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:

• 

  Needs Improvement - 2004 Infiniti QX56
  By cjaynes - January 10 - 11:36 am

  Beautiful car poor performance. The vehicle has terrible vibration in the roof. Since my purchase in June 2004 I have had several problems such as brakes, seats, handling, vibration, dvd, and back hatch. Dont waste your money. Infiniti clearly needs to work on the quality if they are going to compete in the luxury suv market. I want to get rid of mine but wouldnt want some other poor sucker get it.

• 

  Poor reliability after two years - 2005 Infiniti G35
  By lvnvdriver - November 8 - 1:50 am

  We have had way too many service problems with our G35 to be able to give it a positive review. It has had problems with the brakes, it had an electrical system problem, and there have been other issues which have required taking it to the dealer more often than should be the case for a two year old vehicle.

• 

  JX Passenger Airbag Does Not Work - 2013 Infiniti JX
  By andy0416 - October 29 - 10:09 pm

  This car has a major design defect that Infiniti is ignoring. All passenger airbags are supposed to operate if the person in the seat weighs more than 110 pounds. My wife weighs 118 poounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall. The airbag does not detect that she is in the seat and therefore is not operational. The dealer tried to fix the problem but could not. They reported to Infiniti that they verified the problem and that it was a dangerous condition. Infiniti has simply ignored the defect. As a result I was forced to bring a lemon law suit against them. There are mumerous other complaints. Be warned that if you have a loved one who weighs about 120 or less the passenger airbag wont work!

• 

  My last Infiniti - 2014 Infiniti Q50
  By David - September 21 - 5:37 pm

  Good looking car, strong engine for the most part, comfortable interior on road trips, but overall a disappointment. Definitely buyers remorse. The inTouch electronics are buggy, slow, or just plain dont work. Dealer has been really nice, but they cant change the poor quality and design of the manufacturers electronics. I have a complaint logged with Infiniti Consumer Affairs, and they were also really nice, but unwilling to do anything about the problems Ive had. Ive had the car about a year and a half, and its been in the shop cumulatively for almost a month. And after today, when several functions of the car electronics disappeared, I now have to schedule it into the shop again. I have never had problems like this with any car Ive ever owned. My second Infiniti, but it will be my last.

• 

  What a mistake - I miss my Tahoe! - 2000 Infiniti I30
  By TWBnMD - July 1 - 4:20 pm

  I was forced to trade a Tahoe LT to get something with better economy ( I have a sizable commute thru Baltimore). It started out OK, but slowly deteriorated to become a vehicle I cant wait to get rid off. No more Infinitis for me - EVER.Theres this "clicking noise in the climate control ( fan at lowest setting ). AFTER I got this car I found out. Infinity "fixed" it, nope. Ill never be suckered into a "premium" Japanese auto again ( unless its a Lexus ).

• 

  Direct Adaptive Steering performs poorly - 2015 Infiniti Q50
  By PsyMed - June 23 - 2:45 am

