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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  First Impressions - 2013 Infiniti JX
  By beagle11 - April 13 - 9:19 am

  Just took delivery of our emerald graphite JX35 AWD (fully loaded) with java brown interior. My first impressions are as follows: Appearance: As attractive as the JX35 appears in the photos, the vehicle looks even better in person. The exterior styling is very sporty without looking gimmicky. The dark plastic aeroskirts and underbody accents compliment the lines well. While the salesman admitted he was skeptical of the java interior with the dark gray dash and emerald graphite color scheme when we pre-ordered, but was very impressed when it was delivered. The dark brown leather looks very luxurious and breaks up what would be a monochromatic look. It’s definitely one of the smartest looking SUVs on the road today. Performance: The engine is adequate and the ride is more luxurious than it is sporty. For 90% of drivers in this class, it will perform admirably. Plows quite bit into the turns, but this isn’t a M series. Interior: Top notch interior. Seats are firm, but comfortable. I am a large guy over 6 feet, and I can fit in all three rows. The 3rd row would be tough for long periods, but doable for less than an hour. The 3rd row access entry space is big enough for an adult to gain access within to much trouble. Technology: It may take a year or more to get your hands around all of the features. The basic functions are intuitive, but like a really powerful smart phone, the vehicle’s capabilities likely far exceed the user’s mastery of the system’s functionality. The steering wheel controls are reversed from most vehicles, and the different interfaces will take a little while to familiarize myself with being a distraction. Non-Critical, but Quirky Issues: Due to the push-button keyless ignition, there doesn’t appear to be a way to energize the vehicle control systems within starting the vehicle first. There doesn’t appear to be a way to roll up and down windows, or play radio like you would with a vehicle in “accessory mode with a traditional turn-key ignition. There is a very poorly placed “SOS” button for the Infiniti Connect emergency notification system. The button is located on the overhead control panel, approximately ½-inch below the button for the driver-side overhead lamp. When the headlines are engaged, the button is back-lighted, but is easily confused with the overhead light switch in the dark. Yes, I pushed it accidentally on the first evening I drove the car. The response came from Infiniti in approximately 30 seconds and the call center representative was thankfully very understanding. While the odds of changing a tire yourself is remote with roadside assistance, the rear Bose Direct-Wave speaker and plastic rear hatch liner would need o be removed prior to accessing the under-body high pressure spare tire and jack. Remote start will not work with second key located inside of within close proximity of the vehicle. Once the second key was removed from the car, it started right up. While the DVD playing in the back can be viewed on the front heads-up monitor, the car must be stopped and the emergency break engaged before it will come up. No CD changer, but rather a hard drive storage system where you can burn hundreds on CDs onto prior to leaving. Unclear if the burn function works with audio books. Overall: I think Acura is going to have to re-design the MDX this year to match the JX35 main buying demographic. The bar has been raised in that price class. While not perfect and bordering on being too technologically complex, the JX35 hits or exceeds expectations for factors that matter to the 40-something $100K+ income female.

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  One of the best car i drove. - 2007 Infiniti G35
  By Rashed - April 11 - 2:03 am

  One of the nicest and fun to drive car i drove in my whole life. I cant describe my feelings, the interior is awesome the dashboard the seats every thing every thing in this beauty is wonderful. by by Lexus. it is time to welcome the king of luxury from Japan (Infiniti).

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  Love the car!!! - 2004 Infiniti Q45
  By David00035 - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive. Lots of power. Great value.

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  a true sport-sedan for 30K ! - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By 757pilot - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned the G35 RWD sports-sedan for 1 month and it just keeps getting better. I test drove others, claiming to be sport-sedans. However, the FWD have way too much torque-steer (ie. Acura TL) when you really get on it. This car handles and looks great...nice job Infiniti. I have heard of the brake problems, it may be that the pads are soft...hence the very short stoping distance? The dealer will take care of it though.

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  BEST in CLASS!! - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By G35_driveR - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Sweet ride. Just purchased over the weekend and cant think of one thing I dont like about the car. Outstanding performance, comfort, design and features. I purchased an Ivory Pearl G35 with leather equipped with sunroof and Bose audio system from Rosenthal Infiniti at barely over invoice, $29.7k, $31k out the door. Such a bargain...Rosenthal gets high marks in my book as far as service and ease of sale. This car is worth every penny!!

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  Get the G - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Gslow - April 9 - 10:00 am

  1,500 miles on the G now. Came out of Lincoln LS Sport and was worried about loss of performance and sporty ride. Get the 260hp rear wheel drive as soon as you can! Performance and ride quality are great, interior space is best in class, and pricing cannot be beaten. If you want practical power and sport, this is the best for the price.

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  JX35 Birthday Surprise - 2013 Infiniti JX
  By Marianne - April 6 - 7:35 am

  Its a pleasure to drive, handles great.

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  Excellent new design outside and in - 2008 Infiniti G37
  By ricogs400 - April 4 - 8:10 pm

  The newly redesigned G37 improves in many places over the previous version and Infiniti is taking big steps to get up to the top levels of luxury and performance. The G is solid, well layed out controls and tons of tech gadgets that I still need to learn all of them.

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  My Car - 2006 Infiniti G35
  By tom - April 3 - 11:36 am

  Bought this car at the beginning of the year and have not driven it a lot until this month. Took it on an 1800 mile trip, it was fun to drive in the mountains of WV and through Ky and Oh.

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  Best of the luxury Beasts - 2011 Infiniti QX56
  By gdatlanta1 - April 3 - 3:40 am

  Bought this SUV loaded for my wife 4 months ago. We use it for a family of 4. The technology has been great and the power & Luxury is what I wanted in a big SUV. We looked at the big Lexus(less power,room,higher price). The Benz GL(less room,higher price, new BodyS coming soon).The X5(horrible reliability-I own an 08 550 now-nothing but trouble).The Range Rover(higher price, lowest resale, terrible reliability). Escalade(poor fit and finish, resale value poor). We have received more complements on the interior of this vehicle from friends who own competitor SUVs than I can mention. We wanted the fit and finish of a Lexus and the driving characteristics of the German models. We got it.