed for us to experience zero meltdowns on both legs of the trip. Phones were powered throughout the drive, including with help from the wireless charging pad underneath the infotainment system. I was even able to catch up on work from the passenger seat without worrying about battery life or cords being in the way because I could plug in and comb through emails.
And then there are the modern must-haves important to note. That includes the forward collision warning system, the ability to keep you from veering into another lane without a signal, blind-spot intervention, and a 3D camera view of the car to help when parking, which was crucial when navigating the tight (but plentiful in spaces) parking garage at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, where we dwelled.
These features in this stunning vehicle offered me peace of mind for myself and my family. And while the upscale aspects of it all may not seem necessary to you on paper, we do deserve luxury, ladies! We do deserve to drive with ambient lighting, and to hop in the car with ground illumination with the Infini wordmark to let us know we’re welcome and that we’re going to have an incredible ride. We deserve to let the sunshine in from the moonroof during a sunny drive, and to sit in comfy seats that offer not just warmth, but a massage, after a long day. We deserve to feel like we’re having an elevated experience, even with our babies in the back.
With that luxury, we were still able to make the car work for the needs of a family of four, including a toddler, and everyone was comfortable and content. The 2026 INFINITI Qx60 was a capable, cozy essential during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. And it is a vehicle that somehow made an incredibly long driving experience feel like a joyful part of our family’s holiday experience.