Topic: 2011 Infiniti M37S; Day 1

[Autos_Editor]

After being thoroughly impressed with last week's BMW 528i tester, James takes the helm of a direct competitor from Infiniti, the M37. With its larger engine, the M37 with sport package is more powerful than the BMW, but that won't stop him from comparing the two.

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[nsmyhte]

Looking forward to this review since you had the bimmer just last week.

I've read that the ride is quite harsh and unrefined in the new M (especially with the sport package) and that the tranny isn't an intuitive as others.

Also, except for the big wheels, I find the styling really boring and generic.  It's too soft and bulbous and doesn't project mush prestige at all.  I had a good look at one at the dealership and came away with an overwhelming sense of indifference.

[sweetadad]

It's a great looking vehicle, but I rarely see any of these on the roads. 528/535 are a more common sight though

[CanuckS2K]

IMHO, this is a fantastic looking vehicle inside and out.  I wouldn't even have to think twice about taking this over the bimmer. 

[Erik]

When I was shopping for cars, I looked VERY hard at the M's. Just bloody brilliant.

[G0dspd]

I've read that the ride is quite harsh and unrefined in the new M (especially with the sport package) ...

I agree.  It looks like a nice comfy car but it's not as polished or as engaging (apparently) as the German competition.  But if you're looking for something different (un-german) with more hps, it would probably make a nice cruiser.

I don't like some elements of the styling but it's not an ugly vehicle.  From the front, it looks like it was squished on the sides.  Maybe it's the high belt line or the big bulges on the hood ... meh.

Does it have 4-wheel active steering and did they give you snow shoes with those 20's?

[Jaeger]

Very cool that you got to drive segment competitors back to back.  Given the mere $3k price difference (not a lot in this particular neighborhood), I don't think anyone can complain that comparisons are unfair.

I spent a long time drooling over one of these at the dealership - black on black and gorgeousness everywhere.  Definitely one of the best looking sedans on the road today at any price (to my eye).

I'm looking forward to hearing about how it performed.  I've read mixed reviews about the ride.

Jaeger

[wing]

High performance summer tires!  Lucky for me its warm this week, last week would have been a fail.

[greengs]

IMHO, this is a fantastic looking vehicle inside and out.  I wouldn't even have to think twice about taking this over the bimmer. 

I agree on the looks front.  To me this is a great looking car.  Would have to drive both it and the 5 series to figure out which one I like better.  I know hp isn't everything as when I drove the 328i and the G37 the 328i was a much more enjoybable car to drive even though it has 100hp less. 

[aaronk]

Wow, that interior is chaos. I'm sure it feels different to actually spend time in the space, but visually it looks very convoluted and makes the simple interior of the BMW look positively elegant. I'd rather a Maxima than this big oaf. 

[ktm525]

Where's the torque? 270 @ 5200 RPM sounds a little high strung for a GT. I would take a slightly used M56 please.

[5 Wheel Drive]

I'm curious to see how this compares to last week's 5 series.  I've never driven one, but the interior of the M that was at the Montreal Auto show was beautiful.  One of my friends is 6'4", and has a hard time finding cars he fits in.  No problem for him in the M.

[guest]

looks great.  love the interior.

the only thing i've heard negative about this infiniti is it has a rougher ride.  This is probably due to the sport suspension and tire package most magazines usually test.

i've heard they have even tamed the harshness of the vq engine by using some sort of fancy acoustical noise cancellation system.  they should apply that to the 370z and g37 too.

this thing should totally trounce that 5-series from last week.

[mmret]

My only wonder is whether 270lbft is enough to move a rather large amount of mass in a manner befitting a $60k+ car.

[lebowski]

i've heard they have even tamed the harshness of the vq engine by using some sort of fancy acoustical noise cancellation system.  they should apply that to the 370z and g37 too.

I wonder how much better it sounds. As great as some of these Infiniti/Nissans probably are, that 3.5/3.7L VQ engine has always had, to my ears, the worst sound. They sound like vacuum cleaners.

[chrischasescars]

looks great.  love the interior.

the only thing i've heard negative about this infiniti is it has a rougher ride.  This is probably due to the sport suspension and tire package automakers usually give to publications to test.

i've heard they have even tamed the harshness of the vq engine by using some sort of fancy acoustical noise cancellation system.  they should apply that to the 370z and g37 too.

this thing should totally trounce that 5-series from last week.

Fixed that for you.

[sailor723]

I've always wondered about Infiniti and why they have never seemed to be able to capture the prestige or cache of Lexus. They seem to build pretty nice cars but they always seem to be an "also ran." I wonder why that is?

[aaronk]

I've always wondered about Infiniti and why they have never seemed to be able to capture the prestige or cache of Lexus. They seem to build pretty nice cars but they always seem to be an "also ran." I wonder why that is?

I like your comparison to Lexus, and echo your inquisition. If compared to Mercedes-Benz or BMW, those brands are 'bespoke', they do not have lower-tier counterparts to associate with and are branded exclusively as premium. Both Infiniti and Lexus share lower-tier counterparts (Nissan and Toyota), and I suppose Cadillac can be included in that list. Cadillac relies on their heritage and more recently a cutting-edge design and technology appeal. Lexus blasted into the marketplace in the early 90's with cars that nearly blew everything else out of the water and basically redefined the benchmark for luxury cars with the LS400. I don't think Infiniti really has anything truly special about it...I think the general consensus is that it's a Nissan with standard leather and a sprinkle of techno-gadgetry. To me, Infiniti isn't sporty enough to rival BMW, isn't luxurious enough to rival Lexus or Mercedes, and doesn't have the rich history of Cadillac. Infiniti has an identity crisis, although the Essence concept was a step in the right direction.

[CanuckS2K]

You also have to consider that, while Infiniti has technically been around since 1989, they really have only been a legitimate game player since 2003 when they introduced the G35.  IMO, Infiniti has come a LONG way since then.  BMW and Merc have been around for decades and decades, while Infiniti has really only been building an image for about 7 years or so.  Some might call Infiniti glorified Nissans, but I completely disagree.  Nissan has only one model RWD car (the 370Z), while Infiniti's entire lineup is RWD or a RWD based AWD.  If anything, Lexus is more guilty of being a glorified Toyota than Infiniti is with Nissan. 

[guest]

I've always wondered about Infiniti and why they have never seemed to be able to capture the prestige or cache of Lexus. They seem to build pretty nice cars but they always seem to be an "also ran." I wonder why that is?

infiniti and lexus came onto the marketplace at roughly the same time.

i think that infiniti made the mistake of trying to position their Q45 too much on the sporty side and not enough on the luxury/comfort side.  this alienated a large number of buyers looking for comfort; these people bought the lexus.

but, i think infiniti has leap-frogged past acura in the last decade.  I noticed that when inifiniti ditched all the FWD models in their line-up, their marketshare jumped big-time.  acura has dropped the ball: no rwd, no v-8's, nothing more than 300hp, largely 5-speeds transmissions.

imho, it's better to play second fiddle to lexus than be in acura's shoes.