2013 Infiniti EX37 Journey AWD Review: Comfort and Cargo
What’s New:
- The 2013 EX37 introduces no significant differences in passenger comfort or cargo capacity.
The 2013 Infiniti EX37 wraps itself around the driver quite well, offer both forward occupants up-tall view of the road ahead that many crossover buyers are seeking without inducing vertigo or requiring a climb up and into the two front seats. The second row of accommodations didn’t provide an extensive amount of legroom, but none of the passengers we ferried around inside the crossover had any complaints.
Heated seats kept the driver and front passenger toasty during the sub-zero weather we endured while driving the EX, but we wish that the rear window defroster and wiper had been able to do a better job of keeping the back glass free of road grime - we often had trouble squinting through the hatch while reversing (something we were forced to do because the rearview camera was itself often obscured by salt and dirt - when will self-cleaning camera lenses become standard on luxury vehicles?). The vehicle also offered a pair of pull buttons to automatically raise the rear seatbacks to accommodate passengers after they had been folded forward to maximize storage space, which worked well providing that the front seats hadn't been reclined to the point where they interfered with the headsets of the row behind them.
This brings us to our single biggest complaint about the Infiniti EX37: its cargo capacity, or lack thereof. You will recall that during the introduction to this review we mentioned that some luxury crossovers ask buyers to make sacrifices when it comes to practicality, and that the EX was one of these vehicles. Nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes time to haul anything other than people inside the Infiniti's pinched confines.
To begin with, the EX37's cargo space between the rear seatback and the hatch is extremely shallow, with most of the crossover's floor being taken up by the full-size spare that sits underneath a lift-off cover. Spare tires are great, and with 19-inch rims on the vehicle it would be difficult to use a space saver, but the resulting lack of room for grocery or gym bags is glaring. We used the Infiniti EX to drive from Montreal out into the countryside while visiting family for the holidays, and we were forced to remove the vehicle's sliding cargo cover and fold half of the 60/40 split rear seat forward simply to accommodate the presents, luggage, and litter box that were coming with us. In fact, there was barely any room for our kitty companion's small carrier once the crossover was completely loaded, but we finally found him a spot on the remaining rear seat where he was surrounded by bags that had been crammed into each and every available space.
Put it this way: with roughly 47 cubic feet of total cargo space, the Infiniti EX37 falls short of some compact wagons when it comes to interior room for transporting gear from point A to point B. Add a full complement of passengers to the equation and you will run into real problems if anyone is bringing more than a single overnight bag with them.