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Space is often referred to as “the last frontier.” In the automobile business, the last frontier may be the luxury sport-utility market.

There is a plethora of sport-utility vehicles offered today. But luxury SUVs like the 1997 Infiniti QX4 are far less common.

An upscale sport ute generally is the province of an upscale accompanying passenger car. In the Infiniti’s case, the accompanying automobile is the high-dollar Q45 sedan.

While the Q45 comes in at about $48,000, the QX4 runs considerably less – about $35,500. However, as an upscale SUV, it offers all the accouterments expected in more expensive forms of transportation.

Style-wise, the QX4 looks like a sport utility vehicle. The front end has an ample display of upper and lower lighting to accommodate night exploration. The vehicle stands almost 71 inches high and is 72.4 inches in width, and that works against the potential for a low co-efficient of drag.

As with expensive motor cars, the interior of the QX4 leans toward the posh, with leather and a wide array of woodgrain trim. There is no shortage of power assists, since about everything that can be moved has an electronic genie at its bidding.

The vehicle seats five, with the front seats split by a console. Four doors are standard on the QX4.

The designers also had the good sense to include running boards, which make it much easier to enter and exit the vehicle. If you happen to be a small person, you don’t have to take a gigantic leap to gain access to the seating.

The eight-way-power front driver’s seat and the four-way-power front passenger’s seat provide comfortable, high seating positions for maximum visibilty.

Once in, a driver is greeted by a fairly standard four-gauge instrumentation layout. There is the basic speedometer-tachometer-temperature-fuel cluster. A 4WD warning light and All-Mode indicator are included.

For the back seat, there is the traditional 60/40 split fold-down arrangement to enhance cargo capacity. There are storage pockets front and back, and in keeping with the luxury theme, the steering wheel, parking brake, shift lever and transmission transfer case knobs are leather wrapped.

Under the hood, the QX4 is a V-6.

Only one engine, a 3.3-liter single overhead cam 12-valve, is offered. And there is only one transmission available: a four-speed automatic that works in conjunction with Infiniti’s All-Mode 4WD system.

Power and torque are pretty respectable at 168-horsepower and 196 foot-pounds of torque. That can tow up to 5,000 pounds, a towing capacity that can handle items such as a boat or a fair-sized house trailer.

The engine has a fairly basic rocker arm valve train with two valves per cylinder. Fuel consumption is rated at 15 miles per gallon city/19 highway, which are good for a four-wheel drive SUV weighing a touch more than 4,200 pounds.

The weight with 168 horses in hand tends to negate any drag-racing activities, but then that’s not what the QX4 was designed for.

It real ly was designed for a smooth and easy drive and ride a la the Q45, with the potential for off-road work thrown in for good measure. The independent front and multilink rear suspension leans toward a car-like ride.

High point of the QX4’s technical features is the All-Mode 4WD system. It gives the driver a variety of choices that range from rear drive only to a locked mode that has all four wheels turning at the same speed.

The system is activated by a three-position switch. One position has the QX4 driven by its rear wheels only. Next is a mode that puts the system into automatic four-wheel drive, and varies a front/rear torque split dependent upon the amount of front/rear traction available.

Finally, everything can be locked up so that torque is divided equally between the front wheels and the rear so that they run at equal speed. This mode is engaged by a separate transfercase lever and is activated when the going gets really tough.

Being a luxury SUV, options are rath er lim ited, with the principal ones being a power sun roof, heated front seats and a sports package. It all adds up to a sport utility living in the wilds of suburbia, which is where most of the driving of the QX4 is going to be done.