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:

• 

  Infiniti Blows Smoke - 2003 Infiniti G35
  By Shawn McGlone - April 5 - 1:23 am

  This was supposed to be my wife’s dream car, but has turned into a nightmare. Infiniti does not stand behind its cars! After several attempts at fixing a knocking noise at startup, and excessive white smoke from the exhaust; a Service Manager told us that our car was not qualified for warranty work. This car continues to consume a quart of oil every month. Think twice about Infiniti.

• 

  Climate Control Issues - 2016 Infiniti QX80
  By carsty00 - April 4 - 1:44 pm

  I agree with all the other posts about Climate Control issues. The temp does not regulate well...its either really hot or really cold. Both of my Toyotas never had this problem. The issue is bad enough that Im considering selling it with under 10K miles. Overall its a nice SUV and if youre tall like me, you have plenty of head room with the sun roof.

• 

  Beware of stolen xenon - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Ivan - April 2 - 12:30 am

  Regarding the Xenon headlights on the 2004 Infiniti G35s. Apparently it has become very popular to steal these Xenon headlights from the G35s within a 1 to 2 minute time frame. I know, as Ive had mine stolen three times in 6 months at a replacment cost of $3,500 each time. And just last night they attempted to steal them a 4th time!

• 

  Infiniti 1995 Q45 - 2000 Infiniti Q45
  By ytovbin - March 28 - 10:00 am

  I actually bought the car in 1997. It was 2 years old with 36 K miles. It was my best driving experience. The car has an inidividual presence, is very roomy inside, has comfortable seats, and quite a pick-up without a kick-down. Customer service is excellent, though not exactly cheap.

• 

  Brand New Qx - 2004 Infiniti QX56
  By QX56 - March 24 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving it for a week and hope to have it as long as my last vehicle (e-250) 14 years. This SUV is the best this world has to offer in my opinion. It has the combination of options that I was looking for in an SUV not availible in any of the others.

• 

  My Infinity - 2002 Infiniti I35
  By Al Stall - March 22 - 10:00 am

  Despite a couple of negatives, the car was delivered in first class condition, has tremendous power and is a delight to drive. I got what I would expect from a car of this class. .

• 

  I was a believer - 2004 Infiniti G35
  By Takuhog - March 20 - 4:20 am

  I thought I had done my research when purchasing a used Coupe. You should go to the users forums for the best information - I didnt and paid a hefty price. The G35 is an entry level Infiniti. It has poor interior materials that damage easily and it rattles like a spray paint can. It was also in the shop for some fairly substantial warranty repairs and the dealer damaged interior parts. A "Regional Manager" rode with me once and said he couldnt fix all of the rattles so get used to them. The rattles and squeaks were bad enough to make me get rid of the car for a loss. If you want the same, if not better, performance get the 350Z. Its cheaper. Poor customer service! Shame on U!

• 

  Wanted something else - 2006 Infiniti QX56
  By Southwest - March 17 - 9:50 am

  I really wanted the Lincoln Navigator but saw the Infinity on the road and like the look. Drove the Lexus, Lincoln, Escalade, Hummer, and the QX56 won me over. The first speed bump I drove over shocked me because I barely felt it. I was so dissapointed in the interior of the Lincoln. Cheap cover over the GPS lost it for me. Lexus 3rd row folding against the side taking up space. If you are enviro sensitive, look at the amount of emissions put out by the Infinity vs. competitors.

• 

  so far, so good - 2006 Infiniti QX56
  By pubsmeister - March 13 - 4:40 pm

  After one month, no problems. A clear upgrade from our suburban. Great power, solid suspension, firm brakes. Around town we remove the second row center console- that way the kids can get to the third row without flipping seats (nice when there are car seats or boosters in the second row). Biggest problems are with telematics. Bluetooth implementation is simplistic with poor voice recognition. I absolutely hate how the nav system is crippled when driving (its an SUV, the front seat passenger can enter commands). It makes the idrive in our BMW look even more awesome.

• 

  Not a very happy camper - 2004 Infiniti QX56
  By TexanByChoice - March 13 - 10:00 am

  I have a little over 12000 miles on my QX56, and am having a very difficult time getting some "problems" taken care of. I have now had it back to the dealer twice trying to get a horrible rattle stopped. My wife just had it to the dealer today (its a 9 hour round trip) and reports that she had gone less than 50 miles and it started again. The person in the service department went so far as to tell her "hopefully it might be stopped, but I cant say for sure". This is rediculous to have a $55000 vehicle with rattles to begin with, and worse that they cant seem to get them stopped. Consumer Affairs will hear from me tomorrow!