Nice Oz, I think the FX is nicer than the Lexus.  I'd rather have the FX also.   

Thanks


Agreed.. I think the FX MIGHT actually be slightly wider in the front, body wise, than the rest of the car.. i'll have to see how far away i have to stand back before I can take a picture of the front and still get some of the sides..

interesting RH... I did NOT know that!

as for the gauge panels... its a personal preference.  I hated the yellow gauges in the old Ms, just like I'm not a huge fan of the yellow-red -ness of BMW gauge clusters.

And I'm with you... its nice to have some power, but I dont know that you can really miss 400+ hp all the time... i'm stuck in traffic too much to care. 

Re Nicer:

I am still spoilt by the lexus. Even though it was a lowly IS, the interior somehow felt more substantial and well built. The Infiniti is nice to look at on the inside, and materials are better than they were in the M, but still somehow lagging behind Lexus. I am also already experiencing the notorious "wood trim peel issue" (the wood trim on the doors actually starts to peel off..... ). Warranty, though.

Power - not disappointed. More is always better, but the power is actually quite nice. I wish the 5.6L had made it into the FX, though. The transmission is what's lacking. I was really spoiled by the -F transmission, and the Infiniti not-so-quick-shifting 7 speed kind of disappoints me.


I haven't had any time at all during the day to take pictures, so I decided to take some night shots. They are all actually different if you look, i was basically cycling through the arsenal of switches (one has LDP, one has DCA, one has cruise, etc)..
The engine is COMPLETELY covered. I'm actually not sure how the car propels itself forward based on how it looks under the hood (all plastic.. more than the -F, even).

Rear passenger space and "cargo" space leave a bit to be desired. It's smaller than the previous gen FX in cargo space, amazingly. The difference is noticable from what i remember of my old FX; although the new FX does have some really neat cargo organizers built in (will do pics at some point )

I like the purple/blue rings. They are a little overstated, but so is the rest of the car. It's kind of Infiniti as a brand, I think.


Didn't know that. The FX still LOOKS wider in the front, though.


Keep in mind, that's part of what the FX 50 is though. It's nothing more than power (kind of). And (mostly) well delivered power. The throttle map is unfortunately completely horrible, as many reviewers have noted. In manual shift mode the throttle is so sensitive that it literally makes the car "buck", which makes your foot move, which makes the car bounce even more. It's okay at cruising speeds, but borderline unmanageable for a smooth start in manual mode. 1st gear is REALLY REALLY short, too, so in manual mode amidst all the bucking, 1st gear is gone in a flash and you can easily SLAM into the rev limiter.

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Totally agree on the frontend. I am still trying to fall in love with it, but it is redeeming itself with its overall driveability.
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Initially I felt the car was "slow"... but the more i've been driving it, the more i've realized how quick it actually is. The lexus was quicker, obviously, but had a different way of delivering the power. It 'felt' faster.

The FX, due to its sheer size and weight, and the (unfortunate) masking of the V8 and the exhaust just seems like it's really not doing a lot of work; then I realize that i'm doing 80+ in a heartbeat.

Given the higher center of gravity than the -F, i can't quite corner as aggressively.. but damn close. It almost feels like you are defying the laws of physics. It can go into and come out of a turn with amazing precision. There's a LITTLE body roll,  but not really. The CDC (suspension) is awesome in both Auto and Sport mode.

Oddly enough, I personally think I can pull the FX out of (but not into!) some corners better than the -F. The -F being RWD with no mechanical LSD. The FX having the AWD+RAS advantage. This could be my imagination though.

The technology overall is pretty cool (LDW/LDP/FCW/IBA/etc), along with the music box.. but i am amazingly disappointed in the stereo. It sounds like, well, crap. I don't even think it supports 5.1 like the old FX did(?); and i know the M and -F did. The -F had a great sound system, the M's was mediocre, and the FX's is just nothing short of pathetic. The old FX system actually sounded better, I think.

Oh.. that's my other gripe. I came to LOVE the -F's gear position indicator. Even in normal (D) mode, it showed the current gear. I wish the FX did that. In "DS" mode it seems that it never shifts above 5th gear, but I can't tell for sure without bumping up/down a gear to see what gear it (seemingly) is in....

Sticking with the theme of the transmission, I am actually really really impressed at how smoothly it shifts in auto mode (well, manual mode too; just SLOW!)... without watching the tach, I actually can't tell (feel) when the transmission is shifting most of the time. That was NOT the case with the 5AT in my M45. It was definitely noticeable between shifts.

Yes, that would be cool to have.  I wonder if one can intercept can bus messages and display that on a 2.5" round toshiba lcd mounted somewhere.