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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  QX56 Owner for over a year - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By Jon R - June 17 - 4:20 pm

  Many mechanical issues. Replaced front brake rotors and pads 4 times. Infiniti knows of brake shutter problems and finally found a fix. Both front driver and passanger window motors had to be replaced as windows would not roll up properly. Interior plastic scratches very easily. If you have kids....expect the interior to get all beat up looking and scratched. The cruise control sensor will not function if the sensor gets any dirt and water on it....so forget about using in the rain. We use in the snow during the winter and the 4X4 stability is poor due to heavy weight difference toward the rear. On a positive note, the service dept is excellent. I would not recommend.

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  Look before you leap! - 2014 Infiniti QX60
  By jpsctt - May 30 - 9:18 am

  Comfortable, spacious and smooth riding SUV that is a pleasure to drive. However, the car is unreliable with a CVT transmission that has been replaced twice. Excellent service from Infiniti. Although a very nice vehicle, I would not trust it on a long trip.

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  Factory Paint Defects - 2014 Infiniti QX60
  By Greg Wolfenbarger - May 11 - 12:00 pm

  BUYER BEWARE!!!. The test of a great company is when they have to deal with a customer issue and how they resolve the issue and make the customer a long time loyal customer. Just bought a brand new Infiniti 2014 QX60 in January 2015 with less than 525 miles (the car was delivered with the paint issues) and found manufacturer paint defect issues and Infiniti Affairs has refused to repurchase or trade out the vehicle and have not accepted responsibility for their paint defects. Infiniti Corp has also ignored the dealer, Infiniti of Dayton, who agreed and provided documentation to the BBB that there are manufacturers defects in the paint. Infiniti Corps response is "we will cover the costs

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  XENON LIGHTS - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By mortarmom505 - May 1 - 10:13 pm

  This car has one major flaw which has disappointed us so much so we will never buy another Infiniti (weve owned several). Our Xenon headlights have been stolen from our car for the 2nd time in less than 6 months. Nissan knew of this problem way back... and supposedly made changes to their 2004 Nissan Maxima... however, Infiniti (which is Nissan) produced the 2004 G- 35 with the same theft friendly lights. We were not advised of this problem and feel quite indignant that Nissan/Infiniti has known about this problem yet continues to profit from the sale of expensive replacement lights. Ours hasnt been the only G in the neighborhood with stolen lights mutltiple times.

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  Dont buy it. - 2003 Infiniti M45
  By davec160 - April 7 - 7:55 am

  Obviously all used cars now and if you see one on the lot steer clear and let it rot on the lot. We have owned one now for about 4 years and up til recently have been some what satisfied. It has about 80K on it and everything is falling apart. Like previous poster gas guage is unreliable and it has been in the shop waiting for a part for over a week now. The whole instrument cluster has to be replaced!! A big rig has a tighter turning radius. Interior lights have been replaced a few times too and rarely work correctly. Infinities are not built to last.

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  A Posh Pathfinder - 1997 Infiniti QX4
  By D. OConnor - February 25 - 12:16 am

  As a first car, the QX4 has served me well. Its got good looks and above-average handling for a truck on its side, but as time wore on its, deficiencies became more and more apparent. Gas mileage is awful; 15 mpg is about the norm for me and I can rarely go more than 250 miles on a tank, this with a (horribly gutless) V6! The ride is choppy in the back seat, which itself is cramped with next to no headroom for me, though admittedly Im also 61". And while the overall maneuverability is good, the steering is way too heavy and has little feel (it also seems to be permanently misaligned despite a visit to the shop, which may just be an age-related issue).

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  Very un-Japanese in quality! - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By LBP2013 - February 20 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle was purchased new in March 2005. My family and I had nothing but problems with this vehicle. We had many engine issues that Santa Monica Infiniti repaired many times and finally my family decided to work with an attorney since this car had so many repairs and many recurring problems and we believed it qualified for remedies through the lemon law. Through persistence and working closely with our attorney Infiniti finally had to buy the car back and give us monetary remedy. We then bought a 2007 Escalade ESV to replace this unsatisfying beast. Infiniti gave us the money in February 2008 after the lemon law buyback.

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  Dont buy this car - 2014 Infiniti QX60
  By joesams - February 18 - 8:59 am

  The car is roomy, great for family with kids, but the nightmares started in the first week when I noticed that the hybrid battery is hardly discharging any power towards the car, the energy screen is always showing energy discharged from the engine towards the car or the battery, and after the first 250 miles the average of gas consumption was 15 miles per gallon...yes 15,,not 26 as they claimed, I took the care back to the dealership who contacted infiniti of USA and the answer was it is what it is,,the battery is not fully hybrid but partially, and gues what if your AC is working then the battery wont work,,,,I filed a case with infiniti ad Im waiting for an answer, ill update you.

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  design - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Hilda - January 4 - 2:00 am

  design very good to look at but claustrophobic. top of door inclined toward head, ceiling very close to top of head. Pedals much too faar down and for long legged people. Rear side windows wwere cut down for aerodunamic look which cuts visibility. Rear window smaller to cut visibility. Cloth model lacks light feature for auto turn off. No beep to signal locking. Console so wide you feel you are in an airplane cockpit. Poorest feature visibiity for backing up.