Watching an Infiniti FX zooming across the television screen in a commercial, evoked within me the excitement I had during the 1960's viewing muscular designs of the Corvette, XKE, Avanti or even the Toronado. I couldn't afford buying a new car back then, but one could surely dream about the day it might happen. When that day finally arrived, many years later, you could change the nameplate on almost any average priced brand and one might not have known the difference. The Japanese cars looked German and the Americans were having a love affair with trucks. One truck looked like the other. Pathetic, I thought, until the FX zoomed across my TV. So off I went to the nearest Infiniti dealer, because I was sure that this one was coming home with me.
External Design
Walking into the showroom, the FX greeted me with an imposing front grill, as if it wanted to growl upon any step closer. In fact, frozen in my tracks would best describe my feelings viewing this beastly machine for the first time. Damn, it looked big! I slowly paced around to its side and became fixated on the long front hood. Not to miss one inch of this incredible sheet metal, I gazed along its wide side, then downward toward the 20" wheels. "Whoa, big wheels," I murmured and the excitement building that for the first time in my adult life, I was about to rate a great looking vehicle, on a scale of 1 to 10, a 20! Yes, this could be the car I've been dreaming about. The FX, king of the road, just let me check out the rest . . . . hey, who chopped off the rear end?
I must have looked confused because a salesman intruded in on my thoughts with, "It's designed to look like a sports coupe." He stood there with a Cheshire cat grin and all I could think about is the number seven. I might have rated the FX exterior design higher, but the build-up was so intense that the rear end let down kind of ticked me off. The salesman soon showed me a brochure picturing the FX side profile. He pointed to the panther like styling features. Well, it looked like a big cat in the brochure, but the reality is the the FX, at times, can be perceived as a big toad, particularly with those squinting rear red lights. In either case, it remains a fascinating design that may make or break your heart depending upon your own interpretation.
Interior Design
It's a big step up getting inside the FX and once behind the wheel, I'm staring at a huge dashboard. I mean it swallows you up with its sweeping arched shaped design and bulging control panel. In the top center, the navigation screen sits and below it is a neatly trimmed control panel which flows into the center console and continues seamlessly through the middle of the cockpit with aluminum accents. Impressive was my first opinion.
The adjustments to the driver's seat is not instinctively at the lower left side, instead it's placed on the top right. When adjusting the driver's position, I found myself raising the seat near its maximum height to get a clear vision over the dashboard and front hood. In doing so, my hair literally touched the ceiling. The overall comfort was snug, especially after adjusting the steering wheel which landed in my lap. I felt locked in without much room to maneuver. The rear view was barely present. It reminded me of viewing out of a yacht's porthole. The rear pillars blocked the side back view and the rear seat headrests further penalized the viewing making me very uncomfortable about backing up. The salesman instructed me to use the side mirrors and I replied, "Oh, you mean like a dump truck?"
Entry into the rear seat can be tricky. You have to twist your body in order to get in. Once inside, I found the seats to be roomy and the ability to tilt them back made them fairly comfortable. Other issues for passengers are that you feel like you're sitting in the cargo area, also, the roof tapers downward giving one a closed in feeling. Exiting the rear requires more unnatural body English and your knees hits the door. I though how stupid Infiniti engineers had been for designing a big truck with a long front hood, combined with a small rear and tight interior. I know it's a sports car concept, but when considering the waste of interior space, it doesn't make sense to me. Speaking of space, the cargo area, well, it's small.
Driving Performance
Before driving off, I again struggled in search of a decent driving position. I couldn't find one. Dealing with the dashboard, long front hood and small rear view made it difficult. I began taking issue with the FX's sports car concept. In the G35, the car is low to the ground, so it's ideal for the driver's position to be back and viewing upward. There's nothing below the car to be concerned about. However, in a truck, the driver sits much higher and it becomes critical that your line of sight is downward, otherwise, you might run over things you shouldn't. A driver in the FX sits back like in a sports car, but the concept doesn't work for me.
I looked forward to driving the FX35 with Nissan's highly regarded 280 hp engine, but my experience around local roads was shocking. I never knew how many potholes there were, the FX seemed to find all of them making my teeth chatter. I felt stones and road ripples. At slow speeds, the steering seemed heavy and the weight of the 4,220 pound truck was present. The acceleration in and out of traffic was adequate, but I had to stomp on the gas pedal to make the FX move. It has a large turning circle, so parking this truck requires extra effort in tight spots.
