2011 Ex a step back

[DDS]

Infiniti just released their new line card for the 2011 EX. Unfortunately this new Infiniti is a day late, a dollar more and a step back in choices for the customer. Nissan announced they would make this car available to the public the first of October, but held back so dealerships around the country could thin out the stock 2010 EX’s. The problem with the backlog has been the over abundance of EX’s - with graphite interiors. Locally, Infiniti of Cincinnati still has (5) 2010 EX’s in stock, none of which have the Wheat, Stone or Chestnut interiors. And this is typical of all dealerships around the country. I must go 500 miles to find a 2010 with a Stone interior (and they want full MRSP for it – can’t blame em’). There are still about 1000 2010 EX’s in the Midwest with graphite interiors. There are fewer than (5) 2010 EX’s in stock in the Midwest loaded, with an interior/exterior I prefer. And I have to go to them to buy it.

So Why not just buy a 2011 you say? Problem is, Infiniti has changed their offering to the point that the EX I want doesn’t exist anymore.

They have dropped three color choices and added two. Gone are the Blue Slate, Scarlet Silver Pearl and Dark Currant. New, is a brown color which (IMO) is not attractive, and a pastel blue which isn’t a bad color - if you are a female. So, no more EX’s ever again in either of their more popular colors, Blue Slate, or Scarlet Silver. We now have only six color choices. White, Black, two shades of gray, Road Kill Brown and Girly Blue. Furthermore, if you demand one of the upscale interiors like their very popular Stone or Wheat, you are out of luck assuming you want the Silver Platinum or the Graphite exterior. Under those circumstances, you have no choice except the Black interior. Fact is, their Stone interior has been dropped across the entire line. Wave goodbye at that great interior in the rear view mirror.

Another choice that has been taken away is the choice in wheels. Now the 18”, 55% tire, wheels are standard. Gone are the 17” wheels altogether. And, if you want a loaded EX with the Tech package, you are now required to take an even larger 19” 45% tire, wheel. You have no choice. For those that don’t understand how larger wheels effect the ride, go to http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars ... /index.htm. That report may be member protected, but to sum up, larger wheels allow you to go around corners faster, but the ride quality and traction in the snow deteriorate significantly. And if you have the same aesthetic values that I do, you simply don’t like the look of Pie Plate wheels. My teenage soon thought they were cool. I don’t.

So that beautiful little Infiniti EX that I have had my eye on now for several months is no longer available. At least not with one of those nice interior/exterior schemes and not with wheels I would have on my car. The 2011 EX is simply a back step in offering but a step forward in price (of course).

Oh well, so be it I waited to long. I have no body to blame but myself

[TomT]

Glad I got my Blue Slate 2010.

[embe]

I think Stone and Wheat have always been limited choice colours...and I think Graphite has always been available on all colour choices. Probably we are seeing Infiniti ramp production down a bit in order to facilitate the introduction of the 2012's which will probably have an upgraded interior of some sort.

Full MSRP is a joke, I wouldn't take that from any dealer... however, would you be willing to settle for a graphite interior if they told you it would be $7000 cheaper? I know I would.

[embe]

By the way, pix, pricing etc are here:

http://www.nissannews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1987&mid=

[EXceptional]

This is disturbing news... but understandable from a manufacturer point of view.

Everything is done based on Cost and Production Savings.

[AZhitman]

Y'know, we have a few people here who might be able to help.

Dean, could you check with Canaan and see who we can put DDS in touch with?

[drosen]

I imagine those color combos are the least popular, otherwise they would have kept them. (By the way, I've got Platinum Graphite with Graphite interior and love it. My wife and I agreed without question that it was our favorite. Also seems to be a popular color combo for the EX in Los Angeles.)

[inteller]

dealer said my Platinum Graphite/Chestnut combo is probably one of less than 100 since they discontinued it after 2008.

oh and btw, Scarlet Silver Pearl screams female. I wouldn't be caught dead driving that color.

