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2007 Infiniti M45 Sport Road Test

The car you see here might be a fairly familiar sight on the road now, but it isn't thefirst vehicle to wear the M badge, or even the second. M was initially an unpopular letter for Infiniti. It used to grace the decklid of one of the very first vehicles the Japanese brand produced during what was probably the poorest new brand launch program ever conceived, back some seventeen years ago. To say that the two-door M30 coupe and convertible didn't sell well is a gross understatement, but at least Infiniti didn't blame it on the letter itself. After a thirteen year hiatus that saw the stylish J30 come and go, M appeared once more on a car that few people knew about or cared to. It was a frumpy looking sedan based on the even frumpier Q45, slightly smaller than the flagship but just as heavy, with slab sides and a fairly powerful V8 engine. It became known, by the few, as Japan's muscle sedan, but gained little by the way of notoriety in the general luxury market. The old M's interior didn't provide much space considering the car's overall footprint, either. A relative hit in its native Japanese market, with a Nissan badge mind you,

The M45 Sport might not be as popular as some of its competitors, but we'll be darned if it isn't as good to drive. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

it never seemed to capture the hearts and wallets of buyers in North America's midsize luxury class. Infiniti knew that in order to win over shoppers in this hotly contested marketplace, just as they did with the G35, the brand's first big seller, they would have to redesign their midsize sedan to compete with the best. In 2006 the new M, as we know it now, bowed to much praise, and its sales have finally proven much more impressive.

Where the previous M was based on a Nissan-badged vehicle exclusive to the Japanese market that shared Q-ship architecture, the new vehicle uses the comparatively lightweight FM (front-midship) platform shared with the famous G35 and Nissan's sporty 350Z Coupe and Roadster, not to mention the FX crossover. The new model

The VQ35DE V6 engine might be great, but the 4.5-liter V8 of the M45 provides the extra thrust this luxury-liner needs. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is noticeably shorter than its predecessor, by 4.3 inches, although the wheelbase has been elongated by 4.0 inches for a much more accommodating rear seating area. It would seem that its competitors, such as the BMW5-Series and the Mercedes Benz E-Class get a lot of the limelight, but already having been on the market for only two years the updated M has gained serious recognition and respect in its segment. We recently sampled an M45 Sport, eschewing the entry level VQ35DE 6-cylinder mill for a brawny V8 that displaces exactly as its model nomenclature would suggest. As one might expect, opting for the Sport model also includes sharper suspension tuning with handsomely aggressive 19-inch rolling stock. We were eager to find out what the M45 would bring to the table in a market segment with such discerning criteria.

Compared to the daring FX and the swoopy G, the M makes

Like the G35, the M's taillights are circular and illuminated by LEDs. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a cautious statement, which is more in tune with its target market. It is a huge improvement over its unique predecessor, but it's not breaking any new ground in terms of design. It is a handsome shape, however, clean and devoid of some of the garish lines that some other designers find so en vogue these days. Some staffers felt that it looked a little bland, and that they expected just a little more effort from Infiniti in differentiating it from its lesser stablemates. If a car is the top dog in its respective model range, it should look a little more classy and expensive. Theheadlights and taillights are intricately detailed - the rear lights look like afterburners when their LED's are ablaze - but taken in as a whole, it looks as if the car is frowning at you. That said, most of the people who own or are considering owning would embrace the styling direction Infiniti took with the M45.

Besides offering more room and cargo space, the interior appointments of the M are a heady leap forward over the outgoing model.

The M's cabin is comfortable and sporty. It's a little daunting to make your way around the nav system at first, but it's easily learned in a short period of time. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

A similar ambiance within Infiniti cars is generated by details such as the classic analog clock on the dash and the shelf of buttons perched on the center stack. Materials are quite good, with plastics being of the low gloss, high quality sort, and the smell of leather is pleasing to the nose, covering some of the best seats in its class in terms of comfort and support. We utilized the M45 on long highway journeys and were properly amazed at the balance of support and all day comfort. On sweltering days, the M's seats have the ability to blow cool air onto the backsides of their occupants, a feature especially cherished even though our tester's seats were light gray. One thing that several drivers noticed was the sensitivity of the buttons on the steering wheel. Press the volume button and "beep", the horn will sound. This multi-tasking feature was found to be less than handy in bumper-to-bumper traffic...

