2008 Infinti QX56 Road Test

Over the summer, I paid off my 2004 Honda Accord, and being an auto enthusiast, I was ready to trade in and trade up to something different. The Honda had been great for me, but I was very interested in the new 2007 Infiniti G35 sedan, so I requested a brochure from Infiniti's website.

Well, I decided to keep the Honda for the time being, and hopefully continue driving it for a few more years, and use the savings to buy a "fun" third car.

I hadn't given much thought, then, to Infiniti since then until I received a mailing from them offering me a test drive in the revised 2008 QX56 luxury sport utility vehicle. I'm always up for driving a new car (or truck), and especially when Infiniti offers me a $100 American Express gift card just for doing so. Today, over my lunch break, I drove to the Infiniti dealer and checked it out.

The sales staff was very courteous, and the salesman pulled around with a brand new black QX56 that just arrived off the truck overnight. It still had plastic wrap everywhere on the interior, but it really looked pretty good in black.

Exterior
The QX56 shares all of its body panels except for the front end with the more pedestrian Nissan Armada. I've never been a big fan of the QX56's style, especially the front end. The tops of the doors have an interesting arch, but the result is that they appear to have been designed for a different vehicle and shoehorned into the QX's profile. It's a HUGE truck, but seems to sit relatively low to the ground; it's almost as if it's too big for its wheels.

Interior
Infiniti has done a nice job packing its flagship SUV with all the techno goodies that luxury buyers expect: XM Satellite Radio, navigation with integrated NavTraffic, Bluetooth connectivity, intelligent key, power liftgate, power folding third row seats, and more. The center stack has been updated in the QX56 for 2008, and the changes are very welcome, as the old version was clearly one of the weakest points in the interior.

The smart key start is nice, but – same as with the 2008 Cadillac CTS, I always wish that vehicles with smart keys would then have the accompanying push button start instead of a “fake key” – in the spot where the key had been in earlier models, there is a plastic piece shaped almost like a key that must be twisted to start or stop the engine. Meanwhile, much lesser Nissan models that have clean-sheet interiors (such as the 2007 Altima) have true push button start.

Interior materials seem to be pretty good overall – the dash was mostly made of soft plastics and the door panels have stitched vinyl armrests and attractive real wood trim on all four of them. The leather on the seats was buttery soft and definitely a higher grade than Nissan products receive. Storage spaces abound - there is even a small shelf between the front seats and the center console. The third row folds flat into the floor, which is a nice feature the GM vehicles don't have, thanks to Infiniti's independent rear suspension. The QX that I drove did not have the optional DVD entertainment system, but did have an overhead console that stretched all the way to the third row. Although the extra storage is nice, it felt like extremely hollow, cheap plastic and was out of place in a $56,000 vehicle.

On the Road
The 5.6 liter, 320 horsepower engine has a nice purr at idle. Once dropped into gear, the cabin is relatively quiet. I haven’t driven a 2007 Escalade to compare the cabin noise levels between these two, but relative to our own 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, there is less wind noise and less engine noise. The engine does have a nice growl when it's given some throttle. I stomped on the gas pedal on an on-ramp, and it felt pretty good, but not quick. From a seat-of-the-pants perspective, it felt about the same as our smaller and lighter Pathfinder does with its 4.0 liter V6. The Pathfinder has less horsepower and torque, but also less weight to lug around.

The ride was comfortable and the truck felt relatively responsive, mostly thanks to the standard-for-2008 20 inch wheels. The steering had just the right amount of feedback for such a large vehicle, and didn't feel overboosted the way a 2007 Suburban LTZ does. I didn't do any panic stops, but the brakes felt fine.

Final Thoughts
During the ride, the salesman made some somewhat disparaging comments about the Escalade (most of which were incorrect):
- The body hasn't changed in 15 years (wrong - it was all new in early 2006)
- People are really flocking to the QX56 instead of the Escalade (the extended length Escalade ESV alone outsells the QX56 by 39% through August 31, and combining Escalade and Escalade ESV sales, the Cadillac has outsold the Infiniti by 175% through August 31.)

