Hello everyone-

To make a long story short, my 08' M35 is no longer with me and I am now in the market for a car again.
Naturally, I am trying very hard to find another M/Q70 however there are a couple of things I am not sure about.

Does anyone know:

1. I know Forest Air was discontinued when the refresh for 2015 was done, but I see that some people still use the cabin filters for the system to get a similar effect.
I read somewhere that the Polyphenol filter is scented in addition to doing a better job of cleaning, but I also read that US spec cars do not have the scented component. Does anyone know if this is true? I do not really want an a/c system that turns into a perfume.

2. What about the activated charcoal filter?

3. Mechanically, was anything changed for the 2015 refresh? I have seen mixed information on this.

4. Will pre-refreshed models have the capability to stop the car in an emergency situation?

5. What is everyone's opinion of 4 wheel active steer, the sport package, and the 5.6 engine upgrade? Worth it?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

I am on the fence regarding 5.6 Vs 3.7 engines. The gas mileage is only 1-2 mpg less for a VERY noticeable increase in power. However, the 5.6 engines burn oil to different degrees. Long as you monitor and maintain proper oil levels, I reckon it's no big deal, but I can't be bothered to keep adding oil between changes. Beginning with the 2011 refresh, the dimensions of the car were shrunk by a few inches in width and length and they no longer have our sporty side mirrors - changing to larger square mirrors. They also dropped the sliding adjustable armrests up front, tilting headrests, dual sun visors, and the flash drive that will cause me to lose about 1,000 music tracks when I upgrade. The newer curvy side view resembles Mazda and other makers. The front end is still unique, brilliantly aggressive, and much improved over the 2008-2010 M's but the rear end still looks like many other brands.
On the plus side, the newer generations can still get NAV updates (our generation cannot). As for 4-wheel steer, I like the idea but that isn't available without either AWD or Sport options (maybe both) and I won't give up the feel and handling that only RWD can provide. In South Florida, AWD is not at all needed. The small improvement on dry and wet roads is not worth the increased cost to maintain and repair those systems.
If I were to buy another Infiniti sedan, I would only consider the Q70 L model. The slightly longer sides help diminish the old man curves along the side that negates the aggressive, muscular front end. The L model also gets back to the older, larger interior.

@Larz-

Thank you for the details, and yes I was aware of the change overs between the two generations (M35/M45 from 06-10 VS M37/M56/Q70 2011-). I was mainly talking about the details that Infiniti changed when they refreshed the M/Q70 for 2015.
And yes, those extra features that they discontinued will be missed, but I am thinking I will deal in order to get the latest technology.

In terms of oil burning for the 5.6, do you know how severe it is or if there is any sort of a fix? I know the VQ35DE's in the 06-08 models often had bad valve cover gaskets to blame but replacing them took care of the issue for the most part. But I agree, adding oil in between changes is not something I want to have to deal with.

With 4 wheel steering, it is my understanding that it is only available on RWD models from 2011-2014 with the sport package, and that it cannot be had on AWD models.

I like the extra room of the L, but appearances aside, it felt kind of under powered with the 3.7. If I was to get an L, I would likely want a 5.6 but because it is just me I do not think that the L is really necessary.

You know, I think you're right about the 4 wheel steer only on RWD. Sorry about that! Since it's just me and the lovely misses, we don't need the L version either, but I would pay the little extra just to improve the appearance from the side, LOL. As for the V8 oil issues, I do not recall any member reporting that it caused any major damages if the oil level is maintained between changes and from posts, it seems to work out to an extra quart (or less) between changes. Hopefully, members who actually HAVE the 5.6 will respond with more accurate details.
In general, I reckon the oil burn can be somewhat delayed or reduced by not beating the crap out of the engine with racing and burnouts, etc. I would not let the small reduction in MPG keep me from having the V8. We all see the current trend: many V8s will soon go away so this may be a good opportunity to have that kind of power without using a smaller engine tweaked with turbos and 'engineering' that keeps the little engine under such high stress with the extra parts that will cost a fortune when they break. Hmmm, I think I just talked myself into wanting the 5.6, LOL.

