Overview & Reviews

Infiniti is an upscale automaker from Japan. Though most of its products are related to those sold by parent company Nissan, Infiniti looks to achieve a premium status by infusing its cars and SUVs with spirited performance and additional luxury content.

The brand was launched for the 1990 model year. Its purpose back then, as it is now, was to create premium vehicles for America that wouldn't have otherwise fit in with Nissan's more mainstream image. This was the same tactic Honda used for the creation of Acura, and Toyota for Lexus. In its first full year, Infiniti started out with two vehicles, the Q45 sedan and the M30 coupe and convertible. The compact, entry-level G20 was introduced soon after.

As the 1990s moved along, Infiniti slowly added more vehicles to its lineup. The Q45 luxury sport sedan found its market. The car's 278-horsepower V8 was class-leading in its day. On top of that, the Q45 offered cutting-edge technology such as an active suspension system. By the late '90s Infiniti had rolled out the QX4, an SUV based on the Pathfinder. The sport-ute's truck platform gave it a leg up in off-road performance relative to competing car-based SUVs.

Although Infiniti's sales grew steadily, the marque still fell short of both Lexus and Acura in terms of popularity. The early 2000s saw Infiniti making a determined effort to sharpen its focus and upgrade its products. But it was the introduction of the entry-level, midsize G35 in 2003 that finally gave Infiniti the boost and identity direction it sorely needed. Based on the same platform underpinning the Nissan 350Z, the G35 coupe and sedan met with immediate sales success. The FX35/FX45 soon followed -- a crossover SUV that provided spirited acceleration and sports-car handling with the utility of a wagon.

Today, Infiniti's lineup has expanded to include the G (now a sedan, coupe and convertible) and FX as well as the midsize M sedan, the EX small crossover SUV, the JX midsize crossover SUV and the QX large SUV. Infiniti has also introduced the M Hybrid sedan, its first hybrid vehicle. No matter the model, shoppers will find Infiniti's latest vehicles to be focused on luxury, sport, quality and value.

User Reviews:

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  Based on specs, this is a great car, but... - 2017 Infiniti Q50
  By BobL - July 3 - 8:25 pm

  It looks impressive in specs. Engine is excellent, it makes me doubt that it only has 300HP, feels more potent, perhaps the high torque at low RPMs is a big help. The major issue with this car is that Infiniti completely screwed up steering and to add insult to injury installed awful run flat tires (2.5 starts on TireRack). I changed the tires at 6K miles, first time in my life before tires wore out. The steering does not seem to have a center, the car goes left and right whenever it feels like on the highway, even if the steering wheel is not moving. In-spite of the engine and good interior, not a bad looking exterior, Im not enjoying driving this car. Will be trading it in when Genesis G70 becomes available. No more Infinities for me.

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  This car looks great on paper - 2016 Infiniti Q50
  By valmiles@cox.net - May 28 - 7:49 am

  On paper, this Q50 Sport is a great car, less expensive and more capable than BMW 3-series or Mercedes Benz C-class. However, handing is awful, worse than any other car I have owned or driven, including SUVs! Q50 is not new to power steering foes. 2015 has its issues with Direct Adaptive Steering. 2016 has gone to electric assisted power steering on the Sports model with the second generation DAS being an option. Being well aware of the issue with the first generation DAS, I elected to get base electric power steering. The car, however, wanders whichever way the road takes it, which is specifically evident at highway speeds. If you hold the steering wheel perfectly straight, the vehicle starts pulling on one direction, after correcting it, it pulls in the other. We have seen number of reviews on infinitiq50.org forum about this issue, some owners indicating that Run Flat Tires (RFTs) are causing this behavior. I don’t know for certain and I’m not willing to replace tires on the brand new vehicle. In few months I will trade it in and get something else, although at a loss. Other than this issue and few deficiencies with the infotainment system, such as lack of useful applications and slow response, this car has been good. Acceleration is excellent, but the poor steering takes all the fun out of driving it. After driving Nissan vehicles for over 20 years, this Infinity was a major disappointment. No more Nissan/Infiniti vehicles for me.

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  Not as nice as it should be - 2001 Infiniti I30
  By David - May 25 - 11:53 pm

  This is more of a tank than a sports car. Slow at the start, but has zip at 30+ mph. Interior quality is average. Well known radio/CD issues with this car that Infiniti never offered to fix for owners. Outside temp does not show unless asked for. Gas mileage for a car this size is poor and the amount of road noise is in unacceptable range. I cannot have a decent cell phone call while on the highway in the I30. New tires may help, but not that much.

