AWD capability is reassuring
Winter driving north of the 49th often involves contending with our cold-hearted friends, snow and ice. This frosty pair stalked me during my week behind the FX50's sporty wheel. Try as they did to freeze my mobility, success belonged to me thanks to the competency of Infiniti's Intelligent AWD. This setup is capable of delivering up to 50% of the torque to the front wheels.
With such defined traction at all four corners, I owned the night despite the heavy snow and frozen roads. The only limiting factor was ground clearance. The FX50 is not a Land Rover when it comes to under-carriage freedom; but hey it's not trying to be a Land Rover, it's something entirely different.
FX50 is tech-laden
Here's a brief sampling of the technology available on the FX50 as standard equipment or part of several option packages: voice recognition audio and navigation, hard-drive navigation with 3D building graphics, DVD entertainment with 9-inch screen, Around View Monitor screen, Intelligent Brake Assist, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist, Lane Departure Warning, rain-sensing wipers, Continuous Damping Control suspension, Rear Active Steer and auto-leveling adaptive headlights.
To adequately cover all of the technology, safety and occupant protection on-board a fully loaded FX50 would require a tome of gargantuan proportion. I will touch on a couple of noteworthy installs, leaving the bulk of it to those with research assistants.
The Around View Monitor is a new and interesting feature. Picture someone hovering above your vehicle with a live video feed to you navigation screen and you'll get the idea. One is provided a real-time 360-degree aerial view of the area surrounding the vehicle.
Distance Control Assist continuously measures the distance to the car ahead and reduces acceleration and applies braking when the intervening real estate drops to an unsafe distance. This function is particularly useful in stop-and-go traffic, where as well all know, most minor fender benders occur.
On the road
I found the FX50 a tremendously satisfying rig to drive. It coddles its occupants in soft, quilted leather and surrounds them with wood and upscale trim. I particularly enjoyed the heated and cooled driver's throne. This infinitely adjustable perch held me motionless through turns, and supported me better than a certified grief counselor.
Looking out the windshield presented an inspiring view of the FX50's muscular front fenders and bulging hood. Not many vehicles deliver this sort of visual candy any longer thanks to rakish wind-cheating designs.
The sharp, stable handling of the FX50 lends credibility to its heaving fenders. Cornering is precise and free of body lean while turn-in is rapid for an SUV of this magnitude. Of course, such deft characteristics translate into a taut ride that's noticeable but by no means unreasonable.
A quick note to verify that Infiniti has taken crash avoidance and occupant protection to heart; the FX50 is loaded with the latest in electronic stability control and occupant protection. Again, a research assistant would be helpful in detailing the list. Suffice to say that nothing was omitted, which ought to be the case given my tester's $70K tag. MSRP for the FX50 starts at $58,900.
photo:Infiniti, Rob Rothwell
Winter driving north of the 49th often involves contending with our cold-hearted friends, snow and ice. This frosty pair stalked me during my week behind the FX50's sporty wheel. Try as they did to freeze my mobility, success belonged to me thanks to the competency of Infiniti's Intelligent AWD. This setup is capable of delivering up to 50% of the torque to the front wheels.
With such defined traction at all four corners, I owned the night despite the heavy snow and frozen roads. The only limiting factor was ground clearance. The FX50 is not a Land Rover when it comes to under-carriage freedom; but hey it's not trying to be a Land Rover, it's something entirely different.
FX50 is tech-laden
Here's a brief sampling of the technology available on the FX50 as standard equipment or part of several option packages: voice recognition audio and navigation, hard-drive navigation with 3D building graphics, DVD entertainment with 9-inch screen, Around View Monitor screen, Intelligent Brake Assist, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist, Lane Departure Warning, rain-sensing wipers, Continuous Damping Control suspension, Rear Active Steer and auto-leveling adaptive headlights.
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| Infiniti's Intelligent AWD is capable of delivering up to 50% of the torque to the front wheels. |
To adequately cover all of the technology, safety and occupant protection on-board a fully loaded FX50 would require a tome of gargantuan proportion. I will touch on a couple of noteworthy installs, leaving the bulk of it to those with research assistants.
The Around View Monitor is a new and interesting feature. Picture someone hovering above your vehicle with a live video feed to you navigation screen and you'll get the idea. One is provided a real-time 360-degree aerial view of the area surrounding the vehicle.
Distance Control Assist continuously measures the distance to the car ahead and reduces acceleration and applies braking when the intervening real estate drops to an unsafe distance. This function is particularly useful in stop-and-go traffic, where as well all know, most minor fender benders occur.
On the road
I found the FX50 a tremendously satisfying rig to drive. It coddles its occupants in soft, quilted leather and surrounds them with wood and upscale trim. I particularly enjoyed the heated and cooled driver's throne. This infinitely adjustable perch held me motionless through turns, and supported me better than a certified grief counselor.
Looking out the windshield presented an inspiring view of the FX50's muscular front fenders and bulging hood. Not many vehicles deliver this sort of visual candy any longer thanks to rakish wind-cheating designs.
The sharp, stable handling of the FX50 lends credibility to its heaving fenders. Cornering is precise and free of body lean while turn-in is rapid for an SUV of this magnitude. Of course, such deft characteristics translate into a taut ride that's noticeable but by no means unreasonable.
A quick note to verify that Infiniti has taken crash avoidance and occupant protection to heart; the FX50 is loaded with the latest in electronic stability control and occupant protection. Again, a research assistant would be helpful in detailing the list. Suffice to say that nothing was omitted, which ought to be the case given my tester's $70K tag. MSRP for the FX50 starts at $58,900.
photo:Infiniti, Rob Rothwell
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