One would think that in our current state of high gas prices, environmental consciousness, and the social trend of simplifying hectic lives (Hello, iPod!); a technology-laden, vee-eight-powered, high-performance sports-utility-vehicle would be about as popular as the late-'80s shock
comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay performing at a church social. But for those who desire the functionality of an SUV and the performance of a luxury sports sedan, welcome to Infiniti's FX45.
Originally launched in 2003 in both six-cylinder FX35 and eight-cylinder FX45 models, the Infiniti's dramatic styling still causes jaws to drop. The combination of my FX45 test car's Autumn Copper exterior paint and 20-inch chrome dubs may have helped somewahat. Basically, the FX45 is a tall, five-door wagon built on the same platform that forms the foundation of Nissan's 350 Zed and other upscale Infiniti sedans. The five-passenger FX45's interior does a good job imitating a luxury sports sedan with, for starters, an excellent driving position. The three-spoke steering wheel tilts and telescopes, there's a proper dead pedal and like other Nissan/Infiniti products, the driver's instrumentation pod tilts as well. Interior build quality has improved from earlier years, but some of the buttons are standard Nissan fare and are not as well integrated into the rest of the FX45 cabin's otherwise clean design.
The '45' part of the Infiniti's badge means there's the same, wonderfully smooth 4.5-litre vee-eight that's also found under the hood of the Infiniti M45 luxury sports sedan. In the SUV it makes 320 horsepower and 335 pound-foot of torque and hustles this big bad boy to 100 kilometres per hour from a standstill in under seven seconds; only a half second slower than the M45. The mandatory five-speed manumatic matches up with the vee-eight well, with power being delivered in a linear fashion as there's little lag between throttle input and power output. However, in manuamtic
mode accessed via the console gearshift, downshifts are actually slower. The vee-eight carries a $7,900 premium over the 280 h.p. and 270 lb-ft of torque 3.5-litre vee-six FX35, but it also makes the FX a little more fun to drive.
The Dice Man's form of humour was pretty simple: Try to be as shocking as possible. And although it takes a good part of the earth's resources to do so (I averaged 15.8 L/100 kilometres during a week of mixed driving), the FX45's ability to act like a tall M45 on a twisty road is shocking. Especially compared to those first year FX models which rode as if someone filled its tires with rocks instead of air.
Instead of trying to pound the road into submission, the 2006 FX45's suspension is more compliant, yet very controlled in its motions for such a tall and weighty car. Even without an air suspension that some of its
pricier competitors have, the FX responds with particular precision, and its overall handling balance is amazingly neutral even at its limits. Twist the tiller and the big beast turns in promptly.
The FX45's all-wheel drive system uses an active torque split control strategy that automatically transfers optimal torque to the wheels. During my time with the car, driving conditions were bone dry, but the system's ability to optimally distribute torque to the front or rear (50:50 up to 0:100) is a real boon when exiting sharp corners at speed, allowing initial understeer to evaporate with a nudge of the throttle. The FX45 works well as a large sports wagon, but unless you're on a race track, keep the standard stability-control system switched on as the FX45's tightly sprung rear will sudden come around quicker than you can say The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
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| (Photo: John LeBlanc) |
Originally launched in 2003 in both six-cylinder FX35 and eight-cylinder FX45 models, the Infiniti's dramatic styling still causes jaws to drop. The combination of my FX45 test car's Autumn Copper exterior paint and 20-inch chrome dubs may have helped somewahat. Basically, the FX45 is a tall, five-door wagon built on the same platform that forms the foundation of Nissan's 350 Zed and other upscale Infiniti sedans. The five-passenger FX45's interior does a good job imitating a luxury sports sedan with, for starters, an excellent driving position. The three-spoke steering wheel tilts and telescopes, there's a proper dead pedal and like other Nissan/Infiniti products, the driver's instrumentation pod tilts as well. Interior build quality has improved from earlier years, but some of the buttons are standard Nissan fare and are not as well integrated into the rest of the FX45 cabin's otherwise clean design.
The '45' part of the Infiniti's badge means there's the same, wonderfully smooth 4.5-litre vee-eight that's also found under the hood of the Infiniti M45 luxury sports sedan. In the SUV it makes 320 horsepower and 335 pound-foot of torque and hustles this big bad boy to 100 kilometres per hour from a standstill in under seven seconds; only a half second slower than the M45. The mandatory five-speed manumatic matches up with the vee-eight well, with power being delivered in a linear fashion as there's little lag between throttle input and power output. However, in manuamtic
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc) |
The Dice Man's form of humour was pretty simple: Try to be as shocking as possible. And although it takes a good part of the earth's resources to do so (I averaged 15.8 L/100 kilometres during a week of mixed driving), the FX45's ability to act like a tall M45 on a twisty road is shocking. Especially compared to those first year FX models which rode as if someone filled its tires with rocks instead of air.
Instead of trying to pound the road into submission, the 2006 FX45's suspension is more compliant, yet very controlled in its motions for such a tall and weighty car. Even without an air suspension that some of its
 |
| (Photo: John LeBlanc) |
The FX45's all-wheel drive system uses an active torque split control strategy that automatically transfers optimal torque to the wheels. During my time with the car, driving conditions were bone dry, but the system's ability to optimally distribute torque to the front or rear (50:50 up to 0:100) is a real boon when exiting sharp corners at speed, allowing initial understeer to evaporate with a nudge of the throttle. The FX45 works well as a large sports wagon, but unless you're on a race track, keep the standard stability-control system switched on as the FX45's tightly sprung rear will sudden come around quicker than you can say The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.