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:

• 

  Fun Sedan - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Dennis Pack - February 13 - 5:23 am

  I owned Maximas for 10 years prior to buying the G35. I wondered what the big deal could be between the two. What a mistake, the driving experience between the two cannot be compared. The G35 is extremely agile for a 3400 lb car. I find the interior quite pleasing, especially after looking at some 3 series BMW interiors. The VQ motor is a jewel, not real strong out of the hole but really pulls well through the rest of the RPM range. Cornering with the "midship" design platform was quite pleasing and for the first time, actually made me realize that the car would allow me to corner faster than I wanted to. I am extremely pleased with the G35 and my wife loves it too.

• 

  Great family luxury crossover - 2013 Infiniti JX
  By e46 - January 28 - 2:32 am

  I fist saw the the jx at the 2011 La auto show and I loved it. Finally just what I needed something smaller than my armada than can fit 7 people in luxury. I was glad to find out it was in my 50k price range, so one year later we purchased it. We got fwd (I know should of got all wheel but its drives just fine) with premium, divers assistance theater pkg. At first we took a look and drove the 2013 pathfinder which the Nissan dealer told us its the Same thing as the jx. Well its different. Not to mention the pathfinder interior is plastic fantastic! In conclusion we are glad we got the jx. We have put 6500 miles on it and not one problem. I highly recommend this crossover.

• 

  Comfy Cabin - 2006 Infiniti QX56
  By Paul m - January 26 - 8:16 am

  The QX56 has great off the line power. The front seats are extremely comfortable. The ride is smooth. There were a lot of things that needed to be repaired because of poor workmanship at the 3,750 mile checkup. Middle seat cupholders are in a bad place and have been broken twice when stepped on in the dark. With everything working well this car is great if you have kids!

• 

  the capability to be good but not a bad car - 2015 Infiniti Q50
  By Ray - January 23 - 10:14 pm

  While shopping i was deciding between a 2015 Hyundai genesis sedan and a few other cars. I came across the q50 liking the old G models. ENded up with the Q because of the boring feel of the genesis. The q50 is marginally faster only because the transmission tuning is terrible at best. Pedal to the floor my 06 IS350 and the genesis sedan both downshift instantly to the right gear and puts the power down. The Q50 on the other hand has to build the revs up from cruising around 2k rpms to about 6k to rev match, and it feels like an eternity. It never really knows what gear to go into when trying to do a smooth pass from 40 to 55 mph. I have reset the ecu so it could relearn based on my driving, it has improved but is still erratic. It either stays in a high gear then just bogs or downshifts too much and jumps out where you have to come off the gas quickly to compensate. The premium Bose system is awesome much better than the earlier version in my old Maxima. I listen to a variety of music and it handles everything pretty well. I added an additional sub just to get those deeper lows but the sound is not lacking from factory, its crystal clear. The apps are a gimmick its best to use your phone when your parked versus having the intouch system do a google search. USB and ipod work very well and have clean sound and amplification. Bluetooth audio works seamlessly and gives access to phone for browsing on the screen versus using the actual phone. Build quality is not on par with lexus or bmw parts feel a bit cheaper and less sturdy. Cabin noise is low even at highway speeds. tire noise is not bad for run flats but the ride quality greatly suffers. For a 55 series tire it rides like a 35 minus the performance benefits. I will be changing to standard tires once these wear out. plus the 17 inch wheels look too small for the car 18s or the 19 inch sports are a much better option. Trunk space is marginally bigger than my is350 but the backseat is far more spacious. If the new Lexus IS wasnt so ugly i would have looked into one but i feel like i will go back to lexus versus Infiniti. Possibly even move to BMW before i buy another Infiniti. The q50 is no where near a bad car but it has a lot of bugs that need to worked out. THE GAS MILEAGE IS ALSO NO WHERE NEAR STATED. I get average 22 with 80% highway (70-80mph) 20% city (45mph). Driving the same routes/ speeds my is350 averages 25 highway and 18 city. the q50 is around 23 highway using premium only.

