Post by
rhvh2000 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/rhvh2000-u4079.html
Fri Jan 31, 2003 3:09 pm
Picked up my new FX45 the day before yesterday; thought I'd share experiences and first impressions.
My timing was fortuitous - I was looking for a new car and debating between BMW 745, Lexus LS430, BMW M5. But none of them was doing it for me. 745 has had too many bad reports with respect to both quality and the user interface, the Lexus is not enough a "driver's car." The M5 is great, but very high priced, and I'm 6'4" and it's a somewhat tight fit.
So I stopped by the Infiniti dealer a couple of weeks ago to check out the new M45 (Q45 was just a little too big for my taste). Believe it or not, it turned out the M45 doesn't have enough headroom. Just as I was getting ready to leave the dealership, the sales guy (Mike K at Frontier Infiniti, Santa Clara, CA) had a brainstorm. He told me about the FX45. Said I wouldn't have a headroom problem... Convinced me to come to the San Jose auto show to see the first one in the area.
I started digging around on the web and became captivated, so I put in my deposit and an order. Then I saw it at the SJ Auto Show and it was all over. I fell in love with the car. And I'm not an SUV person. Is it an SUV? Dunno. Is it a sport sedan? Dunno. What is it? Awesome. This car rocks.
I got the black with brick/black interior and the technology package. It is definitely the baddest car on the block. The seat kicks you in the seat, so to speak, it stops on a dime and corners on rails. The sound is great (both the sound system and the sound from the tailpipes). I hope I can keep the black looking good...
It's sure turning a lot of heads. Best experience so far: picking up my 15-year old daughter after school. Probably the first time in 5 years she's actually wanted to be seen in public with me. And when she got behind the wheel (I'm a softie) with all her friends looking on, we knew who was leader of that pack for the day.
I love the firm ride that drew a complaint in the Car & Driver review - it really feels like the car is attached to the road.
But: minor complaint: when going over speed bumps, it bottoms out (tops out?) too easily on the downhill side of the bump.
The laser cruise control is very cool - it even applies the brakes to a limited extent.
The storage space is somewhat less than you might expect from a vehicle of this size and presence, but it's adequate for a foursome and their clubs or a ski trip for four (pretty much the uses I will put it to.) Infiniti doesn't yet have the retractable cargo cover in stock - in fact the dealer really didn't know anything about it; hopefully that will show up in a month or so.
The Intelligent Key system is very cool, but takes a little getting used to. It's hard to stop myself from reaching for my pocket as I approach the car. A feature of the system that they haven't really publicized is that the seat memories associate themselves with the remotes. So when I get in the car it adjusts itself to my settings automatically, and when my wife gets in, it adjusts itself to her settings.
Minor complaint: the front passenger seat is too low, and doesn't have an "up/down" adjustment like the one in driver's seat.
Back seats are very comfortable - the reclining backs eliminate the major complaint I have about the rear seating in most sport utes.
My first aftermarket purchase: wheel locks. The dealer had the wheels stolen off the first FY35 to arrive on their lot, the first night it was there. They put chrome wheels on it - it looked good, but I certainly don't want to have to make that investment!
The Nav system and electronics were intuitive, but to really take advantage of all the features it's definitely a good idea to read the manuals. They (the owner manual and the Nav system manual) aren't the size of the Manhattan phone directory, but they do take a while to wade through.
Attaching a couple of pix for your viewing enjoyment.
Rick