It's an intriguing combination: a car famous in America but almost unheard of in the UK sold by a Lebanese company from an archetypal Japanese showroom under the corporate noses of its main German rival. And note the singular: at present there is only one showroom: located in the M4 corridor at Reading.
But for the time being, one is enough. When, once a year, an owner of one of these unique cars requires it to be serviced, a single 'phone call to a well-spoken young man (or woman) in Berkshire will be sufficient. Provided the owner lives within 150 miles of the showroom, the car will be collected and returned, gratis. Of course, the service must be paid for but the rest is free.
Welcome to the world of Infiniti, which to Nissan is what Lexus is to Toyota, only with added aplomb.
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a sort of SUV-cum-sportscar |
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Among the right-hand drive Infiniti line-up, all models of which were new to the UK in November 2009, is the FX - a sort of SUV-cum-sportscar that rivals the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, and BMW X6. And whereas its rivals are fond of the word 'option', Infiniti prefers the word 'standard'.
Take, for example, the range-topping FX50S, which is stickered at £53,800. Although the BMW X6 50i is £25 cheaper, by the time you add all the 'options' that are 'standard' on the Infiniti, the BMW works out at £61,275 - and that doesn't include 21-inch wheels, which are standard on the Infiniti.
But I didn't test the FX50S: instead I drove the mid-range FX37S, which also has 21-inch wheels, but a mere V6 rather than the V8 used in the 50S. I say mere V6, but with 320 PS and a peak torque of 260 Nm, the engine will outgun that of many a so-called sportscar: 0-62 takes a meagre 6.8 seconds, en-route to a maximum of 149 mph.
The peak torque of the 3.7-litre engine occurs at 5200 rpm, which is high by today's standards, but the presence of a seven-speed auto' transmission tends to compensate for the absence of any notable low-speed torque, and the overall effect is one of seamless thrust with scarcely detectable gear-changes. Seventh gear is a lengthy overdrive ratio, which, at motorway speeds, helps to keep the engine revs down to a less thirsty level. Even so, the combined fuel consumption of the FX37S is just 23.8 mpg. That equates to a CO2 rating of 282 g/km, or VED Band M, at £405 per annum.
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