Archive for the ‘Infiniti’ Category

The luxury division of Nissan lead to the production cleaner and more efficient model in its history. The Infiniti M35 Hybrid will combine a spectacular 3.5-liter V6 engine with an electric thruster. It goes on sale in 2011.

The Infiniti M35 Hybrid will have a new hybrid propulsion system, developed exclusively inside the Japanese group, and comprising an electric motor and a set of two clutches. The first one is located between the heat engine, a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6, and the electric thruster. The result is that all components are operating on a single shaft to the rear differential.

The electric motor Hybrid Infiniti M35 has a double function: to complement and add extra power to the V6 engine in the “Power Assist” when maximum acceleration is required, and to act as a generator. In addition to recharge the batteries of conventional form, is also capable of recovering the energy generated from deceleration and braking phases. The Infiniti M35 Hybrid can move only in electric mode under certain conditions. We sense that only at low speed in urban environments.

The Infiniti M35 Hybrid will also introduce new technologies such as a battery pack “rolled” lithium-ion. The Japanese manufacturer says that occupy the same space as conventional, but offer twice the power for its better cooling.

For the moment, little more information you provide for your Infiniti M35 Hybrid. As we have said, will arrive in spring 2011 to complete the range of renewed M sedan.

In ritzy Palm Springs on one recent sunny morning, most of the motorized machines backing up at a slow-to-switch traffic signal along palm-fringed Palm Canyon Drive seem coincidentally to consist of some variation of the boxy and brutish sport-utility vehicle.

An exception to all of that squared-off sheetmetal and so many high-hiking roof rails comes from the elegant curves and slinking posture of a new type of sport-ute tucking into the line of traffic and sporting the badge of Infiniti, the spin-up brand of luxury and performance cars out of Nissan of Japan.

Stretching excessively long and decorated with a raked face flashing streaking headlamp clusters on front corners plus curvaceous fender blisters bulging over enormous multi-spoke alloy wheels, the new Infiniti wagon looks different from the lot of right-angled and too-tall SUVs. Read the rest of this entry »

The narrow path of California 12 through Napa Valley, draped like black ribbon over rolling hills covered by grape-laden vineyards, provides only sporadic spots for passing the sluggish traffic of wine-tasting tourists clogging this route.

When one of those rare moments arrives — no yellow line on the pavement prohibiting a pass, no hilltop blocking a view down the road and no vehicles approaching — you must act quickly to take the pass.

“Punch it,” a passenger suggests.
And we do.

What happens next amounts to powertrain magic because our large and luxurious sedan — the new M45 by Infiniti, spin-up brand of luxury and performance cars from Nissan of Japan — rockets through the passing lane. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a genuine GT sports coupe, keen in shape and as slick as glass, with two doors on the flanks of a snug 2+2 cockpit and a high-powered engine below the stubby prow pushing all kinds of torque to the big wheels in back.

Infiniti, the high-tech brand spinning up from Nissan of Japan, constructs this new sports coupe and calls it the G35 — same name as a new mid-size four-door Infiniti sedan.

Both coupe and sedan share a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) chassis and the juicy six-pack engine borrowed from Nissan’s hot Maxima flagship.

That’s also the same powertrain and platform — called FM, for Front Midship, which describes the motor’s position on the chassis — for Nissan’s no-nonsense 350Z fastback sports coupe that looks similar in shape and style.

However, Infiniti’s coupe measures a bit longer and taller than the Z car and it carries a two-place fold-down rear seat in the cabin. Read the rest of this entry »

Engineers Road, a trickle of narrow pavement heading off California 79 at Lake Cuyamaca in the Laguna Mountains east of San Diego, scales a flank of North Peak before descending through one hairpin kink after another into an isolated valley that leads toward Julian.

We’re following this seldom-traveled trace as it wraps, wiggles and drops into the valley of Boulder Creek while pushing the pace and running revs up to red in a spirited new premium sports sedan from Infiniti, the spin-up brand of luxury and performance cars from Nissan of Japan.

Badged as the G35, this sleek vehicle measures to mid-size dimensions off a stiff new rear-wheel-drive platform outfitted with a sport-tuned suspension and strong muscle developed through a big six-cylinder engine borrowed from Nissan’s hot flagship, Maxima. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s no question that the fastest route to Rome, heading south down the peninsular boot of Italy, happens to be the A1 freeway — the autostrada primo, as Italians call it — which follows the Tiber River into the ancient capital.

It’s a smooth road of multiple lanes with attentive drivers and relaxed speed limits that combine to move the traffic at an excessive clip.

Still, intense muscle stemming from a prototype issue of the Q45, a stunning new treatment of the prime luxury sedan from Infiniti of Japan, propels this powerful car to the lead in the A1 fast lane.

The needle of this Q’s speedometer in a crisp electroluminescent display easily surpasses the mark of 220 kilometers per hour (about 136 mph) for extended periods, yet even more juice remains in the accelerator. Read the rest of this entry »

This is what everyone has in mind when they buy asport ute, and their mind is filled with visions of comfortably and securely navigating snow covered back roads, while on the way to fun and frolic. However, they spend most of their time in suburban commuting, and there most of their gripes and shortcomings surface.

I personally have always liked Nissan’s sport utes, even better than most of the competition. When the Pathfinder was introduced I was immediately taken with the smooth and powerful engine and stable suspension. Just looking at it from the rear gives a good feeling of competence. Note how many sport utes look tall and tipsy, while the low wide profile and generous track makes the Pathfinder, and now its luxury cousin the QX4, look solid, which they are. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a chance the Infiniti QX56 will not go down in history as the best-looking vehicle from the big sport utility era. Even with its 2008 audit, it looks almost as awkward as its name sounds, but it does all the things a large SUV should.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Infiniti M35 and the more powerful M45 challenge the luxury cars from Europe. The Infiniti M models successfully blend aggression and sophistication for stylish visual flair. Their rosewood-trimmed interiors are luxurious, with comfortable seats and a full array of standard safety equipment. All the requisite luxury accoutrements are there, including keyless push-button starting. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2008 Infiniti EX35 is a new crossover SUV slightly smaller than the Infiniti FX and is aimed more at luxury than sportiness. That does not mean it’s not Sporty, but it is not as Sporty as Infiniti’s sports sedan or some of BMW’s crossovers. The EX35 drives like a sports sedan and has the room of a small SUV, and that’s what most people want.  Read the rest of this entry »