In looking at pricing of these two vehicles, the QX56 seems to be too expensive for what it is. True, the Escalade is a dressed-up Tahoe, just like the QX56 is a dressed-up Armada. But the Escalade has brand cachet, a more luxurious interior, and 83 more horsepower (403 versus 320 in the Infiniti), all for about $5,000 more (when comparing the Escalade ESV with the QX56). In the Infiniti's favor, the navigation system is more modern with a more attractive display, and the Cadillac lacks Bluetooth or a smart key.

If I was in the market for a $56,000 gas-guzzling SUV, I'd go with an Escalade. However, I'm not in that market, so I won't be going with either. Pricing out a revised 2008 V8 Pathfinder might be a different story, however!

Infiniti EX Crossover Revealed

Infiniti has pulled the wraps off of its new EX crossover, which slots below the current FX in both size and price. Well, actually the wraps haven't really ever been on the EX since it was shown almost undisguised in concept form at the 2007 New York auto show.

The EX will (at least initially) come only with a 3.5 liter VQ V6, also found in the G35, and output will be "at least" 290 horsepower (a variant of this engine makes 306 horsepower in the G35 sedan).

From looking at photos of the EX, it appears to be in both concept and execution to be almost a wagon version of the G35 sedan. The front end strikes a very similar "face," the wheels look similar, and the interior seems to have many of the same themes. It probably drives similarly to the G35 sedan, though it's likely a little heavier and not as low to the ground. My only big complaint about the styling is that the wavy character line at the top of the doors is reminiscent of a current Hyundai Elantra. I'm sure that the EX's designers don't want to hear that.

Though Infiniti's press release pretends to have trouble acknowledging competition for the EX, it does list the BMW X3 3.0si and Audi A4 3.2FSI quattro avant. I'd also add the Acura RDX, as well as small crossovers coming from Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac in the next few years.

What most impresses me about the EX in a crowded field of near-luxury crossovers are some of the unique technologies that are making their way into this vehicle right at its US launch, sometime at the end of 2007. These include paint with a "Scratch Shield" that "fixes itself" from small scratches such as fingernail scratches beneath door handles over the course of a few hours or days for the first three years of the car's life. Another feature is called the Around View Monitor (AVM) system, which uses four small cameras to give the driver a "top down" view of the vehicle when parking. Other luxury/convenience touches that are standard or optional include all wheel drive (standard), a leather-wrapped instrument panel (standard), a power folding second row (optional), lane departure prevention system which actually prevents the EX from drifting out of its lane rather than just beeping (optional).

Infiniti has realized that if it's going to be a player in the near-luxury small crossover segment, it needs to come to the game with the latest gadgets and luxury features that the competition is offering, and raise the stakes with new touches such as self-repairing paint and a more practical and simple parking assist system than Lexus offers in its flagship LS 460.

The press release does not mention pricing, but I'd anticipate mid-$30,000s to low $40,000s, based on the pricing of the G35x sedan.

BMW And Nissan Fight Like School Children At Recess

So a few years ago when the new M35/35X/45 was about to hit dealerships, Infiniti came up with some advertising that said 'The New M Is Coming'.

Well, the folks over at the whirling propeller were none too pleased and filed suit.

Today, the hammer fell-

BMW has lost a court battle in Canada to prevent Nissan from using the letter ‘M’ for what BMW describes as its rival’s “inferior and more modestly priced” models. The latest announcement comes several months after BMW originally won an injunction to stop Nissan from using the letter. The original injunction was later overturned on appeal.

This is hilarious on a number of levels.

First is the description that BMW used for Infiniti. They're 'inferior and more modestly priced' according to ze Germans. I suppose they have a point- the M trim lines of BMW vehicles are pretty crazy performance vehicles, but doesn't the 'modestly priced' statement sort of damn BMW by faint praise? It's essentially an admission of their ripping off the consumer.

