Infiniti M

[redbaron]

Been considering a change of car.... no real driver / reason other than I can.

Anyhow.. had a wander in to the new Infiniti dealership in Stockport. Wasn't really looking at anything in particular but have always had penchant for something a little more unusual than the default choice if possible.

Firstly the dealership - what a breath of fresh air.... no pressure, no presumptions nothing... but a warm welcome. Well laid out etc etc - everything that you would expect of Lexus and know that most BMW / Audi / MB dealers are not as good on.

They offered me the option to test whatever I wanted - I said I didn't know what I wanted explained what I did and one or two previous cars owned - usual dealer chat... Both myself and my father will change fairly soon - his 212 is due to rotate in march... my X1 isn't, but am displeased with DMF issues (though I am truly impressed with real world late 50's economy).

Back to the cars then, borrowed the M 35h 3.5v6 Petrol Hybrid. Spec wise - impeccable - nappa leather, memory seats, active cruise, lane change, collision avoidance heated and cooled seats, navigation etc etc etc even a sunroof... £46k all in. Obviously I can't spec an E to compare due to MB's web ineptness.

The build quality:- Lets get this one over with... it simply destroys the build quality in my dads 212.... one or two bits are a little plastic - a few typically kak japanese looking buttons below eye level but nothing of consequence.. sure it isn't a 221 level of cockpit but then it isn't an 80k car.....

The performance:- if you choose to be a loon then this car is basically summed up by "engage Mr Sulu!" with 300+ bhp v6 plus 60+ hybrid it will simply rocket off in to the distance (CAR magazine broke the world record for standing quarter in a hybrid).

The economy:- like every other hybrid it is driver dependent.. You can make it do early to mid 40's on a motorway run - it will hold this around town with it being a hybrid....BUT use that 5.5 to 60 performance and you will hurt economy.. though if anyone see's this as a failing I would suggest they are missing the point.

The drive:- very very nice.. smooth, quiet but a little bland... compared with dad's 212 (E350 Avantgarde with comfort sups) ride is similar, tends towards understeer and you wouldn't do a track day in it....

The general cabin ambience is pretty lovely - obviously wood and leather colours are personal preference but I found it to be a wholly nicer place to be than the 212 - especially the seats. It does a have one flaw - the battery pack compromises the boot space quite a lot....

To sum it up - I have no intention of even discussing my next car with MB despite still having a number of ex colleagues and guarantees of best deal to lean on. They don't make a car I want to own right now. C's are been there done that, Don't like the 212, done the 221.. 222 will be too expensive for what i want.

Still won't make a decision till I have driven the M30d...

 

[GRAV888]

I drive an Infinity sometimes for British Superbikes. Absolutely fabulous vehicle.
We're sponsored by Nissan and they supply all our vehicles.
May even be able to negotiate a slight discount for you, but would prob be Infinity Birmingham.
Let me know if you're interested and I'll ask.

 

[redbaron]

So M30d:

Borrowed the Sport Premium model today and overnight tonight.....

Interested in the comparison to the hybrid... and also dad's 212 ( again)

so firstly the differences to the hybrid...

20's and huge brakes make a large visual difference... more surprisingly they don't ruin the ride... a little harsher but no worse than a 212 sport.

Secondly the boot is now much more like an E or 5er...

Sport trim loses the nappa but the seats are still very nicely trimmed with slightly larger bolsters.. Wood grain is replaced with piano black.... and a pair of very nice metal/leather paddle shifters (proper non moving Ferrari 430 Scuderia style) really make you grin... childish, yes just a little.

Performance wise - back to earth with a bang vs the hybrid - the 238hp v6 diesel is a nice unit.. quiet, smooth but obviously doesn't shove the way a 360+ brake hybrid does..

It is very similar in outright pace to dads 212 ( his is a 235 not a 261....) i.e. more than adequate but not a fire ball....

I was fully expecting issues with economy... the EU figures suggest the E would hand the Infiniti it's a55 on a platter. In the real world - 2 comparisons M35h dealer to parents 41.5mpg (was 38 coming off the motorway) vs M30d dealer to parents 45.5mpg (was 46.3 coming off the motorway) both runs 70mph cruise. Comparision 2 back to back with the 212 from parents house to my dads place of work.. 212 38mpg best M30d 42.1mpg so not the slaughter I was expecting... What do we learn from this?

Firstly was it a fair test? possibly not the E is well run in at over 15000 miles.. The E was running V Power... the Infinity was running tesco diesel and had just clicked over 1500miles.. So it is reasonable to assume the Infiniti can do better. Makes me wonder what could be done with an eco remap / tuning box.....

Any how on to the drive... The M30d come with 4ws as well as the big hoops and large brakes... this makes it feel to me far more fun than the M35h or dads 212... went for a little hoon... is clearly a big car but it aint bad for a fat lass....

As with the Hybrid it has so far left me very very impressed.

Will update as i go over the weekend but feel free to ask if there is anything you want to know...

 

[redbaron]

I drive an Infinity sometimes for British Superbikes. Absolutely fabulous vehicle.
We're sponsored by Nissan and they supply all our vehicles.
May even be able to negotiate a slight discount for you, but would prob be Infinity Birmingham.
Let me know if you're interested and I'll ask.

Many thanks for that... I will drop you a PM if/when I get to decision time... I have been truly impressed with them... and given it would appear they will in time be part of Daimler Benz then that is a good thing...

Couple of pics added:-

 

[GRAV888]

Updated post above to include pictures of the FX. It's the FX370S.

 

[st4]

You got me thinking Paul....

 

[Red C220]

I know absolutely nothing about Infinity other than it being Nissans "Lexus".