On the expressway, there was good acceleration off the ramp, but certainly not exciting. To maintain a 70 mph cruising speed, I constantly pressed down on the gas pedal. The weight of the FX appeared to slow it down. In the passing lane, its performance disappointed me. The FX had to be pushed hard to pass other cars, but once it got going it whizzed by them.
The steering, handling and braking at high speeds are superb on the FX35. While the tires feel planted to the road, there are trade offs. I have driven on the expressway to work hundreds of times and until this test drive, I didn't know it had pavement waves. The FX rolled up and down every nook and cranny of each wave. In addition, one can hear humming from the 20" tires and I found the throaty sound from the exhaust annoying.
A couple of weeks later, I thought I had been too critical in judging the FX, so the Infiniti dealer was kind enough to lend me the SUV overnight. This model had 18" wheels instead of the 20" used on the first test drive. The opportunity allowed for plenty of miles driving to see if the shoe fits. It didn't! In fact, I found my complaints of the FX increasing. Finally, I had to throw in the towel on my high expectations for the FX. I was very disappointed that I couldn't come to terms with its ride or driving position.
Comparing Models
A brief test drive in the FX45 proved one important tenet to a good driving experience. The key word is balance. The 315 hp V8 engine has so much power that I could truly experience the vision Infiniti engineers had. The FX is unleashed with a V8 and the sports car experience is delivered big time! But again, I had a better driving and riding experience in the G35 sedan with AWD, so why pay more money for the FX45 and deal with its brutal ride? It a vital question that every buyer must justify.
I thought the FX rivaled the RX330 for a fit and finished appearance. On local roads, I'd rather drive the RX, but at high speeds, the FX35 blows away the RX in performance, handling and stability.
Nissan Murano SL has a much more comfortable ride than the FX35. The Murano SL has a car-like compliant ride and smoothly handles most road conditions. The FX is a sport truck extreme, while the Murano behaves more like a sporty family sedan. I actually found the Murano to have a better balance between its body and V6 engine with the Continuously Variable Transmission. When utilizing the Ds mode to assert speed or engine braking, the Murano delivered a more fun to drive experience than the FX35.
A rocking driver's seat is a big problem for the FX. The seat can slide out from under the driver at any speed. Also, riding through snow has been a disappointment for many owners. Complaints that the FX behaves more like a rear wheel drive instead of an all wheel drive in the snow.
Buyer's remorse has been another big issue. On Internet forums, FX members have shut down threads that begin with such a complaint. Clearly, the FX is not for everyone. Unless a buyer has done thorough testing, he or she may struggle later with the issues I have written about. The evidence is also presented in the J.D. power automobile ratings, where the FX owners had rated it only three stars for comfort compared to five stars for the Murano and RX. It also lagged its competitors in overall ratings. My hunch is that too many sales are based on first impression and buyers haven't carefully analyze what the FX has been designed to be. For those who can embrace the extreme sport truck design, they should have an exhilarating experience.
Pricing the Deal
Infiniti dealers will discount the FX. A FX35 with AWD, touring and technology package lists for $43,640. This includes heated leather seats, Bose audio system, GPS navigation, intelligent key, rear view monitor, tire pressure monitor and roof rails. The dealer's offer to me came to $40,584, which was $884 above invoice. The FX35 can be bought slightly below the RX330 with comparable options, but over $7,000 higher than the Murano SL. The FX does have a few extra features in its technology package that is not available with the Murano. The one option I like is the rear view camera. It comes in handy when backing up, and believe me, you'll need it on the FX.
Final Thoughts
When you see a FX driving by, rest assure that it wasn't my teeth chattering down the highway. And while the shoe didn't fit me, sometimes I'm envious that this intimidating beast found a better liking to some other prince or princess. Although my criticisms may appear harsh by the FX fans, let it be known that I'm still rating it a crowning four stars. Because the FX delivers perfectly to its narrowly focused market what it was designed to be, and that is a non-compromising sport truck experience. My only wish is that the next generation model becomes slightly tamer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40,584
Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: FX35 AWD
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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