Infiniti JX's Smart Second Row Means No More Squeeze Play

Infiniti says the second row slides forward and backward 5.5 inches to ease third-row access, and we found that there’s plenty of room for an adult to get by. The doors open wide, too, easing the process, though the step-in height is very high. Smaller children and older adults will have trouble with the height.

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We moved the second-row seat easily in one fluid motion using a lever on the side of the seat, raising and sliding it forward at once. Although the seat itself is pretty heavy, it slides smoothly and is a one-person maneuver. A forward-facing child seat can stay installed on the seat during the process. The added weight of the child-safety seat was noticeable, but the process was still manageable.

Managing Editor David Thomas used his own Britax Marathon car seat in the passenger-side second-row seat over the weekend. “It was strange to see such a large child seat move out of the way like that. My wife was able to get into the third row easily, but my baby boomer parents who were in town for a visit couldn’t handle the maneuver at all.” He did like the sliding second row in terms of giving third-row passengers more room on the fly. The seats weren’t too heavy to slide back and forth, even with kids sitting in child seats.

And then there are the Latch anchors. They were easy to find and use, but they’re only in the second row’s outboard seats. Infiniti could’ve added them to the third row, too. Same for the third-row tether anchor; there’s only one for a seat that holds two passengers. As for the second row, the center seatback doubles as an armrest, so it’s not a safe place for a rear-facing child seat. Lastly, three car seats don’t fit across the JX’s second row. Some midsize SUVs — including Nissan’s Murano — accomplish this feat; click here for a list of vehicles that can do this.

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