The second is that Infiniti and Nissan just went through this same sort of brouhaha with Audi concerning their Q7 SUV. Infiniti said it was an infringement on their currently defunct Q45 model designation, and inferred that the consumer was stupid enough to equate a 7 passenger SUV with a bloated and lethargic never-was flagship vehicle that is still trying to sell 2005 models in 2007.

What makes the suit from BMW even more curiouser is that they never had an issue with Infiniti and their M model for many years. The first Infiniti on North American shores was the M30 back in 1989. It died a quiet death after an extended period of the public ignoring it, only to resurface in the late 90's as a Japanese version of an overpowered American luxury sedan (the M45) that could go really fast in a straight line, yet still manage to put you to sleep with its looks. The ultimate sleeper indeed. So it would seem that BMW had no problem with Infiniti devaluing their M brand when the Infiniti M brand was actually a sore spot in the Infiniti lineup and could potentially really devalue their brand. Nope, they only had a problem with Infiniti devaluing their brand when the newest generation M from Infiniti came out and immediately started whupping the regular 5 Series in comparison tests.

And at the end of the day, that's the real lesson- the elephant doesn't care about the mosquito buzzing away at its head... until the single mosquito turns into a swarm of horseflies.

Or something like that.

Infiniti Dealers Really Need To Just Shut Up And Sell Their Own Product

Was in an Infiniti dealership today, to get some information on the G35 sedan. It's a vehicle I've had my eye on for a bit now, and I wanted some comprehensive stuff on packages, features, and most importantly, pricing. It's all going fine at first. I appear to have a salesman who knows his vehicle very well, is very polite and courteous, and seems to have a grasp of the competition out there.

And then he started going kooky.

The first issue was that he wouldn't shut up about the most recent Motor Trend mag comparo that gave a victory to the G37 coupe over the BMW 330i coupe (mostly because the BMW was too expensive and needs an oil cooler badly). Umm excuse me, I'm not looking at a G37 coupe- I'm looking at the G35 sedan remember?

The second issue was that he kept bringing up residuals on the G35. The residual on a 2007 G35 Sport on a 48 month lease with no money down works out to be about 21k CDN. His argument was that most G35 sedans from 2003 (4 years ago) retail for around 28k CDN, making the G35 residual a great thing. But... he's wrong. A 4 year old G35 in good condition with about 100,000 kilometers runs, wait for it, about 21-22k. And he wouldn't shut up about this, heaping scorn upon BMW in particular for having such high residual values. I mean, who would want a vehicle that has a lot of value when you want to sell it.... right? Please note my sarcasm there.

Third, he tells me that the 2007 G35 uses the same VQ as the Altima et al. I even gave him a chance to backtrack on this, and he insisted (okay, so this is more me being a know it all bastard, but I digress).

And then this happens.

Him: So one of the other vehicles you're looking at is the Lexus IS?
Me: Yeah, it seems to be the Lexus most closely aligned with what the G35 is.
Him: Oh yes, but it's quite a bit more expensive.
Me: I understand that.
Him: It's also smaller.
Me: I understand that.
Him: Did you know that the IS250 is based on the Toyota Corolla, and the IS350 is based on the Toyota Camry? Why pay a premium for that?
Me: Huh?

He kept insisting this. In a way, I can understand the Camry thing- after all, the ES is on the Camry platform. But the IS? A rear wheel drive car? And bringing the Corolla into the picture? For the exact same vehicle but with a smaller engine?

At this point, I realized I was working with an idiot, and mentioned that I wouldn't want a luxury sedan so closely associated with the 350Z. And he flipped out, saying that the Z was on a completely different platform from the G35. And then I threw the Altima and Maxima out there just for shits and giggles to get him really riled up.

Needless to say, the domestic manufacturers are not alone in employing idiotic sales people.

Everyone Take Your Tops Off And Jump In The Pool!

From Jalopnik by way of VWVortex -

Got damn!

