Infiniti FX30dAt £50,000, you’ve got to get picky about a car. I’ll have a go later…Infiniti’s first diesel model, the all-wheel-drive FX30d, attacks the 4X4 Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, Range Rover Sport brigade with a well-sorted car.Assuming its looks are at least as appealing as any of the opposition’s, then it’s down to the nearest dealer for a closer inspection. But it could be a long trip, even including a hotel stay, for Infiniti has, as yet, only four dealerships (called Centres) in the UK; one is in Reading; Glasgow has just opened, another opened this summer in Birmingham and there’s London’s Piccadilly. Four more are planned for 2011: Stockport and Leeds in autumn, another two around London. But, should this not be too off-putting, what will your test drive reveal?Step up into the seats of the S Premium model (my test car) and the first impression should be good. The swooping dashboard top strikes the eye and then there’s all that beautiful quilted leather, shiny wood inserts and a very smart instrument panel and central console. In the centre of the console is a good old-fashioned analogue clock styled to look like a watch in its strap, a nice design touch.The salesman may feel he has to point out the wealth of digital comms and audio features. Fair enough. These are a major feature of all such cars these days and an important consideration before opening the wallet.Voice control is of growing importance and Infiniti’s system is very sensible and works well. Go for the ‘practice’ option and you are invited by a voice to say a series of numbers displayed on the screen. The system then recognizes your particular way of speaking and you’re up and running, with easy-to-follow options depending on whether you want the car to find the way home or switch on Radio 4 and so on.Another feature is that a voice warns of traffic cameras in the vicinity; for example, “traffic camera in 300 yards;” as it turns out, sometimes there is; sometimes there isn’t -- presumably the camera in question may not be on the actual road you’re on, but along a nearby road…or has since been removed. Infiniti Centres can update your satnav.Driving the big Infiniti is enjoyable. It handles very well and is quite quick -- zero to 62mph in 8.3 seconds -- and quiet. The 3.0-litre, 238 PS diesel engine is well muffled and my car’s trip information indicated 30.6 mpg over hundreds of miles of every sort of traffic condition. That compares nicely to the official combined figure of 31mpg. CO2 emissions mean the annual VED will be £425.Cruising around gently, check that the gears are not in ‘sport’ mode. I found that the lower gears tended to hang on rather than changing up. Lifting your foot off the accelerator only produced engine braking, useful down hills, certainly. So, unless you’re in a hurry, use the non-sporty setting.The ride is excellent. Two modes are available: push a switch and you get ‘auto’ or ‘sport‘. However, in normal driving on my local bad roads, I could detect not much difference. The seats are very comfortable and properly supportive, although perhaps a bit more lumbar adjustment would help.Visibility is a bit limited by the shallow styling of the windows, the thick front window pillar and also the interior rear-view mirror that tends to obscure certain frontal views. In addition, the darkened ‘rear privacy’ glass made night-time visibility slightly worse for me, but that could be a personal thing. Infiniti recently announced that it would be making a wing mirror blind spot warning system available, however.Seating for four adults is fine, and maybe three in the back would not be uncomfortable.The boot is a reasonable size, but it was a bit fiddly getting the rear shelf off; the instructions did not work for me until I folded the rear seats forward, in itself not the smoothest of operations.Everything described so far is a standard feature, but you also get Infiniti’s ‘Safety Shield‘. This includes Lane Departure Warning, Frontal Collision Warning, and Intelligent Brake Assist. Scratch-shield self-repairing paint is also standard, but don’t be tempted to demonstrate this to your neighbour -- there are limits.Bottom line is that equipment, build quality and the overall feel of the car seems to be to a very high standard.Infiniti’s diesel 4X4 is a strong competitor in this glamour sector.Tom Scanlan - Feb 2011
Infiniti FX30d
At £50,000, you’ve got to get picky about a car. I’ll
have a go later…
Infiniti’s first diesel model, the all-wheel-drive FX30d,
attacks the 4X4 Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes, Lexus,
Audi, Range Rover Sport brigade with a well-sorted
car.
