2 Months In. Overall impression

[wilpark]

Hello all. i got into a 2012 M37x with premium package 2 months ago with 16K miles. Got a great deal as CPO from Infiniti of Manhasset, Long Island NY. My previous vehicle was 2003 Acura Rl with 175K miles. Things were starting to fall apart and needed to replace the Rl.

While there is a like to like about the M37x Im not in love. After 2 months and about 2.5k miles Im not thoroughly impressed with the vehicle. On paper it is a thing of beauty. The specs on the car is by far the best vehicle I've ever owned. As far as appearance it's a head turner, for me. Interior for the most part is fine but feel that some of the plastic elements on the steering wheel and front console dont belong in a car over 50k. Two major issues I have with the M37x is :

1. Overall fit and finish is weak for the quality of materials used.
2. Personality of the car is inconsistent.

Love all the soft leather, real wood, real aluminum and the tech stuff. Heated and cooled seats have been great. Seats are supportive and comfortable with enough adjustments to fine tune almost any seating position. 90% of the materials used is inline with a luxury car but why skimp on the steering wheel? Especially since both hands are on it the entire time the car is in motion. The plastic trim where the control buttons are out of place and feel really cheap when the fingers feel the sharp edged coldhard plastic. Why not extend the softer materials on the center console? I know I will hardly ever touch that far back on the console but its the details that makes Luxury luxurious.

I may have ADHD but I hear too much buzzing, creaking, or clunking for my liking. My father drives an ML550 AMG , brother drives an Audi A6 and Sister in law an Acura MDX, and I had a 2003 Acura RL. none of these cars make any of the noises that my Infiniti does. To the Infiniti's defense I havent spent nearly as much time in my relative's vehicles as I have in the M.

Fit and finish issues include: Taking the car to the dealer to have the cowl and window area cleaned for incessant buzzing they couldn't detect until after the 3rd visit. almost imperceptible hissing noise coming from the AC unit. Clunking coming from brake area when I first back up and release when I move forward. Noise coming from the an unoccupied front passenger seat that wobbles and shakes too much. The way the brake pedal clunks when you release it. Buzzing from drivers seat belt and God knows where else. Definitely quality materials, for the most part but fit and finish is not a strong suit. Am I expecting too much from a Luxury Vehicle?

Also, I just don't like the overall personality of the vehicle. Everyday I drive it feels like a different car. Engine sounds a little bit rough and grumbly on idle and a bit too whiny when WOT. Not to mention the famed transmission hunting that creates a lag especially when merging and changing lanes; this does not inspire confidence. Some days the acceleration is great and others it seems sluggish regardless of driving mode. One day the transmission shifts are smooth and on point and the next it's all over the place. Eco mode is useless not even sure why it there. For a high powered luxury vehicle I expect smooth linear and predictable response from my engine and transmission. I did the transmission reprogram and the ecu reset. Initially it worked and worked well. I was very happy with the difference. But now some days its fine and others not so much. Its a 330 hp car that acts like it when it feels like it, not when I want it.

Overall Im not mad at the car because it does do plenty very well. I love the size and layout of the car. I NEED a car with both cooling and heating, one of the few cars that have both. AWD is something I feel is a must. Fuel economy is acceptable for me, so far much better than my Acura RL. Glad it has real buttons for almost every function as compared to the new Q50's command computer that makes finding/adjusting settings annoying. The nav system is very, very good. Handling for a big car is great. Once it decides on a gear it hustles and more importantly brakes well and predictably. My dealership and been nothing short of amazing. They have been very patient and have looked into everything I have asked for. And then there is the value : bought CPO 2012 with a little over 16K miles for under 26K.

These short comings have me questioning if I should have gone German with my hard earned cash. If I intend to keep more than a few years it will be a better investment but it does have me second guessing myself. Im frustrated because there is so much potential in this car; i see glimpses of it from time to time. Just wish it would live up to it everyday.

[ArmedAviator]

Interesting to read your thoughts as I share a few of them.

I WANT to love my 2012 M37x with 85k, but I can't seem to. I've never owned a car worth more than $12k (or even over $30k when it was new). The two cars I've ever owned were a 2000 and a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. In both cases, they were easy to work on, took many built-in Mustang parts, and after $2000 in parts, would burn rubber happily and corner with excitement and dramatically with plenty of oversteer.

I like this car's exterior, interior, and am intrigued by it's performance - when it's just right. In the two months I've owned mine, I'm constantly let down when I hit the accelerator and am waiting for what can seem like an eternity for the car to actually accelerate. It's a combination of the drive-by-wire, transmission, and ECU response that makes it unbearable. Exiting a corner under acceleration is no longer any fun.

