why ony 2 years on the original m and no 05' ????????

[Carlito]

just curious, the body style is clean and timeless. rarely do you see a redesign after only 2 years. i thought infiniti took a slight step back with the exterior in 06' everything else i think are great advances.

[odie]

There's plenty of Y34 owners on the board that share your same view; however, it would seem logical that the body style did not receive such popular acclaim from the masses which warranted an updated look coupled with the fact that the G series' aesthetics where a major success.

[ken in az]

You either love or "not like" the y34 as my girl puts it.

It's really a distinct body style that is very unique, but much like the Z31 84-89 300zx it get overshadowed by the Z32 90-96 model everytime. same thing applies here to the y34

[Carlito]

such popular acclaim from the masses which warranted an updated look coupled with the fact that the G series' aesthetics where a major success.

that makes a lot of sense, but infiniti must have been planning a redesign soon after the initial launch to turn the car around that quickly

[Mark Linkous]

The 2003-2004 M45 was the proverbial stopgap model. The replacement Fuga based M was well down the pipeline. With the G35 launched at the same time, a car starting in the 40's was a glaring hole in the line up. The 2003-2004 or Y34 M45 was based on the Nissan Cedric/Gloria, which was an Executive level car in Japan's Domestic Market manufactured until 2004. The Y34 looks almost identical to the Gloria. That is where most similarities end.

The Y34 M was the only V8 powered version ever made of this body. The Cedric/Gloria was only offered in 6 cylinder. AWD was available. Also, the Y34 shares most of it's interior with the 2002-2006 Q45. Namely the HVAC, Nav, secondary controls. The Cedric/Gloria has a totally different looking interior.It does again give thought to the car becoming collectible. With less than 9,000 imported, and it being a one off model... In 2004, less than 2000 were imported.Cheers,ML

[M45Caliber]

I gotta agree with the love it/hate it (looks) view point. I had a 2000 Q45 and recall seeing the 2003 M45 at the dealers, when I was in for service. I thought it looked "muscular" but decided $50K was more than I wanted to pay for a car. I like to buy them a year or two later and save about half.

So, I always kept my eye out for a nice M45, and stumbled on mine last year while in LA on a biz trip. 28K original miles and the back door stainless kick panels still had the blue plastic stuck to them -- the back seat had NEVER been used. Bought it on the spot (after haggling for 2 hours) and drove it home, with my return airline ticket still in my briefcase. Paid for it with a credit card and got my Marriott points too! Then paid off the card the following month, so I floated the purchase for about 50 days.

To me, the Y34 looks like a Japanese version of the Chrysler 300C - although it would have been CHrysler that copied the Japanese for once.

I still get looks and thumbs up, and I get asked quite often "What is that car?" Most people like it. It's different and doesn't look like most of the other "bar of soap" cars out there. It's Big, Bad, Bold and Bodacious.

My wife drives the soap bar car - the EX35 - but she loves it, and THATS all that matters, right?

[ken in az]

I still think you need the VB upgrade to enjoy it more though....could you imagine chirping the tires in that beast....

I like the Y34 but I would definitely need to make it a specialty purchase as a collector car as the Ms. would probably never drive it.

[Double E]

Mark L. did a very nice job on the explanation.

I like that old-skool refrence to the change in Z models too. That comparison to the 84-89 to the next gen Z provided a decent illiustration but (to split hairs) it was different then the M from gen1 to gen2.

The newer Z32 style represented a radical and new style and performance, pointing the car at new competition that the Z31 lost sight of in the first couple of years. It got heavy and slow with options no one cared much for and no serious performance upgrades were made from year to year. Though the displacement was the same from Z31 to Z32, it was certainly a different car given twin turbos, super HICAS and other goodies. That being said, I really thought the (25th?) anniversary edition Z31 was pretty cool....maybe I'm the only one.

Anyway, the M's change from gen 1 to 2 was a significant body style change, yes, but competition it was aimed at was the same, the first gen actually made MORE horsepower and the interior appointments were not a radical change just more options became available and in different "packages".

[CakeDaddy]

To me, the Y34 looks like a Japanese version of the Chrysler 300C - although it would have been CHrysler that copied the Japanese for once.

I still get looks and thumbs up, and I get asked quite often "What is that car?" Most people like it. It's different and doesn't look like most of the other "bar of soap" cars out there. It's Big, Bad, Bold and Bodacious.

My wife drives the soap bar car - the EX35 - but she loves it, and THATS all that matters, right?

