Infiniti FX 45

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/01/2003 (8466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE line between sport-utility vehicles and passenger cars is about to become even more blurred. Where once SUVs were truck-based rough-riders that none save the dedicated outdoors-person would drive on an everyday basis, many modern soft-roaders are nothing more than jacked-up wagons with the addition of all-wheel-drive and some butch styling cues.

The sport-ute has morphed so far from its puddle-jumping roots that manufacturers are billing some of their faux-wheel drives as sports cars. BMW, most notably, calls its X5 an SAV or Sport Activity Vehicle, even creating its “almost M” 4.6iS variant with 340 horsepower and handling that would shame many a sedan.

Now Infiniti, invigorated by its recent success with the G35 sedan and coupe, wants a piece of that same action. Billed as the company’s “Bionic Cheetah,” when talking about its new FX45, Infiniti spends little time talking about tree stumps pulled and streams fjorded and much more bragging about its low centre of gravity and the four-wheel independent suspension’s ability to carve corners.

Look to the FX45’s exterior styling and you’ll see a lot more Milan than Nunavut; more Armani than Sudbury dinner jacket. Too low to hop over fallen trees, the FX looks more like an avant-garde European sports wagon than anything designed in North America to go fly-fishing.

And that’s pretty much how it drives. Or as Ian Forsyth, director of product planning for Infiniti Canada contends, “It doesn’t drive like an SUV at all.”

In fact, the FX45 drives very much like the sports car that Infiniti claims. Standard on the 4.5-litre V8 FX45 (there’s also a 3.5-litre FX35) are the industry’s first 20-inch standard wheels and what Infiniti says is “sports tuned suspension.” Read that as Corvette firm because the FX really does corner (and ride) like a pure-bred roadster.

On some of the canyon roads just north of California’s city of angels, the FX45 twisted through ess turns, slithered through hairpins and sped through sweepers with barely a degree of body roll. And with 265/50R20 performance radials, there’s no paucity of traction.

Even more impressively, the FX45’s responsive steering belies its 1,964-kilogram (4,330-pound) curb weight. Almost as quick to turn in as the company’s G35 sedan (on which the FX45’s platform is based), the Infiniti actually may steer better than BMW’s much-vaunted X5 4.6iS. Having a 225-kg (494-lb.) weight advantage over the Bimmer helps, as does the ultra-stiff suspension.

The penalty is a ride best compared with a Corvette, Acura NSX or the previously mentioned top-of-the-line X5. On California’s typically billiard-table-smooth roads, it was a delight. But on the portions of SoCal’s Highway 101 that resembles our own potholed 401, the FX45 tosses about like an insomniac on No-Doze. Aging boomers of the type likely to be able to afford the FX45’s $59,900 starting MSRP will likely find the ride just a little too rough for their spoiled hienies. Infiniti is well aware that the FX45 will not appeal to everyone, noting that its intended goal was to more closely emulate the G35 coupe’s ride and handling rather than the G35 sedan’s. Besides, the V6 FX35 rides on more cosseting 60 profile 18-inch tires and less stiffly sprung dampers.

Unlike the similarly sized Murano, the FX45’s ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive favours rear-wheel drive. While cruising, the torque split is 100 per cent to the rear wheels. From a standstill, the system starts with a 50/50 front/rear torque distribution and then gradually reverts back to rear-wheel drive. There’s also a “Lock” feature that maintains the 50/50 torque split all the way to 30 km-h.

The (relatively) light weight that Infiniti claims makes the FX45’s handling so precise also helps make the 4.5-litre V8’s 315 horsepower feel more impressive. The company claims that the FX has an even better power-to-weight ratio than the 4.6iS, despite its 25-horsepower shortfall. Though Infiniti makes no claims for its acceleration, there’s little doubt that it’ll match the Bimmer’s 6.7-second zero-to-100-km-h time. That the Infiniti costs some $34,600 less than the BMW will just add to the FX45’s appeal.

Befitting a price tag a little higher than most Japanese compact SUVs, the FX45 comes luxuriously equipped with heated leather seats, memory seats system, a power sunroof, dual zone climate control, Infiniti’s Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) vehicle stability control system, and Bi-Xenon headlights, 10-way power driver’s seat, a 300-watt AM/FM/cassette audio system with an in-dash, six-disc CD changer, cruise controls, reclining rear seats, and aluminum brake and gas pedals. Options are limited to the High Technology package, which adds Infiniti’s navigation system, an intelligent keyfob that lets you open the door and start the engine without actually inserting the key, intelligent cruise control that maintains a constant distance from the vehicle ahead (a triple-cool feature that finally makes cruise control worthwhile) and a DVD-based mobile entertainment system with a seven-inch drop-down to keep the rear seat passengers occupied.

It’s blessed with abundant shoulder room thanks to its wider-than-normal body. Rear legroom, however, is only about average for this segment. Headroom, however, is incredibly generous. I usually adjust my seat to its lowest position, but because of the FX45’s high waistline, I raised it slightly more than normal. I still had more than a few inches of headroom left. The FX45 should prove popular with budding NBA stars.

On the other hand, the Infiniti shares a trait with the X5 it so strives to emulate that is less worthy of praise. The cargo area, while adequate, isn’t overly huge. My large hockey bag and one piece of carry-on luggage filled it almost to the brim.

Another key interior point is the cockpit feel that sees the driver surrounded by all the key switchgear. In for special commendation is the navi system’s switches, which are easy to decipher. Factor in Nissan’s class-leading bird’s eye view map readout and you have the best navigation system offered in any segment.

Lastly, like the G35 sedan, the speedo/tach gauge cluster rotates with the steering when the driver adjusts the wheel up and down. Not only does this ensure that you can always see the gauges, but it adds to that cockpit feel that Infiniti wants to brag about.

Overall, the FX45 is yet another home run for the car industry’s comeback player of the year (Infiniti’s sales last year increased by 74 per cent over the previous year’s). The FX45 will not be for everyone — the ride is much too harsh for that. But for Infiniti to be able to claim a sporty SUV equal to BMW’s X5 4.6iS is big news.

— DIL Auto News Service