Inifiniti M45
Nauman Farooq checks out the Infiniti M45
Here in Canada, we're blessed with an extra choice of big saloons comparedwith you Brits. If you're seeking a 300+ hp V8 in the same mould as the 7 seriesor even the Mercedes S Class you're not limited to the Lexus - there's Infinititoo. Nissan's luxury brand does it's best to eat into that niche with a cheaperoffering - the M45.
Despite its size - it's over 16 feet long - it's an appealing looking car.This is not some soft, curvy designer's wet dream, but a sharp edged statementof intent. It has slab sides, sharp edges and stunning 18-inch rims.
The car I was handed by Nissan Canada came in the stunning Emerald Greencolour and could have done justice to premium British brands let alone Infiniti.
To me, this is what a proper sports sedan should look like - not the bloatedhippo look granted to the new Jaguar XJ sedan. Inside there are acres of woodand leather, all of a very high quality. Nothing fake or cheap in here either.The quality of the fit and finish is very good indeed, and it is sumptuouslyappointed. Seats that have ten different adjustment controls. Seats that heatyour rear and blast cool air up it when the going gets hot and sweaty.
Gadget wise there's a 7 speaker, 225 watt Bose sound system, a power tiltingand telescopic steering wheel, and most impressive of all, a truly fabulousnavigation system. The Infiniti system even has a birds-eye view of the map,which is really nice. It shows you everything, even gas stations, bank machinesand food outlets. My only criticism this would get is due to its high positionon the dash, on really sunny days it gets very hard to read.
Just when you thought you've seen all that this car can offer, you discoverthe Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC). This system monitors the distance betweenyou and the car ahead via a laser, and can accelerate and decelerate on its own.ICC works both the brakes and the accelerator, and you can pick 3 settings forkeeping your distance. So, you can follow someone close or very far. If someonewas to pounce in your path and slow down rapidly, the system alerts you bybeeping four times, telling you to take control before stepping in itself ifnecessary.
Straight Up
Being a big car, it's not the sort too hurl around twisty roads. The massive18-inch rims shod with 235/45 VR18 Michelin tires provide tons of grip, but withthe soft suspension, all you get in corners is massive body roll. The seats alsodon't hold you around corners and the steering at any speed feelsuncommunicative and a bit heavy. All this quickly tells you, B-road thrashing isnot what this car was designed for. Straight line punch however, it is more thancapable of handling. With that massive 4.5 litre, V8, sending a beefy 340 hp toits rear wheels, it would easily see its way past most traffic.
The only transmission you get is a five-speed automatic, with manual shiftoptions, that has a real mechanical feel, which is great. The famed 0-60 mph runwould take a mere 5.6 seconds, and if you keep that pedal buried long enough youshould see the speedometer nudging 150 mph.
High Speed
However, high-speed antics are not encouraged due to its lofty ride, and alsodue to the wind noise created by its square edged body. My test car also had aproblem with the seal on the drivers side window, which allowed for anunpleasant whistle inside the cabin, but I am sure that seal problem can beeasily fixed.
However, the large pillarless doors do look good. So, this isn't exactly asports sedan, it is a luxury sedan with very powerful legs. Where it excels atmost is on those long motorway journeys. You can simply get on the highway andturn on the ICC and simply cruise to your destination, listening to yourfavourite tunes on the stereo and relaxing on those comfy seats.
Just make sure you have enough gas before you head out, cause this car is abit thirsty. But, what do you expect from a V8?
Price: In Canada, the M45 is available in two trim levels, Sport or Sportwith Navi and ICC. The former is priced at CAN$62,000 and the later atCAN$67,000. This is great value once you look at what you get for your money.This car is quite a lot cheaper than a Mercedes-Benz S500 or the BMW 745i, whilegiving you possibly even more features. Good value here for those that don'tcare for badge snobbery.
The reality is that this is a cut price Q45 to fill a whole in the Infinity line up in the US. Both are barges and would face a thumbs down from the UK press. Designed originally for Japanese consumption only, it is completely out of step with the good designs coming from Nissan these days. I am sorry but in the flesh this is an ugly barge. It also suffers from the Japanese 72 inch width rule which means it is somewhat cramped by US standards {think Rover Sterling/800}.
