LexFather

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Hypnotik

The EX is supposed to be marketed below the FX. Currently it has very close dimensions to the FX. It only makes sense that the next gen FX get slightly bigger.

Iceman

This looks like another good competitor in the cute-ute/crossover/big wagon category. Infiniti has indeed come a long way in terms of their interiors (at least what we can tell in pictures), although they still appear to need to work on the ergonomics.

I suspect most of them sold will be bare-bones at the lower end of the price scale, which even the review admits is hardly "luxurious". Then when you option it out, I fear it will price itself out of contention against the X3 and absolutely the RDX.

TRDFantasy

The interior looks great, styling isn't to my taste, and I find it odd that this is targeted at women considering the hard-edged performance this thing has. Also, half the cargo space of an X3? That would be a deal-breaker for me.

It's a good vehicle, but I'm not sure what exact purpose it serves; it's more performance than utility and it's marketed towards females.

Unless the next-gen FX gets significantly bigger and becomes more differentiated, the EX will be redundant in Infiniti's lineup.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Looks too small to me - basically a G35 wagon.

nthach

I wouldn't mine driving an RX, it does fit into my lifestyle better than an LS. That EX has a really nice interior, but why can't they ditch the clock or do what Mercedes did on the W221 S-Class and integrate it into the interior?

Iceman

That analog clock is an Infiniti "signature", as silly and anachronistic as it is. If they ever stop putting them in, the faithful will cry foul.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

One of the main drawbacks for the RDX is the engine. I'd rather they stuff their usual v6 in there than the turbo 4 (although I have to admit the engine does pull pretty well).

As far as the EX goes, I might just give it a testdrive

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I like it.
It's actually a good alternative (for other subjective reasons) to these other small "luxury" crossovers:

RX
X3
RDX

tex2670

Are there really a "faithful" following for Infiniti? I always just saw it as the well built, bang for your buck alternative to [FILL IN THE BLANK]. There will be complaints if they remove the analog clock, but it won't change anything about the cars they build--it won't be like BMW removing the "kidney" grill.

EZZ

Go to an Infiniti dealership and ask for a "bare bones" G35 / G37 / or M35. VERY FEW of them will have one because 75% of the cars on the lot have the premium package at a minimum. If the MSRP for a bare bones is $33k, you will see well equipped ones for $37k (MSRP). It will probably SMOKE the RDX and X3 since its using the latest VQHR.

DrUnBiased

I have a feeling the EX will smoke the Acura and BMW in pretty much EVERY category. I love the fact that even though the car is small, Infiniti didn't hesitate to pack it with tons of luxury. Options like upgradeable leather, power folding rear-seats and birds-eye cam are really going to set this car apart and ahead of the competition. I hope Infiniti continues with this direction with all their current and future cars in the line-up.

Hypnotik

Infiniti products seem to be getting better and better with each newly released model. Their efforts are definitely noticeable

speedflex

Here's a review from AutoCar

Infiniti EX35


What is it?

This is the new Infiniti EX35, about to be launched in the US (where we're driving it), and coming to Europe in the last quarter of 2008.

Infiniti's one of the new breed of Japanese premium brands, only one of which will be familiar to Brits. That's Lexus (owned by Toyota), but in the states they also get Acura (Honda) and Infiniti (Nissan).

If you’ve been to the US, or spotted one of the few personal imports in the UK, you might be familiar with Infiniti’s current work, most notably the X5-sized and assertively styled FX45 and the G35 coupé, a plusher, roomier 350Z.

The EX35 shares the same platform with both but is visibly smaller than the FX (some 173mm in length and 79mm in height). Think of it as an X3-sized and priced SUV, but styled, Infiniti says, as a coupé crossover.

What's it like?

In the inevitable freeway traffic the EX35 is a fine place to sit. Infiniti has followed the Japanese tradition of not holding back on the toys – including parking cameras that stitch together a 360-degree view – but has incorporated these with more style than its Far Eastern counterparts.

It’s still a different experience from the Germanic efficiency displayed in a BMW or Audi cabin, but less fussy than, say, a Lexus.

This is still a pre-production car – European models will get different grain leather and slightly different buttons – but on this evidence fit and finish are clearly up to scratch, and in dark leather with dark wood or aluminium the EX looks sophisticated.

The front packaging will cater for most shapes, but rear legroom is tight if you’re sitting behind a long-legged front passenger.

Before long the EX35’s DNA starts to show through; it’s more muted, but it’s easy to recognise the deep-chested howl under full throttle. The 3.5-litre V6 is the same engine that powers the 350Z and Murano, here producing 293bhp. In volume and tone it sits somewhere between the two other installations, and unlike the Murano the EX has a conventional automatic gearbox (five speeds here, but potentially with six or more by the time the EX arrives in Europe).

At launch this will be the only engine available, with a diesel, developed with Renault, following in ’09. Unlike US versions, of which both rear-drive and four-wheel-drive versions are available, European cars will all be four-wheel drive.

Ecological considerations aside, the combination of gutsy V6 and slick auto ’box is an effective tool for stop-start traffic. The smooth step-off and linear throttle progression make the EX an easy car to drive, but it has enough in reserve to deal assertively with intersections.

Joining the iconic Pacific Coast Highway and upping the pace to a heady 55mph reveals the EX to be a competent cruiser: quiet, comfortable and relaxed. And yet with every mile the EX feels more similar not to the Murano (as perhaps expected) but to Nissan’s smaller hatch/SUV crossover, the Qashqai.

Infiniti might not take kindly to such comparison, but it should; it’s meant entirely as a compliment. There’s the same precision and natural weighting to the controls, a well judged balance between ease of driving and accuracy of response that’s evidence of real thoroughness in Infiniti’s engineering.

The EX copes well with the occasionally poorly surfaced roads, and turns with surprising eagerness in more challenging bends. It’s not quite X3-like in its absence of body roll (although why anyone would want an SUV as firm as the X3 is a question we’ve yet to answer), but it’s the EX that offers the more compliant ride and the more accurate steering.

As it stands, the EX’s dynamics are impressive – if anything it needs slightly tauter rebound damping – but before the car is launched in Europe the chassis engineers at Nissan’s Cranfield technical centre will give it the once-over to fine-tune the suspension for the UK.

Should I buy one?

The EX35 is fast when it needs to be, but most of the time it is simply a comfortable, refined and upmarket car, just one sporting the current fashion in SUV attire.

It fits in well in the US. Only time will tell if Infiniti has sufficient allure in Europe, but the EX35 gets everything right as a product. If the pricing is right, it ought to do well.

Jamie Corstorphine

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/...s-EX35/228869/

Iceman

Don't know about the X3, but given the 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds from one of the reviews above that gives it exactly the same straight-line acceleration as the RDX. Not that barn-busting performance should be the decider in this segment, but people always compare, don't they?