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:

• 

  Great Sports sedan! - 2005 Infiniti G35
  By RichF - June 25 - 11:06 pm

  The 2005 Infinity G35x embodies what a luxury sports sedan should be--a sports car in a luxury sedan package! The 4WD handles nimbly with terrific acceleration, with the car going exactly where you want it to go. Steering and braking are sure and precise. Its a blast to drive! But the sports performance does not compromise the 4 door luxury comfort. Head and leg room are better than other cars in this class, and cargo room is much better than others. With the Premium package, the full complement of luxury features is at your finger tips, from keyless entry and starting, to heated seats, dual thermostat, to reclining rear seats. And, all this value for a price that cant be beat.

• 

  Problem with headlights - 2007 Infiniti M45
  By pep - June 25 - 3:00 pm

  Everything that you have read about this car is true (its great), its hard to believe anyone being disappointed with the M45 Sport. However if you drive this car on the highway at night, you need to know that the design of the headlights is faulty. The high beams are focused so high that they do not illuminate the road in front of the car at all. There is a single adjust for both high and low beam lights so if you take your car to the dealer they will misalign the low beam focus if you complain of the faulty high beams. I drive 70 miles at night on a desert highway to work daily, if you drive your M45 in town this will not be an issue.

• 

  Julies G - 2006 Infiniti G35
  By Julie Garrett - June 25 - 4:36 am

  This car is fun to drive and I love it, although without any doubt, vision while in reverse is severely impacted. I also feel that the transmission shifts a bit roughly given the category and have been told by three passengers that the front seats were narrow and uncomfortable, especially on travels lasting over 60 minutes.

• 

  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.

• 

  Black Blur - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Zipper - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Love this car!!! I havent had this much fun driving in many, many years, if ever. So glad I passed on the BMWs and Mercedes. They were fine in the test drives, but this car beats them so easily that its not even close. The styling is so beautiful that I still break into a big smile every time I walk out into the garage.

• 

  I LOVE MY CAR - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By slg111 - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is a car that is a lot of fun to drive. It also gets you noticed. People love to look at this car. I have a couple quibbles with the interior -- window too high, cupholder set too far back, and metal on stickshift heats up during the day making it hard to put your hand on it after work -- burns. But these are very minor design flaws that in no way diminish the absolute power and finesse this car has. Love it!

• 

  Mid Life Crisis Car - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Jules - June 22 - 10:00 am

  I have owned SUVs for the last 18 years, and cant really say why I all of a sudden wanted to make a change to a smaller more sporty car except that it sounded like fun. I used to own a Datsun 280ZX before my daughter was born that I loved. I thought the Infiniti really resembled that car body style. All I can say is this is by far the best car I have ever owned. Its sporty, fun to drive, FAST,and I absolutely love it !! My husband had a 55 Chevy he loved to race around when he was young and had to sell to buy our 1st house but this car has brought back a little of his racey side and he thinks this car is fantastic!!What more can I say ??!!

• 

  Superb machine - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Renato nascimento - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Great car,and very fast!!!

• 

  good but problems - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Keith Brown - June 22 - 10:00 am

  I must say that at first sight I loved this car. But after having it for several months now. I am not in love anymore. First, since first getting the car I had an annoying rattle sounds coming from the drivers side. I brought the car in and they said they fixed the problem. I didnt get 2 blocks away, the problem is still there. Then the CD player breaks, which didnt suprise me since it sounds like a cheap toy everytime it changes CDs.Got a new CD player, the new one does the same thing so it will probably break again, but while there I got them to look at the noise again... rest of review in favorite features below