INFINITI FX 50S Review

Since we already gave some praise to the highly comfortable seats, in this chapter we should mainly talk about the Infiniti FX 50S's suspension and acoustic comfort. Unlike the first generation, which was using a front strut-type suspension, the one we tested was depending on a double-wishbone (multi-link) suspension for the front wheels.

This translates into more suspension travel, which in turn maximizes both comfort and handling. On top of that, our car was also fitted with electronically controlled dampers, that have two ride settings. In "Normal" mode, the dampers absorb and almost give a wafting feeling on rougher roads, although the 21-inch wheels with low-profile tires don't let this system give its best on paved streets, making the ride feel a bit jittery some times.

On the other hand, the "Sport" mode "hardens" the dampers and minimizes suspension travel, improving handling but downgrading the comfort levels over bumps. On the whole, the FX 50S drives more like a very large and heavy sports car than a "shored whale" everyday SUV.

As far as the comfort creatures fitted on the car, our senses were treated with a premium Bose audio system, whose subwoofer is fitted in... wait for it... the interior of the spare wheel under the luggage compartment. As almost any other car on this price range (a bit over 70,000 Euros as tested), our car was fitted with a dual zone climate control system, five-stage heated and cooled front seats and "electronic everything".

A nice surprise for the driver's seat was the electrically-adjustable side cushioning for both the thorax and the tooshie regions, while the rear passenger's benefited from the Infiniti trademarked individually adjustable backrest angle, allowing them to feel like in a first-class airplane. On the whole, the Infiniti FX 50S, though sportier than you'd imagine, is a pretty comfortable vehicle.

If we were to talk in detail about all the technical solutions crammed into the Infiniti FX 50S we drove we would probably need a couple of chapters more. Let's just say that as far as the juicy technical bits go, this is one fine automobile.

The 5.0-liter V8 is pretty old-school when it comes to ways of achieving its class-leading (for this type of engine) power and torque figures. No less than 390 horsepower and 500 Nm (368.8 lb ft) of torque are achieved by natural-aspiration, ready to make you feel like you're driving something much smaller and lighter, instead of a 5,000 pound behemoth.

Apart from a somewhat large displacement and intelligently-variable valve, admission and exhaust control, there aren't that many technical solutions to make you think this engine is so efficient when it comes to delivering so much performance, but it is.

Partly "to blame" for the sub-six second sprint from naught to 100 km/h (62mph) is the old-school seven-speed automatic transmission. Although it's not a double-clutch sequential one, using a torque converter instead, it managed to impress us by both its smooth operation and the times required to shift, which is faster than the blink of an eye.

Another impressive piece of technology, standard on the "S" trim level we tested, is probably the Active Steering system, which can vary the steering ration between 12.0:1 and 18.5:1, depending on the speed of the car. This can either facilitate parking at low speeds and handling/comfort at higher speeds, just like the eponym system from BMW. To be entirely truthful, we kind of found the steering to be harder than you'd expect at all speeds, but that's a good thing if you're the "sportier type" of driver.

Apart from the electronically-controlled dampers, which we already covered in our "Feed Me Lies" chapter, we should probably also talk about the "creme de la creme" as far as technical solutions go on this trim level – the all-wheel steering system. Working similarly to the ones we now see on certain high-end BMW models, this system can induce up to one degree of steer to the rear wheels. What many people don't know is that a similar, but more rudimentary system was used by both companies in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Saying that the Infiniti FX 50S we drove is filled with gadgets is like saying that Carmen Electra has a nice rack. In other words, it's pretty much futile. As far as we're concerned, the FX 50S is equipped with the pretty much best technology currently available from Nissan/Infiniti.

Our car was fitted with four electrically and automatic windows, a dual-zone climate control system, a powered (but somewhat small) glass sunroof, electrically-operated front passenger seats, five-stage heated and/or cooled front seats, a navigation system and so on.

The electronically-controlled suspension system is not exactly a match for a well-designed air-suspension from its German counterparts, but it gets the job done when it comes to both sportiness and comfort. The all-wheel steering system is only felt in action while driving like a madman on the twisties, but it's still a helpful gadget, while the seven-speed automatic transmission can make you put to good use the two magnesium paddle-shifter behind the steering wheel.

The laser-based Intelligent Cruise Control keeps you both safe and comfortable while driving on the highway, while the option to electrically adjust the actual shape of the driver's seat when it comes to side bolster support is priceless. The bi-xenon headlights can light around the curves (or corners) and are also helped by a light sensor.

On top of that, both the front and rear windshield wipers are connected to a rain sensor, and the rear passengers can recline their backrests in a number of stages in order to enjoy a nice nap on a longer drive. All in all, the Infiniti FX 50S is in average much better equipped as far as standard gadgets go than its German counterparts in this price range, which is no mean feat.

So far, the second generation of the Infiniti FX has been tested by both the American IIHS and the European EuroNCAP crash test organizations. It's probably no surprise that it managed to only score great marks at both tests, with an overall "Good" rating at the IIHS and five whole stars at the EuroNCAP test. Of course, real-life impacts may greatly differ that those, controlled, ones, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the FX is a very safe car.

With no less than six airbags in standard (two single-stage frontal airbags, two thorax airbags for the front passengers and two side airbags that deploy to protect both the front and the rear occupants) and a neatly-designed safety cell, it can protect its passengers even in almost every low to medium speed accident. We should also mention the front and rear crumple zones and the front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

If that's not enough to convince you, you should also learn that the Infiniti FX is using all the (now-standard in this class) active safety systems, including an anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, emergency brake assists. On top of that, our test car was also fitted with the intelligent ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system helping to keep you on course in adverse weather, all-wheel steering and a laser-based intelligent cruise control system that can brake or accelerate the car by its own. Add a gargantuan weight to all this and you can probably already guess that this is one of the safest cars there is.

Trying to single out just one great thing about the Infiniti FX 50S we drove is a hard as trying to decide who has more sex-appeal between Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox. Everything, from the amount of standard gadgets to the comfort, the performance and even the deep growl its V8 makes at low revs is simply addicting. We're not even mentioning the self-healing paint or the quality of the interior leather. Everything about this car is top notch, and if you're part of the bunch that doesn't hate its exterior design and have the necessary dough for it, it's practically a no-brainer.

As far as the bad things about the FX 50S, the worst part is probably the fuel consumption. Sure, the mileage is actually pretty good, thanks to the 90 liter fuel tank, but still, this is no fuel-sipper. The addition of direct injection and maybe a couple of low-pressure turbochargers would probably deliver a lower fuel consumption, but then you would lose pretty much all of this engine's character, so...

The ugly bit about the Infiniti FX is nevertheless its most distinct feature: the exterior design. We're not calling ugly per se, but the front is so controversial you're bound to always encounter two camps of critics. Probably nobody will find it beautiful, but some will find it plain evil, while the others will think it's an abomination on wheels. If you can get past that, the FX is one of the heavyweights as far as premium crossover/SUVs go, no matter how you look at it.