Apparently there's a G37 convertible on the way, not to mention an Altima convertible, and a Lexus IS convertible. Nissan in particular is looking to expand their sales with their two 'halo' mass production cars (yes, I know the GT-R and the Z are the 'true' halo cars), and convertibles would be the next logical step since both now have sedan and coupe versions. As for Lexus, they play the BMW monkey see, monkey do game- expect a coupe in addition to the convertible too.

In the last year alone, that means the midsize convertible segment has gone from the Sebring, and uh, nothing...to the Sebring, the Altima, the Eos, the G6 and the Solara (assuming Toyota redoes it).

Of course, the tastier news is that the G37 and the IS will get convertible variants.

Something else to consider- if they're going to do a G37 convertible, does that make room for another model on the Infiniti horizon? I'm talking a 6 Series competitor as a pseudo-coupe and convertible, in both 3.7 VQ and 5.0 V8 trim- the rebirth of the J (J37 and J50 do sound good don't they?)?

Further Proof Of A 5.0 Liter V8 Coming Soon To Infiniti?

Do a search on 'M50' at the US Patent website. The results are interesting. Especially the entry from Nissan.
...

Just following up with the earlier post about the future plans of Infiniti- in July of last year, a trademark was filed for 'M50', which falls into line with the news I had been told- expect a brand new 5.0 liter engine to be unveiled fairly soon (late this year or early next) in conjunction with a planned refresh for the Infiniti M. The engine choice will also be carried over into the FX lineup, along with the 3.7 slotted into the G Coupe.

In more Infiniti news, the Q is officially dead in North America- no more older 2006 models will be imported from overseas sources for dealers who want one or two on their lots (which is weird, since only one or two were selling per month, but I digress). The same source I have that told me about the future plans for Infiniti has basically said to expect a concept Q at Detroit next year, followed by the brand new Q50 back in the fold as a 2009 model, being released in late 2008. The 'theme' of the new Q will harken back to the first generation- more of a no holds barred shot across the bow of BMW and their 7 Series- Infiniti has learned their lesson and will not be trying to out-Lexus Lexus again. The basis for the new Q is to be a stretched and modified version of the M underpinnings with the usual laundry list of standard luxury features.

A more juicy couple tidbits of information is that they're juggling around the idea of offering a coupe version as well to go up against the 6 Series, and they're also thinking about offering a second LARGER engine choice for the Q. Good ideas indeed.

The $104,000 Question- Is Lexus There Yet?

Lexus has unveiled the LS600h L — a performance hybrid version of its new flagship sedan — at the 2006 New York International Auto Show. Scheduled to arrive in Spring 2007, it will be the world's first vehicle of any class or category to feature a full hybrid V8 powertrain. The LS 600h will combine an all-new five-litre V8 gas engine with combined massive, high-output electric motors and a newly designed large-capacity battery pack. It will deliver a peak, combined output of more than 430 horsepower. As a SULEV-rated (Super Low Emissions) vehicle, LS600h is estimated to produce just 20 per cent of the smog-forming emissions of a conventional five-litre V8. Power is delivered to the wheels via a 2-stange ECVT transmission. It also has the first LED front headlights of any production vehicle.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/lexus-debuts-20072007-lexus-ls-600h-l.html

...

And just like that, poof, the last bunker of the Euro marques is penetrated.

What's been amusing is all of the chatter following the announcement of the pricing of the LS600.

• The domestic fans, clutching their hearts in unison because Cadillac/Lincoln don't have a vehicle to compete with the GS, nevermind the LS, have been throwing out the 'I'd take a Corvette Z06 and an Aura for that kind of money OMG LOL!!!'
• The European fans (MB, BMW and Audi fans I'm looking straight at you) have begrudgingly given kudos to the vehicle while still being snarky and saying 'well it doesn't have the cachet of a Euro brand, and plus it's just a Toyota OMG LOL!!!'

Do either of these generic comebacks make any sense? Seriously?

Lexus is officially in the big boy club now. Alongside Mercedes, BMW and Audi- they've finally made the leap.

