PHOENIX — There’s no denying that the U.S. car-buying community is crossover-crazy, shunning traditional family sedans for a piece of the upscale driving action you get with the likes the popular Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Jaguar F-Pace and numerous others including the Infiniti QX50, the long awaited replacement for the EX and QX50 predecessors after a one-year hiatus.

PHOENIX — The Q50 Infiniti’s best-selling sedan gets a mid-cycle refresh for 2018. That means, rather than a complete redo, there’s tweaking to the front and rear fascia, modest changes to the interior as well as innovative technologies designed to support the driving experience. One would have to park the outgoing 2017 Q50 next to the refreshed 2018 to discern the difference, visually. Up front, there are new lower air intakes, a modestly reshaped front bumper, and a grille that’s a bit more dimensional.

PHOENIX — The Q50 is a compact entry-level luxury sedan and Infiniti’s best-selling vehicle. Introduced for the 2013 model year, it replaced the popular Infiniti G37 sedan. We weren’t fond of the new Q50 when it was introduced, and felt Infiniti took a step backward from both the G37 it replaced and competitors in the segment like Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Jaguar XE and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans.

PHOENIX — The Infiniti QX30 is yet the latest all-new vehicle to enter the heavily populated and growing entry-level compact luxury crossover utility vehicle segment, joining Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, to name a few. Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand and, for the most part, builds quite excellent vehicles. Stylistically, Infinitis have always had more visual appeal than competitors from Acura and Lexus. But I’ve never found them particularly thrilling to drive. More about that in a bit.

INDIANAPOLIS — The QX30 is a stylish little Infiniti crossover. Or, is it?  Beneath the flowing chiseled bodywork are the bones and powertrain of the Mercedes-Benz GLA. That’s a good start, because despite a few quirks and princely price tag, it’s a nice little Infinedes.