  Edmunds full expert review has nothing good to say about the Direct Adaptive Steering option, and now I know why. My new, fully loaded Q50 Premium hash Direct Adaptive Steering and run-flat tires. After driving it over 1000 miles on mostly highways, Im deeply troubled by the rather abysmal performance, road handling, and maybe even the real-world safety of this steer-by-wire system. (As of this writing, I do not know the extent to which the rather miserable run-flat tires may be contributing to this poor performance, but I suspect it may be quite significant. I will have more to say about these tires shortly.) For those who may not be familiar with Infinitis Direct Adaptive Steering ("steer-by-wire"), there isnt a conventional mechanically coupled linkage between the steering wheel and the front end. Rather, the system relies on an electronic interface between the steering wheel and the front end. Thus, unlike conventional steering, there is no instantaneous telegraphing and biomechanical feedback of the sensations that a driver normally feels between ones hands on the steering wheel and the road, particularly lacking the natural progressive resistance that one would normally feel as the steering wheel is turned ever more to the left or to the right. The lack of this natural sensation between the drivers hands and the road would be totally unnerving and disorienting. So, Infiniti has attempted to simulate this sensation by driver selectable settings found within the Infiniti Drive Mode Selector app, found by scrolling through the apps on the touch pad. After tapping the DMS app, one first selects Steering, after which one has four steering modes between "Effort" and "Response" to choose from, including (1) Light/Casual, (2) Standard/Standard, (3) Standard/Quick, and (4) Heavy/Quick. Basically, the settings determine the degree of resistance one feels when turning the steering wheel. With DAS, the vehicle has an unnerving habit of wandering, floating, and swerving or yawing from side-to-side, requiring nearly constant steering corrections. Unlike conventional steering, when one is negotiating a curve on a highway with DAS, you cant simply turn the wheel in and hold it there as you progress through the curve. If you attempt to do so you will quickly find that a few seconds after you turn the wheel slightly, the vehicle will stop going in the direction of the turn and will begin to go straight, so you have to keep turning the wheel back in the direction of the curve. This in turn results in the vehicle wandering from side to side. But wait, theres more. With DAS, the vehicle tends to fall into and follow, for example, any uneven seams or other such things in the road surface. In addition, when one is passing, or being passed by trucks (and even other cars) the wind drafts will blow the car to the side and require diligence with the steering wheel because one must anticipate and compensate for this. I cringe to think how it might perform when driving on the freeway with strong gusting winds and slippery road conditions. On the bright side, my experience thus far has been that DAS performs decidedly better when driving around town as well as on country roads. Quite frankly, I am utterly baffled as to how this steer-by-wire system ever made it into production. What in the world were they thinking? It remains to be seen whether or not there will eventually be a Technical Service Bulletin about this glaring problem, and if so, whether or not a firmware update will even be possible in order to fix the problem. While driving on highways with the Driver Assist is on, the vehicle will wander/bounce back and forth within its lane if you let it, rather like a bobsled. In fact, unless youre very diligent about keeping the vehicle on track, the degree of wandering from side to side has me worried that I might get pulled over by the police for driving is if I am intoxicated! My experience thus far has been that the vehicle wanders the least in the Heavy/Quick setting. As previously mentioned, I remain very suspicious that the run-flat tires may be part of the problem, and I would be very curious to see how it performs when I eventually replace them with a set of Michelin Primacy tires. The Internet reveals that the majority of consumers dont like run-flats because they impart a rough ride; they cost a third more than conventional tires; and they wear very quickly. I find it to be absolutely infuriating that the automotive industry is increasingly cramming these tires down our throats. Indeed, I have read reports that BMW for example may void the warranty if these tires are replaced with conventionals. Fortunately, with the 2015 Q50, these tires can be replaced with conventional ones without voiding the warranty. In addition, the vehicle has a spare tire that can be replaced with a conventional one.

• 

  Direct Adaptive Steering performs poorly - 2015 Infiniti Q50
  By PsyMed - June 23 - 2:45 am

