Infiniti Sucks!*

Infiniti - an Infinite Nightmare?

Caution: Don't Buy this Car

by Paul Barrett

"The QX56 squeaked and shimmied like a flock of teenage girls at a Leonardo Di Caprio movie." A recent Motor Trend review

For a company that has such a poor image you would think they would just give up. Instead they keep changing and adding models like they were underwear. This has been a loosing line and may continue in that direction. We believe their current efforts are a matter of : too little, too late.

Perhaps the problem Infiniti faces is the fact that its parent company, Nissan is limping in third place when compared to the Japanese market leaders Honda and Toyota. It only stands to reason that if Nissan is consistently beaten by Honda and Toyota, that Nissan's Infiniti brand would also be beaten.

The Infiniti line seems to be plagued with the following:

• Overpaying -- If you don't get a massive discount, invoice pricing or below, you are overpaying for the car.
• Style problems -- Infiniti was never a style winner. Company seems confused and suffering from identity problem.
• Not enough difference between the Nissan and Infiniti line. Buy the Nissan and save money.
• Lacks prestige and distinction. When placed head to head with competition, the Infiniti loses out. Loses the Lexus challenge.
• It's too often thought of as a Lexus wanna-be.
• Major concern with resale values.
• Too much cheap horsepower without the structural integrity to control it.

QX56 -- This is the large Infiniti SUV. Motor Trend magazine recently compared the QX to the Range Rover HSE, the Lexus 470, and the Lincoln Navigator. The Infiniti lost! The following are a few comments made by the test drivers:

"The QX56 squeaked and shimmied like a flock of teenage girls at a Leonardo Di Caprio movie."

"Rattles and shakes over dirt mercilessly ... "

"... unimpressive structural integrity."

"There's a terrible creak coming from somewhere in the back."

G35 -- In our opinion, it's the only Infiniti worth looking at. But then again why bother? It's just a revamped Nissan. Value wise you would be better off with a Nissan Maxima or the Nissan Z car. The G35 is an overpriced vehicle with a sticker marked near $30,000. Unfortunately, for Infiniti, the BMW 3 series easily beats it for performance and handling.

The G35 came too late to make an impact on the worth of the Infiniti line. On top of that, the car is not a significant enough vehicle to span the luxury gap that plagues Infiniti. From a sport luxury point of view, given the intense competition in this area, the G35 is not a threatening or serious contender.

What exactly is the G35 trying to be? It is basically a Nissan Maxima or a Nissan Z car. So why pay more? The Z is less money and will give you a level of performance satisfaction. Compared to the Infiniti it's a bargain.

Still I ask the question what is the G35 trying to be? It's too small and lacks the comfortable drive to be a luxury car. Is it an image car that tells the world you arrived? Sorry, buy a Jaguar, Mercedes or a Lexus and a dozen others would be a better choice. Is it a sports/performance car? Not really.

I believe the G35 is a car that lacks performance. If you want a fast car buy the Mustang. The Mustang SVT Cobra will literally blow the doors off the G35. The Mustang will go from zero to 60 in 4.8 seconds! Even the Chrysler 300c with a Hemi will leave the G35 in the dust. If you want sports car performance and handling go for the BMW 3.0L. The point is there are too many great cars to settle for a lesser vehicle.

I30 -- The key word: Boring. A deadpan car that lacks styling and prestige. I would not be surprised if this vehicle is cut from the Infiniti line much like the J30.

SUV -- The previous Infiniti SUV was basically a Nissan Pathfinder. The new Infiniti FX35 is a Nissan Murano. And the QX56 is a loser.

Q45 - This is the epitome of ridiculous. With an insane sticker price, we wonder who would be foolish enough to buy a car that lacks styling and prestige. This vehicle is priced at over $60,000 -- at that price you can buy anything. Do we even have to list all the great cars in this price range? Why not go for the best? Totally crazy -- poor resale.

The Infiniti brand seems to lacks direction and purpose.

There are countless better Choices including: Lexus, Audi, Acura, BMW, Jaguar, Lincoln, Cadilac, and Mercedes.

* It is my opinion, after comparing this car to the competition, driving the car for expended periods, evaluating the cost compared to alternatives, that Infiniti literally sucks.