Four Autocar readers have been given an exclusive preview of the new Infiniti M saloon, ahead of the car’s official unveiling at next week’s Geneva motor show.
The event, which took place at Infiniti’s UK centre in Reading, included an introduction to the Infiniti brand followed by a tour of the M itself.
See pics of Autocar readers with the Infiniti M
Infiniti’s flagship saloon, which will rival the Mercedes E-class, Audi A6 and BMW 5-series when sales start in September, impressed the readers with its exterior styling, as well as its interior quality.
All four readers own cars from Infiniti's rival brands. Comments from the readers involved are listed below but they will be posting further opinions of the car in the forums, and responding to any of your queries.
John Cunningham – owns a Lexus IS250
“The Infiniti ownership experience looks excellent; having your own dedicated contact would be a huge plus, even if you’re buying used. The M is a great-looking car – big, curvy and muscular - and the interior is beautiful.
“How will Infiniti fare in the UK? It needs the forthcoming diesel engine to really compete, and UK buyers are traditionally more conservative. A G-series model would be something I would seriously consider.”
Robert Anderson – owns a Mercedes CL600
“The M looks gorgeous – a car that you can buy with your heart. The whole ownership experience seems fantastic, much better than at merc.
“Infiniti is a brand I’ve been aware of for 20 years having spent time in the US. I’ve always liked them a lot; the cars are very appealing.”
Jonathan Slayton – owns a BMW 530i Touring
“There’s emotional styling in the M, something you expect to see in Italian cars and not Japanese ones.
“The Infiniti ownership experience sounds like a strong one, but it needs to be as the brand as anonymous at the moment. Infiniti needs to get the message across and as an enthusiast, I’m listening and taking to its cars, especially the M.”
David Boardman – owns an Audi A8 4.2
“The Infiniti branding is amazing; they’re really trying to change the ownership experience. We’ve all shared horror stories about buying luxury cars, but I don’t think we’d have the same problem here.
“The M looks suitably different and better than in all the pictures. The interior is enough to buy the car alone. The price point is amazing given the standard equipment.”
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Re: Infiniti M - Autocar exclusive
The problem is that in the U.S. there is a significantly narrower range of cars available: displacement-obsessive America cannot buy any of the smaller, more efficient vehicles such as the BMW 520d, 520i, 523i, 530d, 535d and so on - and that's just one model from one manufacturer.
What Infiniti have done is to transport their U.S. line-up pretty much unchanged from one continent to the other without any of the smaller, more efficient offerings - in other words, without the understanding that none of the best-selling models in Europe are big capacity cars. This is one of the (frankly, rather obvious) reasons that Cadillac failed.
Yes there's a diesel waiting but it's a large and expensive diesel. What's the best selling 5-Series? What's the best-selling E-Class? Why, it's a small, inexpensive diesel. I predict them selling fewer than 50 of these 'M' follies. Certainly no more than 75...
Re: Infiniti M - Autocar exclusive
"All four readers own cars from Infiniti's rival brands. Comments from the readers involved are listed below but they will be posting further opinions of the car in the forums, and responding to any of your queries"
When are we going to hear from the 4 people who've actually seen the car?
Re: Infiniti M - Autocar exclusive
I have owned four Infiniti cars over the years. These have ranged from the original Q45, I30, G35 Coupe, and current own a M35. With the exception of the I30 they were purpose designed by Infiniti.
The original Q45 targeted the BMW 7 series. It was inMHO
a great car. Was it as good handling as the BMW? No, but it was close and cost
a lot less. The interior and build quality was as good if not better than the
BMW and it had excellent reliability.
The I30 was an optioned up Nissan Maxima. It was a great Maximum. It had great build quality and had excellent reliability. It was front wheel drive and never had they type off handling of the other models. I suspect Infiniti will never use a Nissan designed platform again.
The G35 Coupe was fast, had outstanding handling, excellent build quality and reliability. The interior was not up to the rest of the car. The latest G37 Coupe has a much better interior. It cost significantly less than anything with the same performance and features. The Nissan Z 350, which was developed off the Infiniti platform, was cheaper but does not have the amenities or the rear seat. The Z also appeared to be of a lesser build quality. The G35 cost significantly less than the German alternatives.
In the States the M35 competes against the BMW 5 Series and the MB E Class. While it is not going to out perform an M5 or a V8 E Class the V8 version M45t will come close. The M35 will keep up with any of the non-M5 models. The new M37 should do even better. It has a larger interior than the BMW M. The build quality has been outstanding. Reliability has been excellent.
My experience has been that Infiniti has improved the cars with every generation. I suspect that the M37 will be the same. I have no doubt that the M37 will be better than the M35 which is already very good.
The Buyers Experience is also very much part of owning an Infiniti. Infiniti takes this very seriously. They will give you a loaner car even if you are just getting an oil change. The car is always washed and vacuumed when returned to you. The contrast is very much apparent when I have to take my other non-Infiniti cars in to other dealers. On the very rare occasions I have had to have warranty work done the Infiniti dealerships have gone out of their way to be helpful and to make sure I was not inconvenienced.
Infiniti residual values have always been lower than comparable Lexus cars. This is more a function of consumers’ perceptions. There has been a premium on Lexus cachet that makes an Infiniti look like a bargain. The currentToyota UK