 2012 Infiniti FX35 Limited Edition. Click image to enlarge |
|
Test Drive: 2010 Infinit FX35
Manufacturer’s web site |
Review and photos by Michael Schlee
Photo Gallery:
2012 Infiniti FX
Let’s get one thing straight. No one needs the Infiniti FX. No, this is a vehicle that is all about want. For the as-tested price of $61,900, the FX35 is not the world’s most practical vehicle. It weighs 1,947 kg, only seats five, has a small-for-a-crossover cargo capacity of 702 L and can only tow 909 kg. It may not excel at any one thing, but it still exudes a dominating presence, a look and attitude that makes you want to jump behind the wheel and head out on a long road trip.
First introduced in 2002, the Infiniti FX was one of the most stylish SUVs to hit the market. Adorned with a design referred to as a ‘Bionic Cheetah’ by those at Infiniti, it has one of the most menacing front ends this side of a Chevrolet Avalanche. In 2009 the FX was reworked and the stylists outdid themselves and made the FX even more fearsome looking. Fast forward to 2012 and it was time for the mid-cycle refresh. What did the stylists do? Well make it meaner of course! The FX’s front end now exudes menace just short of giving children nightmares.
     2012 Infiniti FX35 Limited Edition. Click image to enlarge |
This year’s refresh includes a revised front grille and front fascia design as well as revised meter illumination. With its low-ish height, wide track, and high ground clearance, the FX looks like it should be attacking the Dakar rally. Or maybe it is a futuristic assault vehicle? I don’t know, but from behind the driver’s seat you look out over a colossal hood flanked by two bulging hood flares. Add in a low roofline and gun-slit windows all around and you begin to feel like you should be part of some apocalyptic movie like Mad Max or Death Race. The 21-inch wheels only add to this theme with their turbine-fan design and 265/45R21 tires.
Completing the 2012 refresh is the addition of a Limited Edition version of the FX35, which happens to be the vehicle I had for review. Aside from the menacing 21-inch wheels that look sharp enough to slice metal, the Limited Edition does not add any performance upgrades. What it does add are features like dark tinted headlights with adaptive front lighting system, dark tinted side air vents and lower door trim, Infiniti’s hard-drive navigation system and Around View Monitor. The Around View camera system is a neat trick and allows you to have a 360-degree overhead view of the truck when reversing or driving forward slowly. It can also switch to a curbside camera to assist with parallel parking. Both are great features since the FX does not have great sightlines, especially around the C pillar.
The interior of this Infiniti is inviting. It is nicely laid out and features soft touch materials everywhere. The front seats are very comfortable and feature supple, quilted leather on the seating surface and stiff side bolsters. The seat is a perfect blend of squishy softness and firm lateral support. As nice as it is to the look and touch, the interior of the FX35 is cramped for a vehicle this size. Two full sized adults do fit without issue in the back, but three would be a stretch. With two passengers occupying the rear seats, the seatbacks cannot be folded and cargo space is limited; this is not a four-person road-trip vehicle.
As with any proper luxury cruiser, the Infiniti arrived stuffed full of the latest electronic entertainment devices. The Bose 11-speaker sound system is clear and crisp, but lacks the audio “oomph” found in some other systems like BMW’s Harman/Kardon units. The 8.0-inch colour touchscreen display is clear even when the sun is beating down on it and very intuitive to operate. On quirk I did find in the FX has to do with its built-in navigation system. The system features live traffic updates that were not overly accurate for local Toronto highways; it only showed the occasional traffic situation. My portable Garmin navigation system is far more accurate and showed real-time traffic slowdowns the Infiniti unit did not.