Assuming its looks are at least as appealing as any of
the opposition’s, then it’s down to the nearest dealer
for a closer inspection. But it could be a long trip, even
including a hotel stay,
for Infiniti has, as yet,
only four dealerships
(called Centres) in the
UK; one is in Reading;
Glasgow has just
opened, another
opened this summer
in Birmingham and
there’s London’s
Piccadilly. Four more
are planned for 2011:
Stockport and Leeds
in autumn, another
two around London.
But, should this not be
too off-putting, what
will your test drive
reveal?
Step up into the seats of the S Premium model (my
test car) and the first impression should be good. The
swooping dashboard top strikes the eye and then
there’s all that beautiful quilted leather, shiny wood
inserts and a very smart instrument panel and central
console. In the centre of the console is a good old-
fashioned analogue clock styled to look like a watch in
its strap, a nice design touch.
The salesman may feel he has to point out the wealth
of digital comms and audio features. Fair enough.
These are a major feature of all such cars these days
and an important consideration before opening the
wallet.
Voice control is of growing importance and Infiniti’s
system is very sensible and works well. Go for the
‘practice’ option and you are invited by a voice to say
a series of numbers displayed on the screen. The
system then recognizes your particular way of
speaking and you’re up and running, with easy-to-
follow options depending on whether you want the car
to find the way home or switch on Radio 4 and so on.
Another feature is that a voice warns of traffic cameras
in the vicinity; for example, “traffic camera in 300
yards;” as it turns out, sometimes there is; sometimes
there isn’t -- presumably the camera in question may
not be on the actual road you’re on, but along a
nearby road…or has since been removed. Infiniti
Centres can update your satnav.
Driving the big Infiniti is enjoyable. It handles very well
and is quite quick -- zero to 62mph in 8.3 seconds --
and quiet. The 3.0-litre, 238 PS diesel engine is well
muffled and my car’s trip information indicated 30.6
mpg over hundreds of miles of every sort of traffic
condition. That compares nicely to the official combined
figure of 31mpg. CO2 emissions mean the annual VED
will be £425.
Cruising around gently, check that the gears are not in
‘sport’ mode. I found that the lower gears tended to hang
on rather than changing up. Lifting your foot off the
accelerator only produced engine braking, useful down
hills, certainly. So, unless you’re in a hurry, use the non-
sporty setting.
The ride is excellent. Two
modes are available: push
a switch and you get ‘auto’
or ‘sport‘. However, in
normal driving on my local
bad roads, I could detect
not much difference. The
seats are very comfortable
and properly supportive,
although perhaps a bit
more lumbar adjustment
would help.
Visibility is a bit limited by
the shallow styling of the
windows, the thick front
window pillar and also the
interior rear-view mirror
that tends to obscure
certain frontal views. In
addition, the darkened ‘rear privacy’ glass made night-
time visibility slightly worse for me, but that could be a
personal thing. Infiniti recently announced that it would
be making a wing mirror blind spot warning system
available, however.
Seating for four adults is fine, and maybe three in the
back would not be uncomfortable.
The boot is a reasonable size, but it was a bit fiddly
getting the rear shelf off; the instructions did not work for
me until I folded the rear seats forward, in itself not the
smoothest of operations.
Everything described so far is a standard feature, but
you also get Infiniti’s ‘Safety Shield‘. This includes Lane
Departure Warning, Frontal Collision Warning, and
Intelligent Brake Assist. Scratch-shield self-repairing
paint is also standard, but don’t be tempted to
demonstrate this to your neighbour -- there are limits.
Bottom line is that equipment, build quality and the
overall feel of the car seems to be to a very high
standard.
Infiniti’s diesel 4X4 is a strong competitor in this glamour
sector.
Tom Scanlan - Feb 2011
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