Infiniti EX35. Two in one.

Infiniti EX35. Two in one

Once upon a time, all leading Japanese brands one after another acquired their own luxury "daughters," aimed exclusively at conquering the American market. Today, Toyota calmly bypasses the "Big Three" in sales volumes, but a couple of decades ago, both it and other Japanese companies were treated in the USA and Europe much the same way we now treat Chinese brands.

In other words, they were considered laggards, so a radical image change was a matter of survival for them. Credit where credit is due, the rebranding experiment succeeded: luxurious Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti quickly found their fans. But those are all things of the distant past. Today's car market is so global that a rigid attachment to one region has become too burdensome for many manufacturers, including premium ones. Americans set off to conquer Europe and Asia, while the Japanese, having exhausted domestic reserves, began to look toward the West. Russia, with its economic potential, has long been considered by them as a springboard for expansion into the EU, so they started with us. True, they still had to adapt. One of the main new products of the season — the Infiniti EX — can be considered the result of such tailoring of a luxury product to the demands of Europeans who are more modest financially and conservative in taste.

Despite its typical appearance, the EX is not a pure SUV, but a kind of mix. Nissan representatives insist on the term "crossover coupe," and it's hard to argue with them. On one hand, we have a fairly tall body with a signature design referencing the older FX. On the other — a stretched hood, short overhangs, a cabin shifted toward the rear, and smooth rooflines flowing into the rear pillars — all this gives the car the look of a sports coupe. From the front, the crossover even resembles the G37 sedan, and from the rear — the new FX. Overall, the new product looks attractive, although many consider it not brutal or solid enough. Nevertheless, in the first two weeks of sales, domestic dealers sold more than 300 such cars. And this is far from a mass-market product.

Despite its premium status, the EX has a very tempting price. The base version costs 1,600,800 rubles, which is about 250,000 more than the entry-level BMW X3. But the "Bavarian" has a modest two-liter engine and a manual transmission under the hood, while the Infiniti is equipped with a modernized 3.5-liter V6 and the latest "automatic." So an X3 with a similar engine and automatic transmission will cost the buyer about the same amount.

Don't forget about the equipment. In addition to the full electric package, rain and light sensors, the standard EX package includes a leather interior and electric drives for all (!) seats. The rear sofa is split in a 60:40 ratio and folds using buttons on the side panels of the trunk. Moreover, you can raise the backrests back using a key on the central tunnel.

But the main "highlight" of the car is the innovative Infiniti AVM around-view monitoring system. It uses four compact video cameras around the body perimeter. They turn on automatically when reverse gear is activated or manually via a button on the center console (in addition, regular parking sensors work). In both cases, the driver gets full control over the space around the car, which significantly reduces the risk of an accident when parking or in dense city traffic.

It's worth mentioning a couple more available innovations. First, the proprietary Plasma Cluster air purification system, which saturates the incoming cabin air with positive and negative ions, keeping it fresh even in recirculation mode. Second — fully Russified navigation displayed on a seven-inch LCD screen on the center console, which also shows images from the AVM cameras. Bluetooth and standard Nissan and Infiniti multimedia devices are integrated into this same interface.

The interior deserves a separate discussion. It is very good both stylistically and in terms of build quality. The front panel is in the brand's traditional style — the same "two-tier" architecture, emphasized by two-tone trim, many massive details, and maximum presentability. All materials are pleasant not only to the eye but also to the touch. This fully applies to the steering wheel, whose rim, according to the manufacturer, is hand-stitched. The same goes for the door trim.

Of course, the car gives all passengers comfort and thoughtful ergonomics. True, when seating friends, the EX driver should remember the car's dimensions. The new product is noticeably more compact than the flagship SUV, so it is only formally a five-seater. In the back, it's quite comfortable, but three adults will be cramped. In addition, with the front seats fully pushed back, the gap between their backrests and the sofa cushion is reduced to a minimum, and even a teenager will feel cramped in the second row. The only consolation is that you'll have to push the seats all the way back only for people over two meters tall, and even then, rear passengers will have enough headroom.

We've already mentioned the 3.5-liter V6 from the VQ family under the hood, but we didn't say that this is the only option. As is the only gearbox. It's unlikely anyone will complain about a lack of power or excessive appetite of the engine. The engine suits the crossover perfectly. It doesn't stun the driver with a wild temper, but provides the EX with quite decent dynamics across the entire rev range. The "automatic" works promptly both in upshifts and downshifts. However, there's nothing to be surprised about — the five-speed Infiniti gearbox is equipped with a system for smoothing out rev jumps when downshifting, as well as DS (sport mode with shift hold) and ASC (adaptive shift control) functions. This makes driving as dynamic as possible. But even in sport mode, jerks and delays are almost imperceptible.

The crossover will delight passengers with excellent ride smoothness, achieved without compromising handling. Thanks to proper weight distribution, the EX handles excellently even at high speeds, doesn't annoy with body rolls or pitching, and confidently holds the road. A significant merit in this is the proprietary all-wheel drive system. On wet asphalt, the car with ATTESA E-TS goes like on rails, not deviating a bit from the course.

Alas, off-road this system is not a helper. The car will handle shallow sand or a gravel shoulder without difficulty, but it's better not to venture into rain-washed ruts — a guaranteed "sit-down" on the first meters. However, Nissan doesn't bet on the off-road qualities of the Infiniti EX either. Their model is created for the metropolis, a suburban highway, or at worst a country road. It's beautiful, prestigious enough, and relatively inexpensive. In general, its prospects are the rosiest — you can be sure of that.

Technical specifications

Magazine "Autogid" August 29, 2008 No. 80

Source – AUTOMANIA.RU