That is a refrain that will come up again and again in this review as there is no getting around the fact that this is an aging platform, and there is only so far Infiniti could go with it at this point. This fourth generation debuted in 2010 as the M37/M56, with a hybrid added to the lineup for 2012. Q70s of any type sell in very small numbers (and Ms before it), overshadowed by the company’s mainstays in the Q50 and QX60.

Anyhow, enough with the background and wishy-washy stuff, let’s get on with this car review, and start with one of the high points, the interior. At its launch in 2010, the M won a Ward’s Auto Interior of the Year, and it is easy to see why. In here, the fluid lines and warm, brown Japanese ash wood trim with dark stained edges is gorgeous. The leather, materials and workmanship is superb and the features I look for in a luxury car were present and accounted for: comfortable heated and cooled power seats with memory positions, heated steering wheel, a quality stereo, proximity keyless entry and navigation. And let’s not forget the 360-degree parking cameras with back-up and forward sensors.

Being in an unfamiliar city I made frequent use of the navigation, and while it was convoluted to enter destinations, with slow response times as you typed in letters on the screen, the route guidance worked relatively flawlessly, with well timed messages to prepare for turns. Perhaps in such a luxury vehicle, there should be an option to avoid stretches of rampant homelessness and shady areas just as there is an option to avoid tolls.

The interface is conventional and easy to grasp and operate, but there are a couple of ergonomic foibles. Having spent a substantial amount of time in a variety of German luxury vehicles, I’ve gotten used to the controller for the interface on the console ahead of the armrest. The Q70 has a knob there, but all it controls is the vehicle dynamic modes (more on that later). It is the knob farther up the centre stack that controls map zoom and menu navigation. Perhaps Infiniti owners like this. I did not. The steering wheel is substantial and well formed, but others do it better.

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