Sum up....great V8 otherwise why not buy a Mitsubishi Diamante and save yourself $12000 US
Johnny
The mitsubishi diamante is possibly the worst japanese car available, failing to be competent in any area, or even a notable value. The fact that is has virtually no sporting pretensions and is a front-wheel drive box and one of the oldest entries in its (entirely different to the M45) market are only too easy to see.
I had the recent opportunity to go drive an FX45 and an M45 and I can tell you first hand that the M45 is a sensational machine, with truly shocking acceleration and grip, and it is a looker as well. I don't care what anyone else says, compared with some of the competition, its lines are clean and strong. It is true that this car is based on the Nissan Cedric, which was the top-of-the line luxo barge in Japan, the Q45 being designed for American tastes quite obviously. However, the M45 came about not because of bad planning or a brand "hole" but because the Q45 buyer infiniti was expecting (someone who owned a lincoln continental and might have been sitting on a mid-life crisis and wanted something high-tech and powerful but still laid back) was still buying american or going full-boat german (s500, 7series). Don't buy that talk about the Q45 trying to be a sport sedan b/c of its output. That is crap, the car is WAAAYYYY too relaxed in demeanor to claim to have been planned that way. The M45 fit because a lot of the pieces that the Q45 used would fit in an existing platform and wouldn't have covered their original parts on Q45 sales alone. The Cedric was a similar enough car that bringing it to market with a lower equipment list and tech spec allowed for a "hot-rod" version of the Q45 for a truly cut-rate price.
If I was in the market for such a car, there's very little question as to what cars I'd be considering. The Acura 3.5RL is the car in this segment that really compares to the mitsu diamante, the Lincoln LS V8 is appealing for similar reasons but the infiniti is better built, rarer and quicker, the BMW 5 series is everywhere and with similar equipment would be an armload more, the new E500 would be similarly overpriced, there's just no matching this car's sporting value for the money without going to something in a lower class, namely the G35 or BMW 330i, which are notably smaller cars.
Oh dear....... we are in the land of the "literal" I guess. Of course the M45 does not compete with Diamante..... come on now!
It does not compete with RL as you suggest either. It does compete with the entry level "luxos" such as the TL and the like. Everybody whom I know who owns a Diamante, but is not a muttring journalist, loves them. Farooq keeps mentioning in the M45 in the same breath as the 7 series BMW and S Class Mercedes and that is way off. My point was that it is closer to competing with the Diamante than those big German cars. I was being quite damning! I took the Diamante because it is long and narrow like the M45. The M45 is 3 inches longer 0.5 inches narrower and a whopping 3.5 inches taller - whether you like it's looks or not, it is a tall, boxy, narrow car!
The Diamante looks sleek and sporty in comparison yet has 11 cu.feet more interior volume and 2 inches more rear leg room and 1 inch more front shoulder width. Get the picture? There is something wrong here. The "S" class has a sleeping 40 inches of rear leg room. If you are buying a 745 i or "S" class it is because you want room.
>> Edited by johnywiz on Saturday 5th July 19:50
>> Edited by johnywiz on Sunday 6th July 00:36
Clearly sports sedans are not about dimensions but what is sad about the M45 is that is that it has lost the good {well...OK'ish} dimensions of the Q45 whose under bits it shares. I go along with Farooq about the handling. I would suggest that Michelin is doing more than can be expected to make this 3800 lb rolly-polly stay with the black stuff. It may suit grown up Mustang owners.
To me there is no comparison with the ride/handling balance of the last BMW 5 series and the M45. Personally I would sacrifice the power of the M45 for the superior suspension resolution of the BMW 530i {with more legroom} and enjoy a much more rounded and complete package {not including costly goodies}. For pedal mashers the Lincoln is a better sports sedan and, as "ErnestM" suggests, they are of much higher quality these days i.e. livable! But both these cars are better lookers than than the ungainly {in the flesh} big chrome Infinity.
Sum up - Stop gap car. Everybody in the US knows it and they are not buying it.
Johnny
>> Edited by johnywiz on Saturday 5th July 20:01
>> Edited by johnywiz on Sunday 6th July 00:22
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