Funny.. was reading your respoonse and thinking the same thing (that the transmission situation is the opposite)... I am really thinking the fx is a dud and there's a reason the 5L from the fx wasn't carried into the M.....

That's the interesting thing about the -F, unless under WOT, the shifts were FAST, but by no means "hard".. people constantly commented they were amazed that they couldn't even feel the shifts. Only under WOT in sport mode + manual shift could you really get a hard shift.

Based on the other reviews i've seen on the FX, it seems i'm not the only one who is having the issues with the transmission, sadly...

But like a Frank Lloyd Wright creation, the FX had its peculiarities. Some staffers found them endearing, others found them plain annoying. Chief among our gripes were an overly harsh adaptive suspension that, to be fair, had some substantial 21-inch wheels to contend with, as well as a throttle pedal that required a robot-accurate ankle to control smoothly. No one, however, complained about the 390-hp 5.0-liter’s V-8 bark. We can’t knock the FX50S for its performance. Our end-of-test numbers match almost identically those gathered when the FX was fresh. The 0-to-60-mph time held the line at a respectable 5.1 seconds; the quarter-mile and skidpad statistics were also unchanged. Acceleration past 60 mph improved by 0.1 second to 100 and 0.2 second to 130—this in spite of our feeling that the seven-speed automatic transmission had become harder-shifting and at times obstinate over the course of the test.
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Tripping Delight, Fantastic?

The FX has proven an okay travel companion, with some editors more enamored of it than others. Complaints continue that the ride is too harsh, visibility is poor, shifts from the seven-speed auto are often lumpy, and the brakes squeal too much and aren’t very linear. Oh, and we’re still not used to the violent throttle tip-in. Comparisons to our now-departed BMW X6 long-termer abound in the FX’s logbook, many of them saying that the BMW beats the Infiniti in just about every department (except maybe looks). We still love the navigation system and iPod integration, both of which have been getting regular workouts on our many trips.
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One more thing we’re not enamored of is the FX’s throttle calibration. Tip-in is too abrupt, making it hard to pull away from a stop smoothly. We’re also a bit curious about the transmission, which at times searches for a gear at low speeds and can produce rather hard shifts under light load. When we asked the dealer about this behavior, we were told the transmission learns your driving style, and since many of us (okay, all of us) are assertive drivers, the transmission has learned to act accordingly. pb]We’re not so sure that should cause this type of shifting discomfort, and the solution offered—driving around like a granny for two weeks—doesn’t seem likely to be enacted any time soon. Nope, we’re having too much fun matting the throttle and listening to the big V-8’s rumble. [/b]What, like you could resist?

Pros:    High-quality interior materials, more available tech than rivals, excellent iPod interface, relatively low price.
Cons:    Confused transmission and throttle programming, blinding sun reflections from some interior surfaces, unsophisticated ride, wonky Eco Pedal, smallish trunk.

The M37 comes standard with the Infiniti Drive Mode Selector, which includes four modes — Snow, Eco, Normal and Sport — that vary in throttle tip-in and transmission shift programming.

The result is a transmission that always feels slightly confused, sometimes surprised, and rarely goes about its job subtly or unnoticed. Shifts can be jerky; downshifts are usually delayed; the wrong gear at the wrong time can be selected. Sport is better in this regard, but its throttle programming is too aggressive for everyday driving.