I made the move from a 2007 M35x to a 2015 Q70 3.7 AWD in Hermosa Blue about six months ago. I really love the car and get lots of compliments on the looks of it. We just returned from a trip to the Oregon coast with my 6'2" son and he had no complaints about leg room in the back seat. I looked at an L and honestly didn't want it as I thought it looked too long. The Q70 without the L is a longer car than the M35x, at least feels so in the garage. The exterior lighting is so much better, especially the LED headlights and DRLs. The most useful new feature is the 360 degree camera system. I use it all of the time when parking, etc as it makes parking so much easier. The outside mirrors automatically dim at night like the inside mirror. The overall ride is both smoother and quieter, but it is not a quiet car like a Lexus. My mileage went from an average of 18.9 to 22.4 mpg, and I drive fairly aggressively and the car feels much more powerful and is great in Sport mode. I miss all of the things that Larz described above. The other one I miss is the compass in the mirror. Living in the Northwest and surrounded by tall trees, it is easy to lose your sense of direction. I don't have all of the options you're asking about. I have the base car with the premium package which adds what I needed and wanted. Since getting it, I've upgraded the muffler system to the Infiniti Sport mufflers, and replaced the 18" wheels and Michelin Primacy tires with the sport 20" wheels with Michelin Pilot A/S 3 Plus. Those upgrades are worth every penny - especially the way the car now handles and sounds. If you can find one, I would get the Sport package.

Having said all of that, I drove a QX80 for a week with every option available and wished I had the auto braking, auto cruise control, etc. While I don't need them, I really liked them and wished I had them. The only thing I didn't like was the lane control stuff - felt too nanny like.

I hope you can find the car you want - they're difficult to find used in our area. The only place that had them was CarMax.

Below is the chart showing the changes in dimensions of the M to Q class Infiniti. Originally, Infiniti was primarily aimed at US buyers so it had a more generous interior to out-size BMW, Audi, and Mercedes. Later, Infiniti also decided to promote themselves in Europe, so at the advent of the 37/56 models, the car was shrunk to be a more 'euro-friendly'' size, losing about 4 cubic ft of space inside, but still generous enough to impress US drivers. If this is accurate, the Q70 actually DID gain back some of the size lost on the M37/M56 models.

................M35 / M45....M37 / M56.....Q70.......Q70L
F leg room.......45.3..........43.3 .........44.4 ......48.7
F hip room.......55.1......... 53.3 .........54.3.......54.3
F head room.....40.1..........39.1..........39.1.......39.1
R leg room.......38.3..........36.1..........36.1.......42.8
R hip room.......54.9..........52.5..........53.5.......53.5
R head room ....39.6..........38.1..........38.1.......38.1
INT Cubic Ft....106.8.........102.6........103.6......111.5
Length...........194.6.........193.1....... 196.1......202.8
Width ............73.6...........70.8.........71.6........71.6

I have/had a G37xS daughters car now, it had the 3.7 and I really loved that motor, it holds it own with a lot of cars with V8's. That being said i have a 13 M56xS with every available option. The power in the 5.6 is not even in the same ballpark with the 3.7. The power and torque is amazing and it keeps pulling. As far as oil consumption I could maybe add a 1/2 qt to 1qt but I never really do add any. Full sync with either motor choice and if you're buying used so all the fluids for piece of mind.

The tech pack is nice but I hate the auto wipers, mind of their own and I can't find a way to turn that system off, the lane departure etc I absolutely love, saved my a** a lot. That being said if your doing spirited driveing it needs to be turned off.AWD is amazing and with great snow tires you are king of the road.

I really was bummed out that the X didn't have 4was but now with reading all the issues I have read in so glad that it doesn't.

The sport offers paddle shifting which is fun but the brakes are what I like the most, stops on a dime.

I also have the forest air and can't ever get solid advice about the system. The Infiniti dealer I purchased the car from, Chicago, put in some sent somewhere and it worked great till it went away. I just installed the charcoal cabin filter and man was the filter that was in the car totally clogged. The system works so much better.

Good luck
I love the 5.6 and say it's definitely worth it.
Tried to get the car I really wanted instead of settleing for something else. So it and do it right

Andy

Auto wipers are not part of the tech package. Can't figure out how to turn them off? Hmm there is an "off" setting lol.

Forest air does not come with scent in the US. There was a long thread where a guy tried getting the scent cartidges and metering devices from a Japan spec Fuga but still could not get it to cooperate with our US systems.

Forest air does use a grape pheynol filter instead of charcoal. Does the same thing as far as eliminating odors. NO it is not grape scented.

to the original poster...

I believe the 4 wheel steering is only on RWD cars, if so are you considering a RWD? if Yes, I would suggest looking at a hybrid model as well. You get good MPGs for the size of the vehicle and power right in between M37 and M56. When I got mine, I looked at all 3 and ended up with a hybrid, no regrets whatsoever. Although... might be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

i hope this auto wiper crisis is solved and nothing this terrible ever happens again.

The wipers-specific discussion has been moved to a dedicated topic - LINK