2008 Infiniti M45x Road Test Review
M45x Photos
The last generation of Infinitis earned plaudits for solid exterior designs, great chassis, nice strong power and their fun to drive factor. Where Infiniti was hit hard was on their interiors. Right across the board each Infiniti was slightly lacking in quality of materials used. One could speculate that this was because doing interior work is quite pricey and for some time the parent company, Nissan, was low on funds, but that matters little now, as Infiniti finally has the package just right. Nothing displays this better than the top of the line M45x.
Impressive chrome touches on the grille, subtle window framing, door guard and door handles accent the relaxed muscular curves of the swept roofline and fenders. Solid, tight fit and finish make for even panel gaps. Ten spoke alloys, projector beam fog lights, and large lower air intakes project a sense of strength, a car with presence, prepared to take on any road, anytime.
Plumply stuffed climate-controlled enhanced leather seats with ten-way power adjustment including seat bolsters, emphasize comfort. Great thick carpets and ruffled leather door inserts offer a sense of luxury. The pistol grip shifter feels just right. Excellent headroom is available up front, with room for those up to 5 ft 10 inches in the back. The dash sports appealing shades of light and dark tan set off by African Rosewood and chrome surrounds, all speaking one consistent professional statement. Bose surround-sound audio with Music Box hard drive, iPod interface, intelligent cruise control, navigation system with XM Real-Time Traffic and rearview monitor, and lane departure warning and prevention system, put the M45x into an elevated sphere of few rivals.
One particularly nice touch is how the sun visors drop to reveal a second visor that you can lower when the large one is keeping the sun from streaming in through the side windows. Sun dropping into the west? Slide the extension out and block all the light pouring in, very useful. One drawback, it is odd that a car that has so many other well thought out features is saddled with first generation front and rear cupholders that, at best, fit a mid-size beverage and allow most every other size beverage container to wobble and spill. Although, new white instrument cluster lighting with violet accents and white and violet cabin lighting is nice enough to make up for it.
The long sloping rear window cuts deeply and means that with a fairly high trunk lift-over it’s not easy to fit large pieces of luggage through the snug opening into the well-sized and insulated trunk. Pop the hood and there’s a nice engine cover with scripting, ~ no easy access to checking the oil or viewing the ancillaries ~ No owner serviceable parts here.
Sit down and press the start button, the steering wheel will drop into the control position. Arrange your radio and comfort settings and breeze off in solitude. The 4.5-liter DOHC V8 sports variable intake, titanium valves and moly coated pistons. With 325 horses at 6,400 rpm and 336 foot pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm this is a serious engine. Combined with a buttery shifting five-speed automatic this Infiniti can propel you along at a rather fast clip.
The longish 114 inch wheelbase yields a plush ride. Add pedal on a fast left-right with an off-camber drop off and the suspension’s soft nature reveals that the M45x is not the happiest camper when being pushed hard on deteriorating backroads. Bring the Infiniti back to highways, main and secondary roads and the M45x is much more adept at strutting its stuff. Big brakes with ABS and Electronic Brake Distribution offer a nice initial bite and no dive while scrubbing off just the right amount of speed to avoid garnering the attention of the occupant of the car hidden around the corner ~ the one with the red and blue bubble gum dispenser on the roof. It’s also best to avoid heavy-footed antics for a second reason ~ the EPA rates the all wheel drive M45x at 14 city and 20 highway on premium gas. We saw about 18 mpg in mixed city and highway ~ leaning more toward the open road. To save on fuel, consider losing the AWD system, as the rear-drive M45 achieves 16 city and 21 highway.
The Infiniti M45x steps up to the mark, very nicely hitting the goal for which it was designed. With its all-wheel drive system, new this year, and 245/45/18 standard wheels, the M45x is ready to head from the beach to Lake Tahoe whether in a blustering downpour, sudden snowfall or clear blue skies, standard XM satellite radio complementing the engine’s sporting soundtrack and self-leveling Xenon headlamps clearing a path all the way. This is one solid and professional long-range cruiser that is ready for pretty much anything Mother Nature might toss at you on a whim.