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auto reviews and columns
Jun 28, 2010
2011 Infiniti M Series Luxury Sedans
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Driving from Nanaimo to Ucluelet across Vancouver Island on the Pacific Rim Highway via. Port Alberni can be demanding at the best of times. Even early May brought sleet, slush covered roads and pouring rain - plus a little sunshine to give a true "Island flavour" to the trip. The roads vary from spiffy new blacktop to poor, potholed, stretches that would coax a few creaks and rattles out of a Rolls-Royce. The route takes you along endless twisty sections and over high mountain passes. -
One thing's certain - this is a great place to take a new luxury car for a serious shakedowand that's where I headed with the 2011 Infiniti M. The M is top-of-the-line as far as sedans go at Nissan's affiliate that's built an impressive reputation in the luxury segment over the last few years.
This is the third-generation M from Infiniti and it will certainly be lauded as the best effort yet. It has very dramatic looks, more power (without much of a fuel economy sacrifice), increased comfort and more convenience items than you could count. It's likely to be more of a challenge for the top European luxury sedans than any Infiniti that went before.
The styling owes a lot to various Infiniti concept vehicles that have been seen at auto shows over the past few seasons. The sides of the fenders are deeply sculpted, contributing to very appealing flowing lines. The now-familiar Infiniti grille is low on the car and the advanced lighting either side add drama to the whole effect. It's a handsome luxury sedan, but there's a good dose of sports car flair in there too. The car is lower and wider than hitherto and though built on the same wheelbase as the earlier M, overall length is up by over 15 mm. Infiniti says that its 2011 car retains the class-leading interior space and cargo volume of the 2010 model.
There are two engine options for the new M - a V-6 and a V-8. The V-6 is a 3.7-litre unit developing a healthy 330-horsepower, close to the output of the V-8 in the earlier car. The 5.6-litre V-8 is the most impressive motor we've seen yet from Infiniti and develops a whopping 420-horsepower, which puts it right in the hunt with those much-respected "factory tuned" models from Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. Note that the V-6 will carry the M37 badge and the V-8, an M56 logo. Best of all, both vehicles are available with all-wheel drive. I seem to remember that at one time, you couldn't get the V-8 M with AWD at all. Both engines include some fascinating technical advancements and there's a new transmission too - a 7-speed automatic.
The engineers at Infiniti spent a lot of time on noise control on this product and it really shows on a long trip over varying road surfaces. It also helps driver and passengers enjoy the fantastic Bose sound systems my test cars were fitted with.
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The cabin is expectedly luxurious, Infiniti being something of a past master at creating a first class driving and riding ambiance. Leather and wood tones abound and the entire dash seems to be a melody of sweeping curves. It's a fine piece of work and the car will stand against the very best in this class when it comes to the look and feel of the interior.
Safety innovations include four driving modes to use depending on conditions; distance assist control; lane departure warning (which works very well indeed and should save lives); blind spot warning and blind spot intervention and four-wheel active steering. For a prospective buyer, these features - and many others - are well worth study. Along with the roster of air bags, this should be one of the safest luxury cars out there and those opting for all-wheel drive will be protected even more. Possibly the best safety feature of this car, though, is its precise and predictable handling - its dynamic qualities. The new M is very confidence-inspiring, which is very important when you're dealing (in the case of the V-8) with well over 400 horses.
The new Ms come in a wide range of prices, but buyers on budgets can be assured that the least expensive model is still a very fine luxury automobile with just about anything any owner could desire. At the top of the range, you have products that can take on - and perhaps excel - the very best upscale sedans from Europe or Japan.
SPECS AT A GLANCE...
SPECS AT A GLANCE...
BODY STYLE: four-door, five-place sedan
ENGINE: 3.7-litre V-6 or 5.6-litre V-8
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed automatic
PERFORMANCE: Zero to 100 km/h in approx 6-secs (5.6-litre V-8)
FUEL ECONOMY: M37, 12-litres/100 km city; 8.3-litres/100 km highway. M56, 13.4-litres/100 km city; 8.5-litres/100 km highway
PRICE RANGE: $52,400 to $73,800