  Edmunds full expert review has nothing good to say about the Direct Adaptive Steering option, and now I know why. My new, fully loaded Q50 Premium hash Direct Adaptive Steering and run-flat tires. After driving it over 1000 miles on mostly highways, Im deeply troubled by the rather abysmal performance, road handling, and maybe even the real-world safety of this steer-by-wire system. (As of this writing, I do not know the extent to which the rather miserable run-flat tires may be contributing to this poor performance, but I suspect it may be quite significant. I will have more to say about these tires shortly.) For those who may not be familiar with Infinitis Direct Adaptive Steering ("steer-by-wire"), there isnt a conventional mechanically coupled linkage between the steering wheel and the front end. Rather, the system relies on an electronic interface between the steering wheel and the front end. Thus, unlike conventional steering, there is no instantaneous telegraphing and biomechanical feedback of the sensations that a driver normally feels between ones hands on the steering wheel and the road, particularly lacking the natural progressive resistance that one would normally feel as the steering wheel is turned ever more to the left or to the right. The lack of this natural sensation between the drivers hands and the road would be totally unnerving and disorienting. So, Infiniti has attempted to simulate this sensation by driver selectable settings found within the Infiniti Drive Mode Selector app, found by scrolling through the apps on the touch pad. After tapping the DMS app, one first selects Steering, after which one has four steering modes between "Effort" and "Response" to choose from, including (1) Light/Casual, (2) Standard/Standard, (3) Standard/Quick, and (4) Heavy/Quick. Basically, the settings determine the degree of resistance one feels when turning the steering wheel. With DAS, the vehicle has an unnerving habit of wandering, floating, and swerving or yawing from side-to-side, requiring nearly constant steering corrections. Unlike conventional steering, when one is negotiating a curve on a highway with DAS, you cant simply turn the wheel in and hold it there as you progress through the curve. If you attempt to do so you will quickly find that a few seconds after you turn the wheel slightly, the vehicle will stop going in the direction of the turn and will begin to go straight, so you have to keep turning the wheel back in the direction of the curve. This in turn results in the vehicle wandering from side to side. But wait, theres more. With DAS, the vehicle tends to fall into and follow, for example, any uneven seams or other such things in the road surface. In addition, when one is passing, or being passed by trucks (and even other cars) the wind drafts will blow the car to the side and require diligence with the steering wheel because one must anticipate and compensate for this. I cringe to think how it might perform when driving on the freeway with strong gusting winds and slippery road conditions. On the bright side, my experience thus far has been that DAS performs decidedly better when driving around town as well as on country roads. Quite frankly, I am utterly baffled as to how this steer-by-wire system ever made it into production. What in the world were they thinking? It remains to be seen whether or not there will eventually be a Technical Service Bulletin about this glaring problem, and if so, whether or not a firmware update will even be possible in order to fix the problem. While driving on highways with the Driver Assist is on, the vehicle will wander/bounce back and forth within its lane if you let it, rather like a bobsled. In fact, unless youre very diligent about keeping the vehicle on track, the degree of wandering from side to side has me worried that I might get pulled over by the police for driving is if I am intoxicated! My experience thus far has been that the vehicle wanders the least in the Heavy/Quick setting. As previously mentioned, I remain very suspicious that the run-flat tires may be part of the problem, and I would be very curious to see how it performs when I eventually replace them with a set of Michelin Primacy tires. The Internet reveals that the majority of consumers dont like run-flats because they impart a rough ride; they cost a third more than conventional tires; and they wear very quickly. I find it to be absolutely infuriating that the automotive industry is increasingly cramming these tires down our throats. Indeed, I have read reports that BMW for example may void the warranty if these tires are replaced with conventionals. Fortunately, with the 2015 Q50, these tires can be replaced with conventional ones without voiding the warranty. In addition, the vehicle has a spare tire that can be replaced with a conventional one.

• 

  RUST! - 2008 Infiniti QX56
  By nefouse - June 18 - 4:08 pm

  After only a few years the frame on this $65,000 full size SUV began to rust.

• 

  Infiniti Q50 the worst car of 2014 - 2014 Infiniti Q50
  By andrew714 - May 14 - 11:15 pm

  This car represents the the company as a whole. FAILURE. Not only did the stealership pull a bait and switch on me by changing the price of the car from sales to finance, but their customer service after the sales was just horrid. Go to the Q50 forum and you can read hundreds of owners who regret buying this car. Several members have successfully gotten Infiniti to buy back the car. DAS is a gimmick. It doesnt work in the real world. It feels artificial and has tons of bugs. The Intouch unit is laggy and prematurely released. Everyone who bought the Q50 were unwilling beta tester for the company. Avoid Infiniti and the Q50. This car sucks and so does the company.

• 

  Disappointed - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By David - May 1 - 9:10 pm

  I own a Chevy and a Mecedes Benz. When I bought the QX-56, I thought I would be treated with the same intensity as I am with the Benz. Instead, I feel like I bought a Chevy. The truck, although pricey, is a terrible driving truck. Its balloon tires bounce down the road and the steering wheel jumps out of my hand over rougher road surfaces. Its dashboard is the most cumbersome I have ever come across. It is noisy and has many rattles. It only has 8,000 miles. I had problems with the front brakes at 3,000 miles. The dealer knew about it. The rotars were warped. They cut them instead of replacing. A Chevy dealer would cut. A benz dealer would replace