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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  Good used luxury SUV - 2006 Infiniti QX56
  By pnad - January 18 - 11:32 am

  I wanted big and comfortable. Shopped Lexus, Cadillac and Lincoln. The QX56 was cheaper than the Escalade, bigger than the GX470 and more reliable than the Navigator. It is a little odd looking from the outside, but looks great from the drivers seat. And oh what a drivers seat it is... Its like wearing new shoes WITH new socks. So comfortable. Passengers LOVE the second row seats. The 3rd row, like most, is better suited to smaller kids but I could sit back there for a 30 minute ride. Bose stereo sounds awesome. AUX input is strangely missing, but you can connect a phone/ipod whatever to the DVD input. Mileage isnt great, but it is the same for most of these trucks. Read up about brake issues on these trucks. Same for Nissan Titan and Armada. Warped rotors are not a big deal to me. $56ea at the local part store, I dont care if I need to replace them once a year. The other brake issue is the delta stroke sensor. You will want to google that. A sensor goes bad in the brake booster causing the antilock brakes to kick on. Feels like you are trying to stop on ice. I knew it was a possibility so I wasnt freaked out when it happened to me. Truck still stopped pretty good, just had that grindy/vibrating pedal feel. You can clear the fault by simply restarting the vehicle. If it happens a few more times I will look into replacing the brake booster ($180)

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  Outstanding Luxury Car - 2006 Infiniti M45
  By Prestoni - January 17 - 1:56 pm

  This is an awesome car. I have driven it about 12,000 miles and I am glad I got this car. When I need power to pass, i9t is there without hesitation. The Bose sound systems rocks. I also love the voice activated Bluetooth phone and the tons of bells and whistles.

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  Dont Want to Lose It - 2001 Infiniti I30
  By Mike - January 17 - 12:10 pm

  This car started out as my moms, she drove it for six years and then passed it down to me when my car bit the dust. It just feels like an all around great ride, smooth, classy, and reliable. Very few trips to the shop each year, usually one thing at a time, the kind of problems that come with an aging auto. At best Ive been able to squeeze 29 or 30 mpg on long highway drives, of which Ive been doing a lot of. My favorite part about reading other I-30 reviews is how long everyone intends to keep theirs until 300,000 miles. Im passing mine down to my younger brother, in favor of a newer car. No doubt itll keep running.

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  Doesnt get much better - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By golden - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Read pros reports and owners reports Test drive sealed the deal. I have never owned a car that get better the longer I drive it, power,merging on to a highway unreal, sound , handles better then BMW-Audi acura. Handled better then I expected in snow with 17 inch allseason tires. After seven months Im still impressed

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  Awsum! - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By TonyMattioli - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I have to drive on the backroads of Sherman CT. Loads of fun.

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  Very Impressed - 2005 Infiniti G35
  By Michael K - January 17 - 7:30 am

  I have had a number of cars, but I have to say I have never loved a car so much this far into ownership. I am usually bored and ready to get rid of a car after not even a year but not Infiniti! The quality is just impressive to me. I had it in the dealer shop a couple of times but nothing major. The gas mileage is really good to me, especially for a luxury car. The transmission is the absolute smoothest of any car I have ever driven or rode in, sometimes feels like your driving a CVT transmission! This is definitely a car that will last a long time if taken care of.

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  Forced Retirement - 1998 Infiniti Q45
  By daross1 - January 14 - 5:36 am

  Just had to retire my 1998 Q45 due to being rearended and totalled. Car had 232000 on it and was overall very reliable. Not a single problem until 155,000 Miles. Fuel Injectors, Coils, and just age were starting to cause more problems, but I think it would have gone to 300,000 if not for accident. Overall, fun to drive, reliable, and excellent value as cost to own is only a little expensive with gas costs. But it proved to be safe as I hardly felt the hit from behind and he was going about 35 miles an hour.

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  Awesome - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By nhg35c - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Would buy the car again. Wanted a japanese sports coupe 2+2. Owned a 1984 Toyota Celica GTS which was a fantastic car, but the newer Celicas did not have very much back seat leg room. Found the G35 Coupe had the best among the cars I was reviewing. Very fun car to drive and constantly get compliments on the car.

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  Love my car - 2005 Infiniti QX56
  By Moses - January 9 - 8:00 pm

  I had not planed to buy a new car this year, but with a little free time on my hands, I began to compare SUVs. I drove them all, every one. I was so impressed with the Infinity Q56 and the soft sell of the representative the cleanliness and order of the dealer. Before I knew it I had made a purchase , and I have not been displeased

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  Best car by far... - 2003 Infiniti Q45
  By Jimbo377 - January 9 - 2:00 am

  I have owned a couple luxury cars in the past, including a 1993 Lexus LS400, a 2000 BMW 5-series. The Lexus was a great, reliable car, but was about as exciting to drive as watching the seniors amateur golf classic. The 5 series was just the opposite: fun to drive but not as well put-together (in the shop 4 times in my 2 years of ownership). The new Q45 trumps both of these cars as the best compromise between the two: awesome performance in the lap of luxury... but also well put-together. This car will easily last me a good 7-10 years.