I agree. I’m not the least bit impressed with what infiniti has done with the new M (2006-current) They created a hi-end Maxima in my opinion with the look and stance of the G35 and not to mention that it has the look of the Lex GS. I've mistaken the newer M's from the front for G35's and I've mistaken it from the rear for a Lex GS or Maxima. Overall it’s a nice car, but it lacks in looks and original style. I love the "Bar of Soap: expression. I get stares from current M owners at stop lights while the Lexus GS owners are rolling up their windows and turning their nose up as they spread their grey poupon mustard over saltine crackers & vienna sausages. lol

[lawman12]

I agree. I’m not the least bit impressed with what infiniti has done with the new M (2006-current) They created a hi-end Maxima in my opinion with the look and stance of the G35 and not to mention that it has the look of the Lex GS. I've mistaken the newer M's from the front for G35's and I've mistaken it from the rear for a Lex GS or Maxima. Overall it’s a nice car, but it lacks in looks and original style. I love the "Bar of Soap: expression. I get stares from current M owners at stop lights while the Lexus GS owners are rolling up their windows and turning their nose up as they spread their grey poupon mustard over saltine crackers & vienna sausages. lol

wow thanks....hehehehe I just have a high end max...

I really like the Y34, its a solid looking car, very unique and sleek, I get to see one every day. When you see one on the road at night the tails look sweet as well.

The Y34 was in its 10th production generation from the late 80s and was due for a "new' face lift... for whatever reason, nissan decided to intro the Y34 towards the end of its production line to the US... but it was around in Japan for years prior...

I think that is a cool thing for Y34 owners

[CakeDaddy]

wow thanks....hehehehe I just have a high end max...

yeah.. its just my opinion thats all. Please do not take it the wrong way, but yes.. I wish Infiniti had done a better job with the new M's. Decreasing the HP was just wrong and ill minded on their part. I must say that I am a little envious of the keyless entry and start and some of the electronics. I've driven the newer M45's to see if I could sike myself into liking it , but once I stepped out and look at it (even with sport pkg)....no can do. I have to admit that the newer M45's would out perform mine on a true race track because of all the turns, but since I only drive North/South & East/West....... I'm good with this straight line hammer of a car.
Modified by CakeDaddy at 2:46 PM 2/13/2009

[lawman12]

yeah.. its just my opinion thats all. Please do not take it the wrong way, but yes.. I wish Infiniti had done a better job with the new M's. Decreasing the HP was just wrong and ill minded on their part. I must say that I am a little envious of the keyless entry and start and some of the electronics.

its all good cake...no harm done at all. I personally don't feel like I have a Max and there is really nothing wrong with the Max. Like I said man, I like the Y34 styling and know its not for everyone.

keyless, room in drivers seat, rear camera, BT, room in back, head room, projector headlights are some of the little things I prefer vs. the Y34.

[Mark Linkous]

Hello,Cake, I am pretty sure the H.P figures are unchanged. It is just new testing procedures were enacted which caused many cars to drop their published ratings greatly. For instance, Acura's 2nd generation TL was originally rated at 270 horsepower. After the SAE new tests, 258.

Here is a story about it: http://www.autoblog.com/2006/0...r-hor/Cheers,ML

[fiveliterbeater]

Decreasing the HP was just wrong and ill minded on their part. Modified by CakeDaddy at 2:46 PM 2/13/2009

i'm not trying to start something here but i'm with Mark L about the HP numbers. I've only gotten confirmation from one Infinity dealership (i plan on inquiring some more) but starting in 06, the methods to measure HP numbers in most vehicles has changed. our motors produce the same amount of HP as the 03-04 M45's, minus the oil consumtion problem.

[szh]

Yes, the actual engine did not change much at all. There was probably a tiny drop in HP due to some changes in the programming perhaps, for changes in emission control, but most of the difference is due to the redefinition of the meaurement method.

Z

[CakeDaddy]

i'm not trying to start something here but i'm with Mark L about the HP numbers. I've only gotten confirmation from one Infinity dealership (i plan on inquiring some more) but starting in 06, the methods to measure HP numbers in most vehicles has changed. our motors produce the same amount of HP as the 03-04 M45's, minus the oil consumtion problem.

alright... Sorry my man you are wrong and so is that "Infinity" dealership that is feeding you that BS. The 03-04 M's have 340HP and the 06-08 M45's have 335... the brochures dont lie. Its a measly 5Hp we are debating, but the fact dont lie. I dont care how you measure 5Hp... its still going to be 5 regardless of how you measure it. I've used different tools to measure my feet when I buy shoes and results are always the same..... size 13.

Infiniti could have easily squashed this by adding 25 more horses in the newer M's. Sticking to the same HP numbers or not adding more to a new platform is........ . Infiniti had an entire year (2005) to figure this out and this is the best they could do in terms of HP.

My point is simple. Take a look at Lex,Mercedes,BMW, etc... Once these mfg's release their new platforms they all increased in HP. Infiniti pulled backed! Infiniti may want to consider stepping their game up or they'll be left behind building under powered cars like Acura.

Oh... and 2009 M45 has only 325HP according to Infiniti.com. That is a loss of 15hp from the 03-04 models.
Modified by CakeDaddy at 9:49 AM 2/15/2009