Phone and GPS Mounts for an Infiniti QX50

Infiniti QX50 InteriorThe Infiniti QX50 is a small luxury SUV made by the luxury division of Nissan.  This is another one of those vehicles that you would think is easy to choose a mount for, but it’s not.  The compact size, placement of speakers and cup holders and contours of the dash make this more challenging.

Mount Analysis

Our typical photo of the interior of the Infiniti QX50 accompanies this article.  It’s a nice interior and reminds us (not surprisingly) of the Infiniti QX60 interior.  Well, except it’s more compact.  So compact that you can forget about mounting a tablet in the Infiniti QX50, it’s simply too small to mount anything larger than a smartphone (at least in our opinion).

A car seat bolt mount will not work on an Infiniti QX50.  The seat bolts are covered by a plastic lid.  While you can use the option to bolt it directly to the floor board, most are not going to want to drill holes into their vehicle’s floor, so let’s steer clear of these.

The cup holder isn’t going to work well in the Infiniti QX50.  The cup holders are located in an area not easily seen and they are covered with a lid.  The close quarters of the QX50 make for a very uncomfortable ride using a cup holder mount.  We do not recommend using this location.

The dash presents a small issue.  There’s a big speaker located right in the middle of the top of the dash.  That’s typically where you mount most devices.  A small mount located to either side would be needed.  Be certain not to block your view of the road with the mounted device.  While a phone or GPS might be possible, a tablet cannot fit.

Now we assume most Infiniti QX50 owners have a factory installed GPS in their vehicle.  However, some owners prefer their Garmin GPS so we’ll not only discuss phone mounts, but also a few for a Garmin GPS.

Infiniti QX50 Mount Recommendations

The windshield is perhaps the best location for a smartphone or GPS in an Infiniti QX50.  The iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Car Mount provides an extendable rigid base combined with an expandable cradle.  Unlike many similar mounts, the iOttie Easy One Touch 5 has an 8-inch extension feature.  An extension is always a welcome addition to an SUV mount.  The included cradle expands by pressing the buttons on each side.  This is large enough to hold most phones.

The air vent will work ok.  Like the Q60, the vents on the Infiniti Q50 aren’t conventional.  They kind of slope up then down and towards the sides.  A mount that includes a clamping or vice type of grip is going to work best.  A ball and socket mount will be needed to deal with the slope.  Your results may vary with this location.

If selecting this mounting location, consider the Andobil Air Vent Mount.  This mount can be used to hold most phone models with or without a case.  The ball and socket design facilitates a 360 degree rotation.  The included cradle opens to accommodate phones up to 3.75 inches wide.  The mount uses a unique locking clip to securely attach to horizontal and vertical vents.  The cradle is removable to expose a 17mm ball suitable for a Garmin vehicular GPS such as a Garmin Nuvi or Garmin Drive.

Apple iPhone owners can scope out the Andobil MagSafe Air Vent Mount which is the same mount but with a magnetic adapter that pairs perfectly.

Read our Andobil car air vent review for a lot more information.

The CD player isn’t a bad choice in this vehicle however it comes with a few caveats.  The CD player is located somewhat close to the gear shift however, it does appear to have sufficient clearance for mounts that will place the device somewhat flush to the dash.  Additionally, the mount will need to swivel the device into landscape mode as portrait may position the phone too low on the dash.

For a phone or GPS, consider the Apps2Car CD Slot Mount which uses a knob on the bottom to secure the mount within the CD player. I prefer this mount to others in this category as it will permit a more custom and secure fitting.  You don’t want the mount to rattle around inside the player.  The cradle opens to almost 4 inches which is wide enough for most phones and many GPS devices.

Summary

So let’s review where we stand on mounts for the Infiniti QX50.  The windshield, CD player and vent are good.  Dash is possible.  Avoid the seat bolt and cup holder.  And in case you missed it, a tablet is a difficult device to mount in this vehicle.