Once the driver gains some degree of familiarity, the man-machine interface that the M is equipped with, it becomes a joy to use despite looking daunting at first. The system integrates

Bose speakers are not only standard, but they've been fitted to the seats as well. Two per front seat. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a reverse camera, the stereo's controls and a trip computer for easy reference. In terms of entertainment, the M is one of the only sedans we've ever tested with a roof-mounted rear-seat video system, but due to the mounting of the screen it requires rear-seat occupants to rest their heads in a somewhat uncomfortable position, as if sitting at the front row of a movie theater. The sound system on the other hand has been thought out with extreme care, consisting of 14 speakers that include four “Personal Surround Speakers”, two of which are mounted next to the headrests in each front bucket.

Should the Bose system for whatever reason not impress, the 4.5-liter V8 should more than compensate. Losing 10 horsepower to the new SAE method of measuring power, compared to last year's model(325 vs 335 hp) it still provides the same healthy shove in the back when the accelerator is firmly depressed. Extremely polished and refined, it treats the driver to a luxurious driving experience and yet is a willing partner when the road gets twisty and the tach needle swings to the upper reaches of the gauge. At this point we have to also extol the virtues of the driving experience, in what we believe is an absolutely perfect relationship

Orange is a reoccurring theme in the cabin. It's on the instruments, and even on the thread that stitches the steering wheel together. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

between driver and car from an interfacing standpoint. Positionally, the car is almost perfect. High praise was lavished on the throttle pedal and how precise it was in its operation; it was almost as if we could dole out each individual horsepower. What's more is that the five-speed automatic does a great job at blipping the throttle when the leather-wrapped gearshift lever is given a tug.

Infiniti engineers had the foresight to back up the M45's go with corresponding whoa. The braking hardware itself doesn't look particularlyimpressive behind the 19” Sport specific wheels, so we wondered aloud whether or not they would let us down. Not only did they not disappoint, they suitably impressed us with their linear feel and authoritative, fade free deceleration time and time again. Around town they felt a touch grabby, but we looked past this quirk because of how well they worked in general.

So the M45 goes and stops well, but how would it fare when we visited some of our favorite back roads? We're glad to report that it's much better than we could have ever imagined. For a car of this size and weight, it can keep up with much lighter and sportier vehicles. You can tell that a lot of development went into its chassis and suspension characteristics, something that comes out when you turn the stability control off and feel the vehicle

Exclusive to the Sport model is active rear-wheel steering. It makes this big sedan nimble and forgiving to drive quickly. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

without electronic aids. The balance the sedan exudes is amazing; it feels lithe and agile, thanks to active rear-wheel steering, something exclusive to the Sport model, not to mention the segment. Like the suspension magicians from Bavaria, it seems to have an ideal balance between ride and handling, with a ride that's supple and not at all like most vehicles that wear 19-inch wheels on low-profile rubber. The only awkward component in an otherwise brilliantly cohesive package is a steering wheel that nether feels right in the hands of those who experienced it, and the lack of much feel and an all too light effort seemed at odds with the rest of an otherwise capable performance package.

We subjected the M45 to a variety of operating conditions over the course of its stay with us. From long highway slogs to grinding city commutes, it performed well in all areas. Some of the M's advanced features, such as the adaptive cruise control, were used (often) on highways, while the lane departure warning system wasn't particularly intrusive; it merely beeps instead of vibrating the steering wheel. After just a week, the M45 opened our eyes to a compelling choice in the midsize luxury sports sedan class. Our fully loaded test car – and we do mean fully loaded – cost $56,665, which is almost two grand cheaper than a base BMW 550i. Considering the price, the quality and most of all the performance, it's mind boggling why these fine machines aren't more popular.

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