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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  Best Performance and comfort - 2004 Infiniti M45
  By Sam - November 26 - 11:00 am

  Best Sedan performance plus quality for the money in America, specially 1-2 yr old used one. Smooth and quiet at high speeds. Great stereo.

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  very nice - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By atorreon - November 16 - 5:48 am

  very nice lux suv...great size and comfort. if you are looking from a great family hauler and can handle the 12mpg than choose this. the qx is loaded with several things other brands are just starting to do...a great example is the rearview camera which cadillac/gm/others dont do

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  A basically good car with a few problems - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By sunny_d - November 13 - 4:33 pm

  I purchased this car new in March of 2004, trading in a 2000 Infiniti G20t. I love the increased power of this car, and handling is very good. The AWD does well in Midwest winters. I have, however, had the front brakes replaced three times (only at 53,000 miles now), and the 6-disc CD changer completely died around 30,000 miles (replaced under warranty, thank goodness, as it would have cost over $650). I also REALLY wish Infiniti would offer the AWD version with the manual transmission that is available in the RWD version of this car. Performance is still good though, even with an auto transmission.

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  Just a nice reliable Nissan with Infiniti badge - 1999 Infiniti I30
  By celticstallion - November 12 - 4:01 pm

  I purchased this car used with 53,000 miles. I now have 75,000 miles after 1 year. It drives very well and its even better on the highway which is what I think it was made for. It has decent pickup as well. It has classy looks for the age of it and for the price you pay for one its much better than a newer domestic car in my opinion. Interior is decent but comfortable. It has been very reliable and I dont for see any problems in the near future. For the bad, The check engine light came on after a month and this is from the Mass air flow sensor. This causes the car to lag in acceleration after starting it up when cold, but if you let it run for a minute it does not cause any problems.

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  by rich - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By rich de george - November 9 - 8:36 pm

  powerfull,comfortable and excellentin the snow. needs improvement on some luxury features such as auto locking voice activation power rear seats and fold in mirrors. I have had problems with the brakes and a shammying, two times in a 10 mo. vehicle has a lot of cabin nose.

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  A better price to performance ratio doesnt exist... - 2013 Infiniti G Coupe
  By bgf18 - November 5 - 10:35 am

  I recently leased a 2013 G37S 6MT.Simply stated, this car provides the best bang-for-the-buck of any rear-wheel drive, sporting/luxury coupe on the market.ThatÂ’s it.Overall this car is about BALANCE.The Infiniti doesnÂ’t do anything the BEST, just a lot of things really WELL - and for a sensible price.The stiffer ride, vibrating shifter, slight wind and road noise, and raucous engine are all meant to remind you that you are driving a sporting vehicle, not a Lexus LS.With that said, it still is an Infiniti so it is reliable, beautiful and reasonably luxurious.A BMW 335 is a more refined car with similar performance, but costs WAY more and is completely anonymous looking (in my opinion).

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  Good-Looking Car - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By GMoney - November 5 - 6:13 am

  This car was purchased by me as the 3rd owner at about 74k and had rotors and pads replaced at the dealer, only 7k later they were shot and Im not an aggressive driver either, it just eats breaks very quickly and they are very "touchy" as well as the gas pedal. The transmission jerks into 2nd gear a lot, and definitely wouldnt recommend using the autoshifter because you will tear up your transmission very quickly, and its pricey to replace. The car has a cheap feel to all the plastic pieces of the interior. Overall it drives smooth but is ridiculously bumpy on the slightest cracks in pavement. The car is fast but awful on gas, maybe 20MPG, I get 290 miles per tank at most, use 89oct not 93oct.

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  Overall decent - 2002 Infiniti I35
  By jess_m - November 4 - 3:40 am

  I purchased this 2002 infiniti in nov of 2008 used with only one previous owner and 90,000 miles on it. Overall its been a great car with a few fun luxury perks to it. The gas mileage isnt bad for a V6 engine and for how quick it is. Ive had to replace my 6 disc CD changer once (which was pricey) because I had a skipping CD inserted and it disabled my entire dashboard. Apparently it was a problem my repair guy said happens to this model of car...? I also had to replace my rear brakes. Its a fun car to drive, but the repairs are pricey- which is something I expected anyway with a luxury vehicle.

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  Used Infiniti QX4 2000 - 2000 Infiniti QX4
  By kg - October 22 - 8:40 am

  Bought it used with 109K miles in 2007. Overall a very fun car to have and drive, wonderful comfort, great sound system, great off-road. There is one very important limitation - bad fuel economy, about 12-16 MPG. Which means it is not for a lots of freeway driving, but rather for short commutes, small towns and off-road (which is excellent!) Some reliability issues - non specific, but after 100K miles, some small and not small parts tend to go out. Off-road as good as it gets. I drove on a very steep uphill, narrow winding mountain road with more than 6 inches of snow and ice, and it went right through it for miles until the snow got really thick (more than 10 inches).

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  I35 burgerbits - 2002 Infiniti I35
  By burgerbits - October 20 - 10:00 am

  I am enjoying the car and like the car overall for its quality, performance and features, but the ride is harsh over bumps and you feel road grain.