My biggest gripe is the cost and availability of modifications. No longer can I customize the car and increase performance noticeably for $2 or even $3k. I don't need to stand out, but I want to be proud that "I have something you don't and you can't just get - you must work for it."

It's not the cars fault. My expectations are just different. I do intend on keeping the car for a number of years and I'm hoping it grows on me. Maybe a test drive in a 5.6 Q70 is in order as a future replacement. Or maybe I just need a Mustang....but I hate coupes.

[Larz]

I feel your disappointment. I have a 09 which is the previous generation. The first thing I was a bit put off with was the gear box as well. The hunting got on my nerves and it is consistently IN-consistent. Some days it's there, other days it's great - even driving the same roads at the pretty much the same time. I'm rather displeased to hear that after 3 -4 years Infinit have still not managed to re-design, re-program, or chuck the gearbox and start over. I agree that the interior, though higher quality than others, is still not up to par with what I expect. The dash and the upper door trim should be leather, not soft plastics or vinyl-like. The headliner should be suede or at least suede-like and have more depth to reduce wind noise. And the carpet is only slightly higher quality than a low-priced economy car. I don't expect full-on luxury grade wool like a Bentley, but at least a thicker cut pile carpet that you can feel in your feet. In my opinion, a $70,000 car should not be equipped like a right tart's boudoir, but it should stand out against a $20-30,000 car. Infiniti doesn't.
I still love my M, just wish it had been given a little more elegance and a better gear box.
I will probably not buy another Infiniti unless future model years have more of what is expected for the price they demand. Failing that, I will likely go with a 2 year old Jag XJ-L for the same or a little less money now that Jaguar have finally produced a reliable, elegant, and fast 4dr.

[wilpark]

Interesting to read your thoughts as I share a few of them.

I WANT to love my 2012 M37x with 85k, but I can't seem to..

This is exactly how I feel. I really want to love it and I've almost convinced myself that I needed to. At the end of day Im left a little underwhelmed.

Still a very good car but since Infiniti has moved on to the Q designation I dont see them working to improve anything

[wilpark]

I feel your disappointment. I have a 09 which is the previous generation. The first thing I was a bit put off with was the gear box as well. The hunting got on my nerves and it is consistently IN-consistent. Some days it's there, other days it's great - even driving the same roads at the pretty much the same time. I'm rather displeased to hear that after 3 -4 years Infinit have still not managed to re-design, re-program, or chuck the gearbox and start over. I agree that the interior, though higher quality than others, is still not up to par with what I expect. The dash and the upper door trim should be leather, not soft plastics or vinyl-like. The headliner should be suede or at least suede-like and have more depth to reduce wind noise. And the carpet is only slightly higher quality than a low-priced economy car. I don't expect full-on luxury grade wool like a Bentley, but at least a thicker cut pile carpet that you can feel in your feet. In my opinion, a $70,000 car should not be equipped like a right tart's boudoir, but it should stand out against a $20-30,000 car. Infiniti doesn't.
I still love my M, just wish it had been given a little more elegance and a better gear box.
I will probably not buy another Infiniti unless future model years have more of what is expected for the price they demand. Failing that, I will likely go with a 2 year old Jag XJ-L for the same or a little less money now that Jaguar have finally produced a reliable, elegant, and fast 4dr.

For the money I paid i got better than I would have had I gone with a new high-end Honda or Camry at that price. Though the new Maxima looks nicer inside with the quilted leathers. Harnessing that great engine with a bad gearbox is killing my love for the car.

My wife said it best. She got in and was like okay. This is nice but not the same level of refinement as Benz or Audi. In my dad's ML550 she felt like she was in another class of luxury

[Mjkkb2]

It's a combination of the drive-by-wire, transmission, and ECU response that makes it unbearable. Exiting a corner under acceleration is no longer any fun.

M doesn't come equipped wit DBW steering.

[Mjkkb2]

For the money I paid i got better than I would have had I gone with a new high-end Honda or Camry at that price. Though the new Maxima looks nicer inside with the quilted leathers. Harnessing that great engine with a bad gearbox is killing my love for the car.

My wife said it best. She got in and was like okay. This is nice but not the same level of refinement as Benz or Audi. In my dad's ML550 she felt like she was in another class of luxury

Please tell me the Camry and Honda comparison was just a typo.


Also, if you take a 2011 Year E class, an A6 and a 330 then the M is more than one class above with quality of interior, feel of the cabin, features and so on.
Of course with the car manufacturers redesign cycles not aligning sometimes Apple to Apple comparison isn't possible. But if you do one I have yet to put Infiniti anywhere else than the top in the luxury department.

Yes the M has had some issues, the transmission /gear hunting being one of the big ones, some cheap plastic on the doors, etc, but it is a great car and a blast to drive.