Are these cars likely to have absolutely monstrous depreciation?

If you can get over the exterior looks they seem to be a very nice place to be.

Actually another Lexus option if I think about.

 

[redbaron]

I know absolutely nothing about Infinity other than it being Nissans "Lexus".

Are these cars likely to have absolutely monstrous depreciation?

If you can get over the exterior looks they seem to be a very nice place to be.

Actually another Lexus option if I think about.

Short answer for now is Yes - there is huge mfr support for both new and ex demo cars... which makes them very cheap to buy... depreciation figures are mythical across all cars as they always assume you paid list.

In reality very few people actually pay list. For example the perception that Infiniti M's lose 20k in the first year is a comparison to list price... but (like a C63 or many other cars) the dealer contribution makes the reality far more palatable.

Im looking at an ex-demo M and am quite close to a deal.. at the price I'm paying "depreciation" has been savage... but the real position is somewhat different.. Would/Will I suffer as a second owner... of course... will I suffer any worse than a bmw/merc/audi customer who often pays over list to buy all the options they need... I very much doubt it..

My real hope is that the service / environment / experience is going to deliver what the other promise but so often fail.

Very refreshing chat with dealer regarding remaps / chips as well.

 

[Dieselman]

Im looking at an ex-demo M and am quite close to a deal.. at the price I'm paying "depreciation" has been savage... but the real position is somewhat different.. Would/Will I suffer as a second owner... of course... will I suffer any worse than a bmw/merc/audi customer who often pays over list to buy all the options they need... I very much doubt it..

I suspect you will lose less overall as you will start from a lower price initially.

This is a topic we have covered before relating to Citroen C6 and W212. When you look at the actual figures spent the W212 loses more money.

I saw a white M35h on the M6 on Friday afternoon, it's a bit bland and rather Mazda looking, but I'm sure it's a capable car.

I actually quite like my neighbours Lexus LS460, so it appears that Japanese manufacturers do get there eventually.

 

[redbaron]

I suspect you will lose less overall as you will start from a lower price initially.

This is a topic we have covered before relating to Citroen C6 and W212. When you look at the actual figures spent the W212 loses more money.

I saw a white M35h on the M6 on Friday afternoon, it's a bit bland and rather Mazda looking, but I'm sure it's a capable car.

I actually quite like my neighbours Lexus LS460, so it appears that Japanese manufacturers do get there eventually.

I think both Lexus and Infiniti are very much in the game now... we have watched Lexus develop more in the UK as they were introduced here much earlier.. I have no doubt both will prosper in the longer term.

Agree re styling... it is very Japanese which is no bad thing - i fully expect them to be very Japanese in the long term.. i.e. won't go wrong

The M35h is a very capable car if I spent more time urban than motorway I would defo lean in that direction... but the turbo diesel will win on a motorway (till you hit a jam).

 

[wemorgan]

I know that Infiniti are looking to develop a carbon fibre sports car. This may lack relevance to the OP, but it will raise the brand profile and desirability of the product range, which when there are so many capable cars to choose from helps a brand to stand out from the crowd.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The FX has caught my eye because it's outrageous value nearly new

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I really like the look of that interior, the exterior though looks hideous.

The new Lexus range has come on leaps and bounds since the days of blatantly copying the W140 and so on. I've toyed with the idea of buying an IS220d SE-L as a runabout, but you could barely fit a shoebox in the boot.

 

[Rory]

Short answer for now is Yes - there is huge mfr support for both new and ex demo cars... which makes them very cheap to buy... depreciation figures are mythical across all cars as they always assume you paid list.

In reality very few people actually pay list. For example the perception that Infiniti M's lose 20k in the first year is a comparison to list price... but (like a C63 or many other cars) the dealer contribution makes the reality far more palatable.

Im looking at an ex-demo M and am quite close to a deal.. at the price I'm paying "depreciation" has been savage... but the real position is somewhat different.. Would/Will I suffer as a second owner... of course... will I suffer any worse than a bmw/merc/audi customer who often pays over list to buy all the options they need... I very much doubt it..

My real hope is that the service / environment / experience is going to deliver what the other promise but so often fail.

Very refreshing chat with dealer regarding remaps / chips as well.

You see a lot of the FX SUV models in Florida (we go there quite a bit) and I'm not sure if there are styling difference or if it's simply that they don't have front number plates, but they somehow look way better there than in the UK.

Infiniti really messed up their entry into the UK - the original plan was to have 5 dealerships within the M25 and they allocated $10M to this. Then they discovered jsut how much a dealership in London costs, so the opened the first one in Reading!

 

[redbaron]

Interesting... really like the FX - but do too many miles to justify it... I thought EU and USA cars were identical bar number plates??

 

[Sp!ke]

That thing is fugly. I cant think of an uglier new car actually.

The interior looks alright from the photo's but I'll bet its typical Japanese and will look very worn within 5 years.

 

[millo777]

I do love the flame maple they use on the interiors which is so much better than burr walnut or god forbid aluminium or carbon fibre. It's a shame they don't sell the M56 version in the UK as that is a very interesting Q car that sounds amazing.

Looks like Renault ownership is having an impact on the cabin design, which looks much better than the w212 imho.

 

[C240Sport97]

That thing is fugly. I cant think of an uglier new car actually.

The interior looks alright from the photo's but I'll bet its typical Japanese and will look very worn within 5 years.

+1

very now styling which will date horribly quickly, if not already dated

 

[John]

Police surround car on M6 toll « Sniff Petrol

LOL!

 

[st4]

Police surround car on M6 toll « Sniff Petrol

LOL!

I'm thinking about getting one.