A breakdown if you will-

Exotic Luxury
Bentley
Rolls-Royce
Maybach

Pretty much well the 'we have so much money that we can spend it on $10,000 paint upgrades to match our favorite polo shirt' club.

A-List Luxury
Mercedes-Benz
BMW
Audi
Lexus

I'm still not entirely convinced that Audi belongs in this group, but the interior design and craftsmanship puts them in here in the end. This group is basically the 'you've arrived' segment of the luxury market. The Alpha Dogs of the industry if you will. They've got sales, full lineups, and a brand cachet rivaled only by the exotics. They also have a very forgiving audience- BMW, and moreso MB, have been coasting on their quality reputations in recent years, but the strength of their brand perception has been strong enough to let them overcome any possible bad stigma overall.

B-List Luxury
Infiniti
Cadillac
Jaguar (and sliding)

Infiniti made the jump very recently by coming out with some world class sedans- prior years saw them down there with Acura...and even more prior years, in the D-League. Cadillac is on a downward slide (they'll need more than the CTS), and Jaguar is one failed product cycle away from oblivion and fond reminiscence at the next Barrett-Jackson auction show. They're all very competent luxury cars, but they're missing the cachet- pretend to own one of these for a day, just tell people you drive an Infiniti, Caddy or Jag... and most won't even bat an eye.

C-List Luxury
Acura

Acura gets their very own luxury segment to themselves. Not quite at the level of the B's, but not an also-ran. At the end of the day, the perception of Acura vehicles as very very well engineered Honda vehicles has been a hard perception for Acura to shake. The vehicles in the segments which they compete in are all competitive, and sometimes class leading- it's the brand that needs work now. The worst move they ever made was dropping model names- the Acura Legend, Vigor, Integra et al were great brand builders, and they were all dismissed without any long term planning.

D-List Luxury
Volvo
Saab
Lincoln

The end. Lincoln is almost done at this point. Saab and Volvo have never really been 'prestige' luxury makers- just solid performing vehicles with a good safety record. Not a true luxury car in my opinion, but more of a 'premium' set of brands.

...

Infiniti Has Seen The Future, And That Future Doesn't Include Big Trucks

With the first shots of the forthcoming Infiniti EX35 hitting the net today, there has been some discussion as to what exactly Infiniti is doing with their range of vehicles.

Once the EX is officially in the fold, they'll have 3 trucks/crossovers to choose from, and only 2 passenger cars.

Weird combination right?

Well the future plan looks like this for Infiniti-

• The EX35, which will be sporting the VQ 3.5, will be slotting underneath the FX series vehicles at a lower price point, but with almost the same amount of interior space. The VQ in this variation will be rated at 300 HP or more. There is talk of providing the 2.5 I4 engine from the Altima/Sentra SE-R as a possible EX25 entry level model. The range will compete against the BMW X3, the Acura RDX, and the smaller Lexus SUV due to come out in a few years.
  
• The FX series will move up in size with their redesign, scheduled within the next 2 years, in order to combat the newly enlarged BMW X5, the Mercedes ML series, the Audi Q7, the Cadillac SRX and the Lexus RX. Two engine options will be available again, however the lower end engine will be the 3.7 liter VQ currently scheduled for the Infiniti G37 Coupe. The V8 will be an all new engine which will be also featured in the refreshed M series, and the all new...
• Q50. The current 4.5 liter V8 is quickly being caught by the bored out VQ 3.7, so Infiniti/Nissan will be making a larger version for use in their premium models. Some thought had been given to using the powerplant in the GT-R, but it was quickly nixed as not being sporty enough.
• The horrid QX56 is scheduled to be discontinued once the new lineups are in place. It will go back to being a Nissan only model.
  

So the Infiniti lineup will look as follows-

EX25/EX35
FX37/FX50
G37 Sedan/G37 Coupe
M37/M50
Q50

Leaner and more focused for the Japanese BMW competitor.