[BlackCat81]

It's a combination of the drive-by-wire, transmission, and ECU response that makes it unbearable. Exiting a corner under acceleration is no longer any fun.

M doesn't come equipped wit DBW steering.

And considering his issues are controlled via CAN systems, there is literally no lag whatsoever. Communication is done so fast that it's almost unmeasurable.

[mikedamageinc]

If you are familiar with the German brands you should have noticed the interior sitting in the car at the car lot. The cars personality may take a little to figure and u agree, there are a few things I don't like for a 60k car. The trans felt performance oriented at first which I like, but just cruising it is not cool.

I have the touring which adds nicer steering wheel cover, softer seat leather, ash wood, and stitched gauge hood and that is enough to make the interior for me.

I will say coming from an 06 g35, I liked that car personality better and that's what kept me in an Infiniti. The variable steering is a bit light, and a little too smooth on the road, a little disconnected feeling compared to the G which I think was perfect except for cooled seats, Bluetooth music and put a (better) 7 speed trans in it and I would drive it for the rest of my life. But anyways there is no perfect car and for its shortcomings it is a Japanese car and since I do all of my own work, I'll take it any day over German.

[beachbum718]

Your first mistake was buying an x.and buying a used car in ny.i hear no clunkin noises in my sport.and i kill coming out of corners...im from ny your abd i traveled 500 miles to my M37s with 16,500.every option but the dopey parking sensors.i love my M.and i came from a 2001 q45t with 68k

[ArmedAviator]

I would have preferred a Sport and avoided the X but it's what was available and had to give up the rental the next day.

And what I meant before by drive by wire was the throttle. A CAN bus does transmit data very fast but it still takes time for the ECU to process data, send commands, and servo motors to respond. I am certain that part of the delay is intentionally programmed by Nissan to limit customer complaints of harsh shifts or acceleration. Even in Sport mode, the throttle lag is annoying.

[TreyhunnaM37x]

Bought a 4 year old car and your surprised it's has a few issues? Comparing to a ml550? A German luxury SUV? Lol. For the price you paid for your '12 with 17k should've sprung for a newer q70. Hope you work things out. I love my m37x and I can't say I have any of those issues. Besides these creaky armrest.

[Mjkkb2]

I personally felt the transmission issues when I first got it. It didn't bother me so much but was annoying. I 'fixed' it by only driving in Sport and in manual mode, 100% of the time. No lag when you shift your own gears
My biggest gripe about the car is the NAV and voice commands. I shouldn't have to go thru 5 prompts just to call home from my cell. Also, I have yet to successfully find a POI using the voice prompts. My wife sys it's my immigrant accent, funny, but it sure is frustrating.

I also don't feel this car is perfect, anybody noticed how small the trunk is? I was comparing its capacity to a coworker's Sonata and it looked like you could stuff twice as many things in the Hyundai.

I'd still buy it in a second tho, I love this thing!

[Ilya]

I personally felt the transmission issues when I first got it. It didn't bother me so much but was annoying. I 'fixed' it by only driving in Sport and in manual mode, 100% of the time. No lag when you shift your own gears
My biggest gripe about the car is the NAV and voice commands. I shouldn't have to go thru 5 prompts just to call home from my cell. Also, I have yet to successfully find a POI using the voice prompts. My wife sys it's my immigrant accent, funny, but it sure is frustrating.

I also don't feel this car is perfect, anybody noticed how small the trunk is? I was comparing its capacity to a coworker's Sonata and it looked like you could stuff twice as many things in the Hyundai.

I'd still buy it in a second tho, I love this thing!

I had the previous generation and some things definitely took a step back while others took a step forward.

The navigation/voice controls took a MAJOR step back. I could change the temp, radio station, etc. on my 07 which wasn't even the most equipped option (middle tier) but can't on my fully loaded '11? The headrests in the 07 (front ones, not sure about rear) could go up and down as well as forward/back. Not on the 11. It's such small things that I don't understand how they possibly saved enough money to justify 'cutting' those features.

Regardless, I still love my M.

[M37xfan]

Same here I have no issues with my M. I guess my question would be how much time did you spend with the M before you purchased it?

[Mjkkb2]

to add to Ilya's list:

*The sun visors! WHY f*** with that? Now if you're 6ft or taller, the things are useless as they block half of the view.
*And why not offer the rear reclined/heated seats is beyond me. As we have said, no car is perfect; and this not being exclusive to auto industry, when you let the accountants make decisions - stupid crap like this happens.

[M37xfan]

to add to Ilya's list:

*The sun visors! WHY f*** with that? Now if you're 6ft or taller, the things are useless as they block half of the view.
*And why not offer the rear reclined/heated seats is beyond me. As we have said, no car is perfect; and this not being exclusive to auto industry, when you let the accountants make decisions - stupid crap like this happens.

