2009 Infiniti Essence Concept Review
Essence Concept Photos
Every car show has a few jewels, and in the case of the most recent Geneva Auto Salon my eyes popped and knees went weak at the sight of Infiniti’s new Essence. Celebratory of its 20 years’ existence, Nissan’s premium brand has really outdone themselves. Truly, the only problem with the new Essence is that the G35 Convertible sitting next to it looked almost dowdy.
Infiniti, after only a year in Europe, is in need of a global flagship to elevate itself above rivals, especially in markets where it has yet to make the average consumer’s shopping list. It started off with a bang, its full-size Q45 offering BMW-like driving dynamics and Jaguar-esque elegance, although a particularly odd belt-buckle insignia on a grille-less front fascia caused less creative sorts (and there are many more that appear to fall into this category) to buy into the Mercedes S-Class cloned Lexus LS 400 instead. Along with a botched advertising campaign that showed scenes of natural beauty, sans cars, it was one of the least effective brand launches of all time, and cost Infiniti dearly. Now, where Lexus has a flagship sedan that may not sell as well as those from the storied German brands, it at least has a flagship sedan, and despite being outdated and questionably fashionable, a two-seat, drop-top sports model. Infiniti doesn’t have either, and while highly successful at the lower end of the market with its G and M models, as well as the FX crossover utility, hasn’t been able to make enough of a statement above $50K in order to cause buyers to part with their money.
Something like the Essence, however, just on looks alone could cause many a luxury buyer to open their wallets and adopt Infiniti as their favorite brand. And being that the company makes attractive, value-oriented cars at the lower end of the luxury market a higher end car could be just the ticket to raise awareness and spur sales throughout the lineup. This process, at least, as been popularized by automakers in the past, and while the rules of the road appear as if they’re being rewritten as word goes to paper, the idea of lesser models benefiting from the positive trickle down effect of a flagship car still makes sense to me.
The Essence, mind you, isn’t just another shapely form on an auto show stand, but rather its hybrid electric powertrain allows it some street cred from the green front, and its 600-horsepower output shouldn’t offend too many performance buffs either. This number makes it the most powerful hybrid ever devised, or at least the most powerful to ever show up in public, the result of a twin-turbocharged V6 and electric motor and battery combination that picks up from where the Altima hybrid left off.
In essence, or should I say, in the Essence there’s very little in common with the plebian front driver, but instead it appears intrinsically related to Nissan’s GT-R. There have been rumors that Nissan would provide Infiniti with a version of the GT-R after an internal struggle surfaced regarding which brand would sell the iconic model in North America before being introduced last year, and the Essence looks like the answer. Like the GT-R, it sports Nissan’s front-midship engine placement and rear-drive biased configuration, although the GT-R utilizes all-wheel drive. Also like the GT-R, a twin-turbo 3.7-liter V6 creates big power, 434-horsepower in Essence trim, although unlike the Japanese supercar the aforementioned hybrid drivetrain adds an extra 158-horsepower for a total of 592, with an estimated 800 lb-ft of torque available for shredding its low profile 22-inch shoes.
Environmentalists will let out a collective snicker as they light up a Natural American Spirit organic cigarette and cry into their Wolaver’s organic hemp beer at the audacity of a 600-horsepower hybrid, and from a green perspective it’s a bit of a farce. Then again, forget about the green issue while you’re snuffing out your organic smoke in your hemp beer, and hybrid power makes a great deal of sense from a performance perspective. Certainly weight gain is an issue due to the lower trunk mounted battery packs and the addition of an electric motor, but the immediate thrust of all-or-nothing electric torque combined with the top-end power of a fully tuned gasoline engine is a marriage made in wrench head heaven. But is there any environmental advantage to all of this technology?
Well, that depends on your outlook. Tailpipe emissions are reduced, especially when running purely on battery power, which it can do at low speeds, and the production process of the lithium-ion battery pack is less hazardous on terra firma than that for nickel-metal hydride cells. A 600-hp super coupe that returns 30 mpg is nothing to sneeze at either, much thanks to a special BLDC electric motor design that “maximizes torque density to meet tough requirements on size and power output,” resulting in a “particularly slim, disk-shaped motor that has twice the torque of a conventional unit,” says the Infiniti press release. The design utilizes 3D magnetic field analysis to “optimize the layout of the electromagnetic coils and permanent magnets,” continues Infiniti. The system also recaptures braking energy to make the most of available resources, not unusual amongst hybrids, although its use of two separate clutches that “switch in” the motors when needed is interesting, allowing the drivetrain the means to handle the engine’s amazing output without the need of an energy robbing torque converter.
The Essence has no shortage of top-tier technologies, that’s for sure, even outside of the engine compartment. Two such features are SCP, or Side Collision Prevention, and BCP, Back-up Collision Prevention. SCP works in conjunction with Infiniti’s Lane Departure Prevention (LDP), which is already available in Infiniti road cars and senses cars that might be riding in your blind spot, pre-warning you not to turn into the lane, but takes it a step further by integrating an active component to forcibly keep you from turning into the lane. Using the standard yaw control (stability control), the brakes counteract steering input to keep the car in its lane, protecting driver and passengers from probable accident. BCP, on the other hand, adds braking pressure if you forget to or don’t see an object when backing up. While these two technologies show what might be in our near future, LDP and DCA, or Distance Control Assist, can be had on Infinitis you can purchase right now. Such systems give confidence when behind the wheel, a very nice place to be, by the way.
The Essence is strictly a two seater, which shouldn’t bother most would-be buyers who rarely use the rear seats of their 2+2 sports models. A glass roof opens up the sky to a beautifully detailed cabin, somewhat art deco in design and filled with brownish red leathers and silver metals. The gauge package pays tribute to some of the nice Swiss tourbillon wristwatches, like something from CVSTOS or, a personal favorite, Franck Muller. It’s a beautifully detailed cluster that would be sure to even impress Aston Martin fans, but the tachometer, which dominates the centermost position, spins in the proper clockwise direction. The car features a rear liftback, a sportier way of saying hatch, perfect for weekend getaways thanks to a bespoke set of Louis Vuitton luggage.
The question on everybody’s mind is the one we started with, will Infiniti finally come to market with a flagship sports model and, if so, with this be it? The company is mum on the subject right now, but it did say that the Essence “depicts the brand’s future design language,” a reality that at the very least bodes well for the next generation G coupe.