As I wrote in my previous update, the 2019 Infiniti QX50’s cutting-edge powertrain needs a little more refinement (and probably a different transmission). But with a 40-minute morning commute that stretches to an hour or more when I head home, I tend to value a low-stress drive more than anything else. Thanks to ProPilot Assist, that’s one area where the QX50 really shines.
When I say ProPilot Assist, though, it’s important to point out that I’m really referring to all the features included in two driver-assist packages. For $550, ProAssist gives you adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert with collision intervention, and a sort of ACC-lite called Distance Control Assist. Another $2,000 gets you the ProActive package, which adds the more advanced ProPilot Assist, along with a few other driver-assist features.
Infiniti’s adaptive cruise control can adjust driving speed based on the car in front of you, but it can’t handle the kind of low-speed traffic urban commuters deal with on a daily basis. That’s where ProPilot Assist comes in. Not only does it add steering assist for easier highway cruising, but it also adds stop-and-go capability.
Over the past few months, ProPilot has become a popular feature among the staff. Following a 700-mile drive, editor-in-chief Ed Loh even went so far as to declare it “Infiniti’s best technology.” But unless I’m in the HOV lane, I tend to use Distance Control Assist instead. It gives you most of the safety benefits you get from adaptive cruise control without requiring you to set a desired speed. Most luxury automakers offer lane-centering adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking, but features similar to DCA are much less common.
That said, these systems aren’t perfect. ProPilot’s steering assist is generally pretty good at keeping the car in the middle of a lane, but it does occasionally pull hard to one side or the other, and low-speed stops could be smoother. DCA is also a little finicky, often throwing on the brakes right as you start to change lanes. Reducing the system’s sensitivity when the turn signal is on would probably help.
The good news is that it isn’t hard to adapt to or work around these issues. And especially if you have a long commute, ProPilot’s probably worth the price.
Read more about our long-term 2019 Infiniti QX50:
The post 2019 Infiniti QX50 Long-Term Update 2: Commute King appeared first on MotorTrend.
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