It is not the accountants...it's the higher ups that use the financial info that the accountants provide to make those decisions

[wilpark]

For the money I paid i got better than I would have had I gone with a new high-end Honda or Camry at that price. Though the new Maxima looks nicer inside with the quilted leathers. Harnessing that great engine with a bad gearbox is killing my love for the car.

My wife said it best. She got in and was like okay. This is nice but not the same level of refinement as Benz or Audi. In my dad's ML550 she felt like she was in another class of luxury

Please tell me the Camry and Honda comparison was just a typo.


Also, if you take a 2011 Year E class, an A6 and a 330 then the M is more than one class above with quality of interior, feel of the cabin, features and so on.
Of course with the car manufacturers redesign cycles not aligning sometimes Apple to Apple comparison isn't possible. But if you do one I have yet to put Infiniti anywhere else than the top in the luxury department.

Yes the M has had some issues, the transmission /gear hunting being one of the big ones, some cheap plastic on the doors, etc, but it is a great car and a blast to drive.

Obviously not comparing the M to an Accord or Camry. M is definitely a class above. My reference with Honda and Toyota was I got a great deal for a better car. My M cost about what a Camry and Honda would have cost me: no brainier to get the M

[wilpark]

Overall I like it. Just don't love it

[wilpark]

Bought a 4 year old car and your surprised it's has a few issues? Comparing to a ml550? A German luxury SUV? Lol. For the price you paid for your '12 with 17k should've sprung for a newer q70. Hope you work things out. I love my m37x and I can't say I have any of those issues. Besides these creaky armrest.

I did also compare it to A6 a direct competitor and two different Acuras. One which was a 2003 To a car that was 9 years older. Thanks for reminding me of those armrests too

[Mjkkb2]

thanks for clarifying. Hope you get to like it more as time goes on and maybe love it some day.

[mikedamageinc]

I'm surprised nobody has complained about driver leg room, especially the right leg. It seems they could have designed that a little better, but that is my biggest complaint about the car. Even the transmission isn't bad once you learn it's mannerisms.

[Ilya]

You mean that the 'center' dash is too close to it? It doesn't seem any different than any other car to me. I don't normally sit with my legs like this: \/...I'm fine with \|

[Mjkkb2]

at least what's up against the leg/knee is soft material. It would have been very uncomfortable, for me anyway, if it was not padded.

[armybrat]

Your first mistake was buying an x.and buying a used car in ny.i hear no clunkin noises in my sport.and i kill coming out of corners...im from ny your abd i traveled 500 miles to my M37s with 16,500.every option but the dopey parking sensors.i love my M.and i came from a 2001 q45t with 68k

No mistake buying my used 2012 M56x, originally from Pepe Infiniti in White Plains, NY. Only issues I have so far is the low quality new tires that the previous owner put on when the car was turned in, and of course the timing chain recall, which is currently being done while driving a 2015 Q70L loaner. Only mod I have done is deleted the post cats and resonators and straight piped it to the stock mufflers, and installed a factory rear deck spoiler.

Some would argue that buying the sport model is a mistake

[Big_Tone]

I personally felt the transmission issues when I first got it. It didn't bother me so much but was annoying. I 'fixed' it by only driving in Sport and in manual mode, 100% of the time. No lag when you shift your own gears
My biggest gripe about the car is the NAV and voice commands. I shouldn't have to go thru 5 prompts just to call home from my cell. Also, I have yet to successfully find a POI using the voice prompts. My wife sys it's my immigrant accent, funny, but it sure is frustrating.

I also don't feel this car is perfect, anybody noticed how small the trunk is? I was comparing its capacity to a coworker's Sonata and it looked like you could stuff twice as many things in the Hyundai.

I'd still buy it in a second tho, I love this thing!

I had the previous generation and some things definitely took a step back while others took a step forward.

The navigation/voice controls took a MAJOR step back. I could change the temp, radio station, etc. on my 07 which wasn't even the most equipped option (middle tier) but can't on my fully loaded '11? The headrests in the 07 (front ones, not sure about rear) could go up and down as well as forward/back. Not on the 11. It's such small things that I don't understand how they possibly saved enough money to justify 'cutting' those features.

Regardless, I still love my M.

I'm with you on the head rests! The ones in my M45 were great. I'm not a fan of the ones in my M56.

[mikedamageinc]

You mean that the 'center' dash is too close to it? It doesn't seem any different than any other car to me. I don't normally sit with my legs like this: \/...I'm fine with \|

Maybe my legs are long, I don't really stretch out when I drive. I like to be close to the wheel in better control and I just feel like that one spot keeps me just a hair back than I would loke. To me it odd that it's that spot, most cars you hit your knees on both sides when you get too close. I know there has to be some tall mofos that hate the console angle!