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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  Like sands through the hourglass - 2000 Infiniti I30
  By jeh255 - October 16 - 4:26 am

  Bought my car new and mostly liked the quality. Had the brake trouble listed in the forum and it was corrected early on. Since 50,000 (now 55,000) the car is like a "problem time bomb", alternator, power seat, oxygen sensor. All expensive repairs. these are all problems reported in the problems solution and reported in service bulletins. Should I buy another Infiniti? I expected more for the price I paid. I didnt think cars failed at 50,000 miles anymore.Should the manufacturer take some responsibility for their product? I think so.

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  Fast, fun, reliable - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Kong - October 11 - 4:10 pm

  I bought my 2004 RWD 6-speed manual G35 sedan in 2006. Almost 3 years and 30K miles later, its still a really fun car to drive. Quick enough to handle most traffic situations. Luxurious enough and very comfortable; love the feel of the steering wheel. No major problems--took it to dealer under warranty for minor annoyances. Clutch is a little heavy; dealer always suggests replacing the clutch, but if it doesnt slip, its fine--75K miles so far on original clutch. Put on winter tires and it will handle winter with ease.

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  Q - 2000 Infiniti Q45
  By pdl1 - October 3 - 2:00 am

  Solid, reliable,comfortable. Quiet, safe. City mileage around 20 mpg

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  Practical and a Blast to Drive - 2005 Infiniti G35
  By Morrie - September 28 - 9:06 am

  This is truly a drivers car, but with enough practicality to function as a family car. Amazing performance, with the overall feel of a much more expensive car. Its a huge step up from a Maxima or I35, which are in the same price range. Unless you really must have front wheel drive, the G35 should be considered. Also considered the Cadilac CTS. A nice car, but there is less interior space, a higher price and the build quality is lower.

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  Sweet ride.... with a lot of power - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By achung123 - September 19 - 10:30 am

  Just got a used 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan with GPS. The first thing I noticed is the strong brakes! They are much better than in the C-class. The second thing is the power. It is strong at ANY speed. The GPS is very nice; but it could be better (I think the respond time is on the slow side). The Bird-view is cool to look at, but it is essentially useless when you really need to look for something. The Bose sound system is nice, but not outstanding, and its layout is confusing. IMO, overall G35 is a the best valued car out there, and the second one is the TSX (in terms of what you get with your $).

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  BMW killer - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Juan Pablo - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for 3 months now, and Im loving it. I test drove it back-to-back with the BMW 3-series, and this car blew away the Bimmer, both in terms of power and handling. And at the price-point, its a bargain. I get more comments about this car from strangers than I do from my Porsche.

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  Nothing but Problems - 2011 Infiniti QX56
  By what2do - September 12 - 2:00 am

  At 300 miles I had to put my car in the shop because of vibrations in the steering wheel, a loud roaring noise when you pushed the gas pedal (still unknown why and no fix) heated seats and the windshield wipers not working correctly. My car was in the shop 3-4 times for the same problem, kept saying it was fixed and it wasnt. Consumer Affairs is a mess. Now in the process of Lemon Law and returning the vehicle for a refund. Im really upset because I love this vehicle. It is very nice and love to drive it (besides the problems). But it is not worth the hassle and the stress I have been going through. Apparently, a lot of complaints have been made about the steering and the roaring noise.

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  My G35 - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By karonz - September 11 - 9:40 pm

  Love the car! Its fun to drive, has great pick-up and is very nimble. Corners great without any yaw. The only thing I would prefer is that it were a little less stiff ride ... but I had performance in mind when I purchased it, guess you make concessions for fun!

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  Still going - 2001 Infiniti G20
  By Daniel - September 11 - 6:13 am

  I am reaching 175,000 miles and still running pretty well. I did have to put in a rebuilt transmission but considering that I have not kept up with manufacturers maintenance it still ran well. It was well worth the cost.

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  Still drives very well - 2003 Infiniti M45
  By qualityfirst1 - September 5 - 6:00 pm

  This car had lots of positives, but the few negatives does sour our ownership experience. Our M45 has a very unique look, which Ive come to like. The interior is still very nice. Our car still drives very well - it doesnt feel like 108K mi. The power is very impressive. The aluminum suspension components cut unsprung weight. A lot of things have broken, which is upsetting. Infiniti service writers are nice, but they will not fight for the customer. Our air bag light has been on since a hair over 50K mi. The warranty is good up to 7yr/70K, but they wouldnt fix it. The oil issue stinks. Due to the bad service, I wont buy again.