2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD Journey Road Test

“It drives and rides like a car...” I don't know how many times I've read this particular

Infiniti's new EX35 doesn't just drive like a car, it drives like a sporty car. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

line or variations of it over the past couple of years, but it somehow sneaks its way into just about every crossover road test.

Call it a sign from automakers of all nationalities that they're listened to the public and are therefore deep into the process of divorcing themselves from a relatively brief albeit money-making fling with body-on-frame, live-axle sprung sport utility vehicles. Personally, I try as often as I can to limit my personal usage of this phrase, but I feel that it's justified here. Infiniti's EX35 drives and rides like a car. But not just any car, as it drives and rides like a very sporty car.

Infiniti may not have been in the SUV business a particularly long time, but they've made quite a splash. Their first entry, the FX, arrived long after the Mercedes-Benz ML and BMW X5 were anywhere near fresh. Still, it was the right vehicle for the times and thankfully completely left of center, as there was nothing conservative about it. It cornered, gripped and most importantly looked like no other SUV on sale, and was crucial in cementing Infiniti's presence in the luxury sport ute market. Of course, there's also the QX56, the brand's Escalade and Navigator fighter, but it's more of towing and hauling machine than anything sporty. And while it's highly unlikely that Infiniti can recreate the initial

It looks good from most angles, but the profile is, well, just a bit odd. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

impact of the FX with the EX, it won't merely be due to heavy competition from the M-Sport-equipped X3 or the Super-Handling RDX, but simply because the EX has a lot to live up to within its own family.

With a shape as distinguishable as the FX, it's really no surprise that the Infiniti modeled the EX to look like a smaller version. It's the same for a lot of vehicles in the Nissan family; take for instance the Murano and the Rogue. The shape of the EX is a bit like a shrunken FX, but its face is neither as aggressive nor opinion-dividing, carrying much more G into the mix. Taken from certain angles, particularly the low front quarter, the EX looks squat and aggressive, but I haven't quite made up my mind on the whole. Its hood is long, its tail is pointy and its height is low, all to extremes. On the flip side of that coin, the design in its totality, combined with its rounded hatchback, makes it look a bit like a turtle.

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