[williammoses]

The seven speed transmission is a plus. The incease in price and fewer interior/exterior color combinations are negatives. The competition--Murano, Audi Q5, BWM X3, even Lincoln MKX--is looking better.

[DDS]

The big disappointment for me is the mandatory 19" Wheels required for a loaded vehicle. Simply will not have a 45% tire on my car. That pretty much keeps me from looking further. Just don't know how to get around that, other than buy a set of 17"ers and try and sell the 19"ers. But who wants to get involved with that? The Nissan Infiniti line of cars is based on speed, youth, aesthetics and fads. I love the "M" but I am looking for a small car to get around downtown Cincinnati in rush hour. I love the "G" but the seat is 16" off the ground like a Shelby Cobra. I am afraid once I get in, I will be stuck for good. The EX was perfect.

[da mayor]

but realize the deluxe touring package will be less than 5% of total volume for the EX's... i rarely have someone come in and require a loaded car anymore.

it's either I want nav or I don't.

19's are not overkill -- it's just to compete b/c the Benz GLK has 19's to offer, the X3 does as well, and the Q5 I've seen people get some 19's on that.

[Jesse94]

this big rim fad pisses me off...I want more rubber less rim damnit. gimme some 44's with 10" rims, that outta do it.

[DDS]

To da mayor:

I can understand why Infiniti would offer 19" wheels. As I mentioned, my son thought "pie plate" wheels were cool also and put a set on his car. He has since sold it because the car road like a truck. I understand the fad, and understand choices differ. What I don't understand is why Infiniti would offer a luxury level car without an option for standard wheels.

And you sound like you are into sales at an Infiniti dealership? If so, would your dealership be interested in any deal that would swap a set of 19"ers for a pair of 17"ers?

[drosen]

deal that would swap a set of 19"ers for a pair of 17"ers?

That is an excellent idea. Also, you can check Craigslist or Ebay. When we were shopping for our EX, one of our options was a used 2009 EX with 17" wheels, but we really wanted 18" wheels. Searching Craigslist and Ebay, all we could find were 17"'s (i.e. people who had upgraded to a larger size). (We ended up buying the new 2010 EX with 18"'s instead.)

[da mayor]

To da mayor:

I can understand why Infiniti would offer 19" wheels. As I mentioned, my son thought "pie plate" wheels were cool also and put a set on his car. He has since sold it because the car road like a truck. I understand the fad, and understand choices differ. What I don't understand is why Infiniti would offer a luxury level car without an option for standard wheels.

And you sound like you are into sales at an Infiniti dealership? If so, would your dealership be interested in any deal that would swap a set of 19"ers for a pair of 17"ers?

I'm a finance manager here at a dealership but we wouldn't swap 19's for a pair of 17"s just because we do not want any headaches down the road. I sell aftermarket wheels to a lot of clients from the dealership with a full warranty on them to cover bending wheels, bubbling tires, etc.

If you want to get rid of 19" wheels, then I'd be more than gladly to help you out and find a client to swap for 17's.

If Infiniti did not offer a 19" wheel option, they would be considered behind the 8-ball since every other car manufacturer is offering the same wheel package. At least 18" wheels are standard, the 17"s were just too small and there is very minimal ride difference between the 17's and 18's. The 19" wheel will have a 45-series tire, the same tire height as the 2006-2010 M35/M45 sedan rode on.

[DDS]

You are right, my second choice in an automobile, the Lexus 250HS, also has the same policy of switching to 45's when the vehicle is loaded. The visual impact is not as noticeable because they switch from 17" wheels to 18" wheels, but the ride considerations are likely the same. I also must mention, that Lexus even contains disclaimers in their literature about the "reduced tread life" and the increased propensity for wheel damage (when hitting pot holes) for the 18"45% wheels. I asked them if they would swap wheels and of course, they are not interested either. They even mentioned that they felt doing so might cancel parts of the warranty, although they were not specific. Isn't that a hoot? requiring a customer to purchase performance wheels on the more expensive vehicles and then warning them about the pitfalls?