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  Unreliable - 2006 Infiniti QX56
  By Katie - May 24 - 9:36 pm

  I am very unhappy with this car. First the brakes are recalled and then the hatchback broke on the day we needed to pack for camping. The electrical goes out randomly. The car thinks the emergency brake is on when it isnt and it then skids when I come to a stop. I feel very unsafe driving it. I do love how big it is. I do love the DVD for the kids. I love the automatic lift for the hatchback. The navigation screen is totally useless. I love the back up camera. I will not be able to buy another car without it. We are breaking our lease early to get rid of this car.

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  Problems at 200 miles - 2006 Infiniti G35
  By alarict6mt - May 1 - 1:53 pm

  Dont accept one without testing it thoroughly first - even a brand new one. Bad clutch judder in first and reverse especially on hills (evident at 100 miles then getting progressively worse). Gets worse as clutch warms. Infiniti garage says its the same on all new 06MTs, if I had known this, I would not have bought the car. The other two I drove did not make a banging noise when I release the clutch. Excellent car spoiled by poor customer support - denial by mechanics and a poor clutch design or faulty components.

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  Excellent workmanship. Poor engineering. - 2009 Infiniti G37
  By James C Guess - April 22 - 1:13 am

  Excellent workmanship. Poor engineering. Loud engine and road noises. Bad reflection of dash to windshield from sun and dash lights. Must take vehicle to dealer to check transmission fluid. Vehicle does not track well on straightaway road and requires constant steering. At 70 mph, tach rpm is 2300 whereas, it should be less than 2000 for better mileage. Previous owned Acura TL, type S, a superior vehicle to this one.

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  Test drove, dont own - 2008 Infiniti G37
  By IY - April 16 - 3:56 pm

  Coming from 2002 BMW M3 SMG and 2008 Audi A4 6-Speed (GIAC chipped), G37S felt SLOW, maybe just a bit faster then my A4 (again GIAC chipped), and MUCH slower then M3. Steering not as tight as on previous cars, at 28k miles there was a lot of NOT normal wear on plastics and leather. The built quality inside is on par with Honda Civic. I am sorry, I wanted to like this car, but 335i (thats usually compared to G37S) is just a better car all around.

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  I think I have a lemon - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Can you say lemon - January 29 - 10:00 am

  I so desperately want to LOVE my new G35 but it seems that everytime I get close to falling for it, something goes wrong. The 1st problem occurred within the first 2 weeks. The radio wouldnt turn off, even when the engine was off. It took the dealer a week to fix that problem. Now, Im experiencing problems with my air conditioner...it only works on 60 degrees. If I move it up by 1 degree, the heater comes on. It doesnt help that the service people at the dealer keep telling me its new model, so problems can be expected. Of course, when extolling the benefits of the car before I purchased it, this information was conveniently omitted.

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  Meh...not really that impressed - 2017 Infiniti QX70
  By JWK - January 12 - 11:21 pm

  I rented this car and spent 900 miles in it (I got in with 8 miles, returned with 908). Overall, I was expecting better. Cabin was nice and well appointed. Buttons were easily placed and generally everything was intuitive and easy to use. Given that it was January and I was in northern Minnesota, I was impressed by the stability control intervention, which was quick and predictable when cornering and the rear started to break away. Kept me on the road pointed the right direction, and there was no tire spinning or anything. As with a lot of Infiniti SUVs, the cabin is a bit claustrophobic and outward visibility is below average. I really had to crane my neck to look over my shoulder and around blind spots. If road conditions were at all undulating, the ride was very jumpy and uncomfortable. You could really see it when the headlights were on; they were bobbing up and down and all of that was transmitted into the cabin. The USB integration was sporadic. Sometimes it would start up right away, others it would get stuck on "reading file" and require a lot more monkeying around with it before music would play. But what was most noteworthy, in a negative sense, was the gas mileage. I drove the 900 miles in less than a week, so my driving was mostly highway. Yet it returned below 20 mpg as an average. For a 20+ gallon tank, range was *barely* 400 miles. Im not a rocket accelerator, nor do I drive like a speed demon (on the interstate, I have the cruise pegged right around the speed limit). Add to that the engine requires premium gasoline. In this day and age, for a smaller SUV, that kind of mileage is flat-out poor. On the same route with my Cayenne and driving the same style, I get 24-25 mpg. As a result, I would say that while there are some things to like about the QX70, there are much better options out there.

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  not a car for a family - 2004 Infiniti Q45
  By paul - October 4 - 9:36 am

  although a supposedly luxury sedan, the trunk capacity is smaller than a Hondas. If you plan to make a car trip, ship your luggage. What were they thinking when they designed it ? My prior Lexus had 35% more capacity.