The 2008 Infiniti EX35 is a premium crossover vehicle with the utility of the FX35 SUV and the performance of the G35 sedan. If you consider yourself an “active single,” one-half of a young couple or an “empty nester,” Infiniti designed the EX35 for you. Based on surveys and interviews, Infiniti believes the EX35 is the right size, has the right amount of luxury and offers a level of performance you haven’t experienced yet.

Built by a company devoted to style, the new Infiniti EX35 embodies plenty of it, evidenced by an arching, coupe-like roofline, a double-arch grille, L-shaped headlamps and aggressive proportions highlighted by a long hood, short overhangs and a rearward cabin.

One way to look at the EX35 is to compare it to the G35 and see how Infiniti altered the definition. First, you’ll notice the “35s” have a lot in common: Both come in either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and both use the same five-speed automatic transmission and 3.5-liter V6 engine. However, at 297 hp and 253 lb/ft of torque, the EX35 has nine fewer horses and 15 less lb/ft of torque. The two vehicles have similar suspensions - independent double wishbones with anti-roll bars in the front and multi-link setups with anti-roll bars at the rear. Finally, they both have power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and power-assisted antilock disc brakes. They are even about the same size, the EX35 being around five inches shorter than the G35, about an inch wider and around four inches taller.

So where’s the difference? It’s inside where the EX35 provides luxury appointments – for a couple or a young family, people who are on their way up and want you to know it or for an older couple who are done raising the kids and now want to raise…well, you get the picture!

That’s why the EX35 has more utility room. It will carry three kids or a load of adult toys with ease. With both rows of seats in place, the EX35 has 16.8 cubic feet of space, compared with the 13.5 cubic feet available in the sedan. Push a button, and the second-row power-folding seats will disappear significantly to expand the available cargo space.

That’s why you can really doll up your EX35 with posh leather upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel, electroluminescent gauges, Infiniti’s signature “double wave” instrument panel, and optional wood trim on the center console, center stack and door panels.

That’s why the EX35 is packed with “gee-whiz” techno goodies. For example, there is Infiniti’s Scratch Shield paint. If a minor scratch appears on the clearcoat, the surface can “heal” itself within days, thanks to a highly elastic resin that spreads over the scratch when subjected to heat such as the vehicle would experience in a car wash or on a warm day. Inside, the driver uses an “around-view” mirror. Front-, side- and rear-mounted cameras monitor vehicle surroundings and flash their findings on the navigation screen to let the driver know if there is anything in the vehicle’s way during parking maneuvers. In other words, you can “see” all around the EX35. It’s a safety item and a cool new talking point, too. The EX35 also features an advanced version of Infiniti’s Lane-Departure Warning System. Instead of simply giving the driver audible notice that the car has wandered out of its lane, the updated system employs the vehicle’s stability control system to gently nudge the vehicle back toward its proper position.

Add it up, and you have a luxurious cabin, cutting-edge technology, the utility of a compact SUV and the driving dynamics of an Infiniti G35 sport sedan. That’s a pretty potent combination. What’s more, the EX35 really delivers. It’s fast, agile, corners very well and is sporty. The five-speed automatic has a manual shift mode with a sport setting that matches engine and transmission speeds during downshifts. You’ll hear it “blip” the throttle just like a racecar driver! The EX35, in addition to its available Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split (ATTESA E-TS) all-wheel drive, is the only entry in its segment to offer rear drive. Plus, the all-wheel drive system carries no penalty on clear, dry roads since it is tuned and programmed to favor rear-wheel drive, the preferred sport driving setup.

Infiniti hasn’t skimped on safety features in the EX35. There are six standard airbags, including a roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbag system. Infiniti’s Traction Control System (TCS), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and ABS with brakeforce distribution are standard on the new EX35. To simplify infant and child seat installation, the LATCH system is built into the rear outboard seating positions on all models.

Infiniti has announced that its new 2008 EX35 luxury crossover starts at an MSRP of $32,015. Four models, two with all-wheel drive, will be available with the most expensive base model of the highest trim, all-wheel drive version coming in at $36,965.