Our Apple Picking Adventure in the Infiniti JX

Shortly before moving to the city over two years ago, we sold my car (We sold MacKay’s when he moved nine months prior.) It wasn’t an emotional break up because I knew it was a necessary step in moving forward with our new life in New York City.

Having a car in the city just isn’t practical for us. As much as I would LOVE for it to be practical (and I’ve even tried to make it in my mind,) it’s just not. It’s another expensive expense that didn’t make sense for our family.

Little did I realize how spoiled I was having a car to go from place to place. I love the ease of just hopping on a bus, train, or taxi here in the city. But the simplicity of jumping in a car and driving to Target or for a quick family trip are the things that I miss.

Despite not having a car while living here, we have managed to leave every fall for a day trip out of the city to go apple picking at Dr. Davie’s Farm in Congers, New York. Living in the city can sometimes make you feel like you live in a bubble, so it’s nice to branch out and get away every once in a while. Our usual routine is to get a Zip Car (a car you can rent by the hour) and take the car out for the day. This year was a little bit more exciting because we were loaned the Infiniti JX35 for the weekend.

With two kids, two small dogs, and all of the stuff that comes with them, we can’t squeeze everyone into a typical sedan. I loved having my SUV back in Tampa and I don’t think I could every drive anything smaller. The Infiniti JX35 gave us just the right amount of space for our family. With the third row seat that easily folds up and down, it’s great and convenient for a bigger family.

The night before our big apple picking trip we piled everyone (including my in-laws who were in town for the week) into the car and drove around the see our amazing city lit up. We’ve never had a car here at our disposal so this was truly a special treat for us. My mother-in-law and I sat in the third row, while the girls sat comfortably in their car seat in the second row.

I was surprised at how much leg room was available to us in the third row. The second row moves forward allowing us in the third row to have more room. As we drove around the city, those of us in the back seat were gushing over the amazing lights of Times Square out of our view in the moon-roof that is nearly the length of the back of the car.

The next morning we packed up the car and headed out of the city towards the apple orchards.

We aren’t used to leaving the city that often and aren’t familiar with many of the roads outside of our “bubble.” The Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation system was a great feature because it led us right to our destiniation. I loved the traffic feature on the screen as well as the simplicity of seeing what our next step was in the trip.

Once we made it to the orchards, it was time to pick some apples!

And eat them.

We also had the chance to pick out pumpkins!

After stocking up on apples and pumpkins, we packed up the car and headed north for a day in Rhinebeck, NY. The drive was about two hours, so the built in dual 7-inch color monitors on the back of the headrests came in handy for Harlan. She watched her DVD’s the entire way while my MIL and I reclined the third row seat and took a little nap.

After a few short hours and one good nap, we made it to Rhinebeck to explore the town.

Sunday was our final day with the Infiniti JX35 and I decided to take full advantage of it by doing what any former suburban turned city girl would do; I made the trip to Target.

The gas mileage on the Infiniti JX35 was great. In our three day adventure driving everywhere we did not have to fill up the car at all. The fuel economy on the Infiniti JX35 is 20 MPG.

My favorite features in the Infiniti JX35 are:

• Around View Monitor with Movie Object Detection and Front and Rear Sonar-You have to parallel park a lot in the city, so this helped with that. It’s also a great added safety feature when in reverse because it shows you exactly what is around the entire car.
• 60/40 Split Second Row Bench Seat that allowed you to move the seat forward for others to access the third row without having to take out the car seat! This was a must for us!
• 2nd/3rd Row Moonroof-While not a necessity, I loved looking out and it kept the girls entertained on our ride! You never realize how much you are missing until you can see out of the roof!
• Blind Spot Warning and Intervention– The car has lights installed throughout the car that beep and light up when a car is approaching your blind spot. This was great while driving on the interstate.
• Power Remote Rear Liftgate-This came in handy when getting the stroller in and out of the car. I loved that I could simply push a button and the trunk would open or close.
• Folding/Reclining 2nd and 3rd Row Seat– I made a trip to our storage unit on Friday and was so surprised the ease of folding down all of the back seats. I also loved that the third row reclined, giving it some added comfort.

For any family looking for a luxurious car with that keeps your families needs in mind, the Infiniti JX35 is the way to go.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I was loaned the Infiniti JX35 for a weekend. All opinions expressed are my own.

For more of my favorite pictures from our apple picking adventure, check them out over at Babble!