[sg77]

If Infiniti did not offer a 19" wheel option, they would be considered behind the 8-ball since every other car manufacturer is offering the same wheel package. At least 18" wheels are standard, the 17"s were just too small and there is very minimal ride difference between the 17's and 18's. The 19" wheel will have a 45-series tire, the same tire height as the 2006-2010 M35/M45 sedan rode on.

The problem is that 19" isn't just an option (which I agree would be good), it's a requirement if you want to get some other options.

[ANBYOND]

If Infiniti did not offer a 19" wheel option, they would be considered behind the 8-ball since every other car manufacturer is offering the same wheel package. At least 18" wheels are standard, the 17"s were just too small and there is very minimal ride difference between the 17's and 18's. The 19" wheel will have a 45-series tire, the same tire height as the 2006-2010 M35/M45 sedan rode on.

I disagree that the 17" were too small, they did ride slightly better than the 18" not to mention they were better quality tires than the crappy Dunlop 18"s. (read the reviews on Tire Rack, Michelin vs Dunlop, 6.4 rating vs 7.8 ) They (17's) do better in the snow 60 series profile, esp. vs the low profile 19" and they cost less to replace and are easier to find. Remember, Low profile tires equal BAD in the snow.

[EXceptional]

Yea, but when you want all the toys, the Factory chucks in the larger Rim size whether you like it or not.

Also, if you have the AWD option, sometimes (most times) AWD makes crappy tires work better in the Snow.

Ride and comfort... well that's subjective to each person.

I find the EX35 locates the ruts in the Road and is a little twitchy for my taste... however once I change out the Dunlops, I'm hoping this too, will improve. Some of this twitchiness might be due to the short Wheel-base also.

[DDS]

There is another thread here on this forum with a discussion about wear problems being experienced by those that have the 18" wheels. I have not replied to that thread, but I wonder if in fact the problem is not simply the wider tire tread. The 17" wheels were 7" wide. The 18" wheels are 8" wide. That is a hefty % increase in tire width and all that much harder on the tire when turning, especially at low speed due to a higher amount of "scrubbing". (The 19" wheels are 8.5" wide - that isn't good for anybody) Simply put the 17" wheels appear to be the wheels that the car was designed for, and likewise are arguably the wheels that offer the best ride and wear characteristics.

[OneOfOne]

hilarious yet pointless rant. the colors that are discontinued are the colors NO ONE wants. that's based on sales not lame internet ranters. personally I wish the red interior that you can get in Europe as well as the expanded color combos for the chestnut interior were available here but the bottom line is that there isn't enough of a market as defined by sales for there to be much variation. its all about cost for the dealers and for infiniti. this is a problem at least as I see it for all manufacturers in the U.S. but especially the luxury brands: not enough choice in color combos. the graphite interior seems best suited for people with masculinity issues or clean freaks. its just too damn dark and depressing

[RedwinGV]

True to a point, but for me, they didn't have a lot of exterior color options that allowed one to select that chestnut color. I wonder if they allowed for more, if more might have been selected.

[Timmbo]

Here is a chestnut in the Chicago area:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.js ... f=national

[wwwwc]

I have a set of 17" on my 09 EX that are in good condition. If you are interested, I can swap with your 19" wheels and tires. That should take care of part of your concerns. I live in the Chicago area, and I can take care of the swapping expenses if you are interested.

Ben

[BlueSlateEX]

I love my 2010 blue slate EX although my first choice would have been the Dark Currant/chestnut version. (not available on any car lot in Ohio at the time) Unfortunately my dealer only had 2 EX35's on the lot when I purchased mine. The fully loaded blue slate, or a stripped down silver. And now it seems from reading this, both color options have been dropped for 2011. Oh well. Kind of ironic that the following week when I went in to the dealer for a car wash, what did I see on the lot? A 2010 Dark Currant/chestnut EX. LOL. But I still love my blue slate EX and don't have any regrets.