2006 Infiniti M35 and M45

[BMWDave]

2006 Infiniti M35 and M45: The Japanese Take the Driver's Seat

By MICHELLE KREBS
Published: June 26, 2005
DETROIT

IN the late 1980's, Japanese automakers established upscale divisions with a clear mission: to challenge German supremacy in luxury automobiles. Japan's threat proved real and its fancier cars were generally good, yet BMW and Mercedes-Benz still maintained their dominance, in perception if not always in reality, for most of the last 15 years.

Infiniti M's come with wood trim or, on Sport models, with contemporary aluminum accents. Technology is relatively unobtrusive.
The tables may have turned. The plush Lexus LS 430, from Toyota, has edged out big German cruisers in comparison tests, not only by Consumer Reports but by some enthusiast publications. Now the turnabout seems to be occurring among midrange sport sedans, where Japan's charge is led by the Infiniti division of Nissan.

In recent separate tests, Road & Track and Car and Driver magazines pitted the BMW 5 Series, the gold standard of $50,000 European sedans, against the latest Japanese entries: the Infiniti M45, the Lexus GS 430 and, in Car and Driver, the Acura RL. Both times, the Infiniti came out on top. In the Car and Driver test, Japanese cars swept the top three spots, with the M45, RL and GS 430 taking first, second and third places. The magazine ranked the BMW 545i sixth in a field of eight.

After two weeks of back-to-back testing of the Infinitis - the M35 with a V-6 engine and the M45 with a V-8 - I can see why. The new Infinitis rank at the top, or very close to it, in many categories that buyers of luxury sport sedans care most about: handsome styling, inviting and roomy cabins, seamless integration of technology, spirited dynamics. Plus, the M's strike a balance between sport and luxury that seems nearly ideal.

The Infinitis, all new for 2006, bear no resemblance to their bland M45 predecessor of last year. The previous-generation car was a rebadged Nissan Cedric from the Japanese market, which Infiniti plugged into its line to fill a gap between the flagship Q45 and the midsize G35. That previous M seemed a classic case of middle-child syndrome, confused by its place in the family and offering little that was special. Consumers seemed confused, too; I rarely saw one on the road.

The new car, though, is certainly distinctive. The first hint that it would be a styling standout came at the Tokyo motor show two years ago, when Nissan unveiled a design study hinting at the future Fuga, which is what the car is called in Japan.

While it can be argued that the production version was watered down from the concept car, it remains a head-turner. Proof of that came when I walked toward an M35 Sport with my 13-year-old son (who has become quite the car geek) after his baseball game.

Dusk had awakened the streetlights, which cast a soft orange glow on the silver car and showcased its profile. "Stunning," I thought - just as my son blurted out, "Look at how gorgeous that car is!" It seemed to be posing, he said, for a commercial.

The M comes in five versions, including the M35 and M35 Sport, both with a 3.5-liter V-6 and rear-wheel drive. There is also the M35x, with all-wheel drive. With a 4.5-liter V-8, the same basic car is the M45 or M45 Sport. The Sport package includes different interior trim, 19-inch wheels and tires, and a rear suspension that adapts to the way the car is being driven.

Interiors of non-Sport versions are trimmed, predictably, in wood. The rosewood in my M45 test car had a matte finish, a nice contrast to the high-gloss veneer generally found in luxury sedans.

Yet I preferred the cabin of the M35 Sport, where aluminum trim replaces the wood, giving the car a younger, hipper ambience. Still, the M has a warmer, more inviting feel than the icy BMW 5 Series.

The M offers amenities aplenty, both standard and optional. All versions come with leather upholstery, a "smart key" with push-button ignition, voice-activated controls, Bluetooth wireless technology, in-dash six-disc changer with MP3 capability and a power sliding sunroof. All sorts of options and option packages - Premium, Technology and Journey, which includes items useful for trips - are offered. Infiniti also lets you choose your favorite satellite radio service, either XM and Sirius.

Further, the M's technology is integrated and easy to use, in contrast to BMW's impossible iDrive. The controls are simply laid out on the upper center dash; some controls are duplicated on the steering wheel. A seven-inch screen provides necessary information, along with maps if you order a navigation system or a rearward view if you get the backup camera. All this is intuitive - no owner's manual required.

As for safety, all M's come with stability control, frontal and front-seat side air bags and side curtain bags for side impacts. A high-tech option is the Lane Departure Warning system, which alerts the driver if the car strays from its lane when the turn signal isn't on. This feature made its North American debut on the 2005 Infiniti FX sport wagons.

Engineers transplanted proven bits of other Nissan and Infiniti cars into the M. Its skeleton is an advanced version of the FM (for front midship) platform, used by the smaller G35 sedan and coupe, among other models. This rigid architecture, which positions the engine behind the front axle, helps to balance the weight from front to rear, improving the handling. The car's fine balance is especially notable on curves and in corners.

The M35's heart is its dual-cam V-6, which was borrowed and enhanced from the G35 and FX35. With 280 horsepower, it trails only the 300-horse Acura RL in this class, but has segment-leading torque of 270 pound-feet. Similarly, the M45 borrows its V-8 (335 horsepower and 340 pound-feet) from the Q45 and FX45. Road & Track clocked the M45 at 5.3 seconds from a stop to 60 miles an hour, and at 13.8 seconds for a quarter mile. Both times trailed the BMW 545i by a scant 0.1 second.

Both engines, which provide tremendous low-end torque for quick off-the-line acceleration, are paired with a five-speed automatic transmission that shifts intuitively on its own or lets the driver shift manually. But Infiniti, unlike BMW, does not offer a manual transmission.

While the M has plenty of technology, it never intrudes on the driver as it sometimes does in other luxury cars. The adaptive suspension, for instance, is transparent. With the M, I had the sense that I was a better driver than I am - a tipoff that this is an outstanding driver's car.

In addition to solid bones and a pounding heart, this Infiniti, unlike some in the past - notably the previous-generation Q45 and the previous M - has personality and a soul, that ephemeral character that often eludes product developers but can give one car an edge over another.

More tangible is the M's competitive price. Base prices with delivery fees start at $40,510 for the M35 and $47,360 for the M45. But options can lift prices far higher: my M35 Sport test car had a sticker of $45,360, and the tested M45 rang in at $58,860.

While these Infinitis are unlikely to lure Eurocar purists out of their BMW's - and indeed I'd be reluctant to give the M's a clear advantage - these Japanese-built sedans pose the toughest threat yet to German dominance of the sport-luxury market.

Both the M35 and M45 deliver plenty of connection with the road and a lot of driving excitement. They are also more inviting inside than the 5 Series, with easier-to-use controls, transparent intervention of technology and a graceful overall package.

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