• 

  the capability to be good but not a bad car - 2015 Infiniti Q50
  By Ray - January 23 - 10:14 pm

  While shopping i was deciding between a 2015 Hyundai genesis sedan and a few other cars. I came across the q50 liking the old G models. ENded up with the Q because of the boring feel of the genesis. The q50 is marginally faster only because the transmission tuning is terrible at best. Pedal to the floor my 06 IS350 and the genesis sedan both downshift instantly to the right gear and puts the power down. The Q50 on the other hand has to build the revs up from cruising around 2k rpms to about 6k to rev match, and it feels like an eternity. It never really knows what gear to go into when trying to do a smooth pass from 40 to 55 mph. I have reset the ecu so it could relearn based on my driving, it has improved but is still erratic. It either stays in a high gear then just bogs or downshifts too much and jumps out where you have to come off the gas quickly to compensate. The premium Bose system is awesome much better than the earlier version in my old Maxima. I listen to a variety of music and it handles everything pretty well. I added an additional sub just to get those deeper lows but the sound is not lacking from factory, its crystal clear. The apps are a gimmick its best to use your phone when your parked versus having the intouch system do a google search. USB and ipod work very well and have clean sound and amplification. Bluetooth audio works seamlessly and gives access to phone for browsing on the screen versus using the actual phone. Build quality is not on par with lexus or bmw parts feel a bit cheaper and less sturdy. Cabin noise is low even at highway speeds. tire noise is not bad for run flats but the ride quality greatly suffers. For a 55 series tire it rides like a 35 minus the performance benefits. I will be changing to standard tires once these wear out. plus the 17 inch wheels look too small for the car 18s or the 19 inch sports are a much better option. Trunk space is marginally bigger than my is350 but the backseat is far more spacious. If the new Lexus IS wasnt so ugly i would have looked into one but i feel like i will go back to lexus versus Infiniti. Possibly even move to BMW before i buy another Infiniti. The q50 is no where near a bad car but it has a lot of bugs that need to worked out. THE GAS MILEAGE IS ALSO NO WHERE NEAR STATED. I get average 22 with 80% highway (70-80mph) 20% city (45mph). Driving the same routes/ speeds my is350 averages 25 highway and 18 city. the q50 is around 23 highway using premium only.

• 

  NOT ALL THAT - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Scott Mc - January 21 - 10:00 am

  It’s a fun, powerful car that handles well. But there are many little things that add up, making it just an OK car overall. No memory in the seats, poor interior fit and finish, very soft paint (every tiny pebble chips paint). After a year there are more interior rattles than the local dealership can address.

• 

  Initial Disappointment - 2014 Infiniti QX50
  By larryhat1 - January 21 - 8:56 am

  I have had my QX50 for a little over a week now. I had looked at so many cars that I more than likely rushed to judgement in buying this vehicle. My problem is, it was a cold day when I test drove the car and did not notice some things that I have grown to take for granite on a $40,000 plus car. As an example: 1 touch windows up/down, Ventilated seats, no seat lumbar adjustment, 1 touch moon/sun roof, and I just found out that Nissan doesnt even make a cargo net for it. Nor does this model have blind spot indicators or adaptive cruise control which our $25k Altima had.

• 

  For Shorter People Only - 2002 Infiniti QX4
  By ALStone - January 18 - 10:00 am

  If you are over 6 foot tall like my husband is, then pass on this vehicle...you will not fit. I did not know this until after the papers were signed and took it home and he wanted to test drive it. I am really bummed about it. Other than that, I really love it.

• 

  bad brakes? - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By billydee - January 15 - 10:00 am

  excessive brake dust on front alloy wheels...wheels always dirty...am i going to have to replace linings too often...worse yet dealer said this is NORMAL..rear end cut out on me ...my level of confadence is low...perhaps bmw 3 series is worth the extra 7k

• 

  Still impressed - 1998 Infiniti Q45
  By fivelights - January 15 - 5:00 am

  Now Im up to about 175,000 miles. Check engine light is on which is emissions. Air bag light came on, which means one of the 6 airbags is malfunctioning. Other than this, my car has always been able to run without any problems. Never broke down on side of the road. Last week the dash board lit up like a Xmas tree. I sat on the car for 3 months afraid of the cost to take it it. Well I drove it to the shop and it was just the alt belt that snapped. 100 bucks. Outside of brakes rotors battery and oil change. This is the only repair that I had to make in the 5 +years of ownership. Even then I was still able to drive the car.