Impressions of the new Infiniti M

[jwaters943]

I finally had the chance to check out a new M in person yesterday. Let me preface this by saying that I did not drive it, but if it's like I expect (similar to the previous M but a bit faster and more refined), I'm sure it will be a fabulous car to drive.

With that said, after spending some time inside one, I walked away unimpressed.

First the good:

-The interior design looks less busy in person (at least in the black/dark reddish wood combo I sat in) and upon getting in the doors close with a nice solid, but amazingly well-damped sound. It's not so much a "thunk" as it is a "whoosh".

-Nearly every surface you touch is nice and soft. The leather is smooth, the dash plastics are nice and squishy, the steering wheel feels good in your hand even though the design is silly looking, and the wood has a nice depth to it that looks much more rich and elegant than the prior matte wood trim.

-The gauges are nice and legible and right in your line of sight ala BMW...just without their awful orange illumination.

-I'm not really convinced the silver trim on the doors is a real metal alloy, but it does look nice (it does feel and look quite a bit like the paddle shifters on our Mitsu Outlander, so it may be magnesium). I do know it's definitely not aluminum based on the look and feel (it's not cool to the touch and it was chilly out today). In any case, the interior design is pretty nice overall. Definitely a nice place to spend time provided you're sitting up front (more on that later).

Now on to the bad parts:

-The Nav screen is poorly implemented in the dash, especially for a luxury car. It literally looks like the car was designed for a widescreen Nav unit ala the new 5 Series, but at last minute the penny pinchers came in and decided against it. So instead of redesigning the area around the screen they just put a couple of 1-1.25" wide pieces of low grade plastic on either side of the screen.

-The door map pockets are useless. This is something I've noticed with a lot of new cars lately, so it may be unfair to single Infiniti out on this one, but what's the point of having a door map pocked that doesn't pull out and is only 4" long? You could maybe fit your wallet, cell phone and keys in there and that's about it.

-The rear seat area aside from the nicely detailed door panels is quite spartan. The rear AC vents look like they were ripped out of a $20k economy car. No chrome or wood. No detailing of any sort. Just plain black plastic. This lack of detailing combined with the high beltline and rather bulky front seats makes it feel a bit claustrophobic. To make matters worse, the middle section of the rear seat has only about 3" of cushioning and does not appear to be attached to the car in the center. There is a gap you can easily fit your hand in and if you lift up the entire rear bench lifts up noticeably. I have no idea if this was a build flaw w/ the car I looked at since the only other M they had was on a test drive, but it was pretty shocking. It reminded me a bit of the center console of the Pontiac G8. There is a grab handle opposite the parking brake that if you grab the entire console will flex/lift noticeably.

-The styling. It looks no better overall than in pics, at least to me. It's not bad, but not very good either. There simply is no hiding the dimensions of the car (e.g. too narrow and tall). It looks worst from the rear 3/4 angle where the car just doesn't appear planted, and best from the front where it doesn't appear nearly as bloated as the pics suggest.

Honestly, I wanted to like it, and I wouldn't turn my nose up at anyone who bought one over the competition, but if it were my money I'd probably just get the prior-gen M. The new one just doesn't feel worth the extra money. Which brings me to a larger personal issue: new cars in this segment just kind of leave me cold, which is odd because this used to be my favorite segment. In my mind most midsize luxury sedans used to combine the best attributes of the cars above and below them (90% of the luxury of the full size sedans with 90% of the sportiness/nimbleness of the compact sedans), but not anymore. In most cases they just feel compromised and lack either the stand out styling of other cars in the lineup or the quality feel and specialness one typically expects of a $50-70k luxury sedan (E, A6, STS, and GS all come to mind).

Then again, I did not drive it. Maybe a test drive would change my mind. Until that time comes I'll be more than happy with my Genesis.

 

[DavidNJ]

I exampled a model with the optional interior at the auto show, white with a cream interior. Quality thoughout the interior seemed excellent, although I didn't spend anytime in the rear seat.

I drive a 2010 QX56 and can say even the old (2008) nav from Infiniti is excellent. I only spent a little time with the DIS in the Genesis and wouldn't say it is better.

Not that the M isn't without faults. The trunk is small, the opening very small. The styling is a bit over the top for a car that size. Not bad, but a bit too extreme for my tastes.

The long snout and high rear window making seeing the corners impossible. It has no sonar parking sensors, although they may come for the 2012.

It is expensive. A rear wheel drive V6 is Equus price level, the AWD more. I think they may have overpriced it. For comparison a fully 2010 M was $5k less. That is a big difference. Additionally, they were often sold with a significant discount.

Of all the competitors, the M may be the most head to head with the Genesis/Equus, although the new model may have moved it to a higher price class.

 

[GripperDon]

The M is a great car EXCEPT for the price.

 

[Bocatrip]

The main reason I have joined this forum is due to the introduction of the 2011 M37. I have been waiting and doing quite of bit of research on the 2011 M prior to its introduction. I have test driven it 5 different times. Bottom line was this. I just could not get used to the seats! The previous 2010 and earlier Ms had very comfy and softer bolstered seats. The current one in the base model is extremely firm and actually somewhat painful to my back. Once I sat in the Genesis I knew I had found my car. What a difference! Of course the higher optioned Ms have a somewhat better seat but still not great. The difference in price to get the better seat brings that car way over the $50,000 mark. Too much to pay for a seat. I love the texture and comfort of the Genesis seat not to mention the bang for the buck for all the options.

 

[TJPark01]

The exterior dimensions of this car just look odd to me. Maybe it will be different in person, but at certain angles this car looks strangely proportioned. The interior looks very nice, and a vast improvement to the previous generation M.
The problem with the big 3 Japanese luxury brands is that they are no longer the competitive value they once were compared to the big 3 Germans. They lack the cache that BMW/Merc/Audi brings and people who can afford those cars are willing to pay a premium to own those brands. People are not willing to pay the premium for the Japanese cars, even though they are well built and reliable, they don't invoke the regal feeling that the German's do.
The people who buy the Acura/Infiniti/Lexus/Cadillac cars are value oriented buyers. If they can get 90% of the car for 60% of the money they will step down to a Genesis or Equus. The Japanese have gotten way too aggressive with their pricing and with the fiscal environment that were in now, it's clear people are not willing to pay up. In many ways they are victims of their own success.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Great review! Thank you.. Can you compare the leather softness to that of the soft leather in most Lexus vehicles?