2004 Infiniti FX45

Infiniti has always been a little out of step with rival luxury carmakers. Remember the first Q45? No grille, no wood interior trim, a brawny V-8 and an ad campaign, which featured rocks and trees but no product? The company is considerably more conventional these days, with a broad, very competitive lineup that includes, not surprisingly, four sport/luxury sedans in varying sizes, a smart coupe, the all-new QX56 sport-utility and the FX "premium crossover SUV."

The FX45, with its radically curved roofline, raked windscreen and thin C-pillar, is unlike anything else on the road.

Vehicles that try to cover too many bases are often compromised beyond rational utility. The hapless, late '60's Amphicar comes to mind. It was a bad car, and a worse boat. Not surprisingly, it failed. The FX45 is something different, and it's a difference that works. Combining the virtues of sports cars and sport utilities may seem a stretch at first, but Infiniti accomplishes it in a convincing and stylish way. We'll explain in a moment.


First, however, consider this: BMW's X5, certainly a sporty SUV, showed what could be done when the bias needle was moved from utility much closer to sport. Porsche's Cayenne and VW's Touareg closely have followed that route. Infiniti's crossover goes a step further—in purpose and in styling. The logic is undeniable. Industry planners believe as the SUV market continues to subdivide like demented amoebae, many conventional SUVs will continue to shrink in sales volume and, their replacements, luxury crossover vehicles, could reach half a million units annually by 2006. SUVs will be replaced by all manners of combinations. Most will resemble station wagons on stilts, like Chrysler's Pacifica. And remember that most crossover buyers might take their vehicles on a ski trip, but they seldom, if ever, venture far off-road. So why not combine the tractability of all-wheel drive with the agility of a powerful sports car?

Inside, real aluminum trim and drilled pedals signal serious sports car better than any shiny veneer would have.

The proof is in the product, of course. Infiniti's FX45 has the right bones for the job. It's the fourth company vehicle on the FM platform (Nissan-speak for Front Midship), the others being the sporty 350Z, the Infiniti G35 coupe and the G35 sedan, and it's been stiffened considerably and paired with the company's awkwardly named, but effective ATTESA ET-S Advanced Total Traction Engineering system for All Electronic Torque Split. In all-wheel drive mode, as much as 100 percent of the traction goes to the rear wheels. When wheel slippage occurs, an electromagnetic clutch pack transfers up to 50 percent of the engine's not inconsiderable torque to the rear axle. The V-6 is RWD only. On AWD models, a center diff lock permits a 50/50 split. No low range is offered; but, as noted, these vehicles are not intended to be serious off-roaders.


Instead, they're a clever amalgam of eye-catching styling cues that are far from truckish, plus plenty of power and compliant suspension that allows you to storm through curves without a typical SUV's up-on-tip-toes scary feeling. If 280 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque impress you, that's just the V-6. The 4.5-liter V-8 version has 315 hp and 329 lb.-ft. of torque, thanks to continuously variable intake valve timing, and a variable capacity induction system. And, there's plenty of punch. The throttle-by-wire controlled power comes on smoothly and you sense that the FX45 is instantly ready to jump. Accentuating the feeling is the rumbly exhaust note, which exits through large twin tailpipes—another indication this sporty sport utility means business.