A few years ago I reviewed the then-new 2003 Infiniti M45. The car's primary selling point was that its low-40s price included a 340-horsepoewr V8. The competition offered less power at a higher price.

However, competitors also offered more contemporary styling, roomier interiors, and more agile handling. So I personally wasn't sold on the car and gave it a low rating. A number of M45 owners protested loudly via comments and email, but the market agreed with me. Infiniti had trouble selling the car.

An American manufacturer would have simply abandoned the model. But the Japanese tend to react to a failure with major product improvements. And so Infiniti has now introduced a new M as an early 2006 model. The new car, based on the same platform as the popular G35 and FX SUV, is available with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 as well as a 335-horsepower V8. (The V8 has lost five horses up top but gained about the same in the midrange, not a bad trade.) Most importantly, the new M was designed as a sport sedan for the American market rather than adapted from a Japanese domestic market (JDM) luxo-barge. Both the M35 and M45 are available in both Luxury and Sport models. The latter model includes larger wheels, a firmer suspension, and rear-wheel steering.

This all sounds very promising. To gauge the level of improvement, I took one for a test drive. Given my interest in handling, and the fact that the M35 provides nearly as much power as the M45 for $6,850 less money, the specific car I chose to drive was an M35 Sport.

Styling

I hated the stodgy styling of the old M. Some people liked its long rear overhang and boxy shape, perhaps because it recalled some classic 60s American iron. But I was not among them.

With four inches added to its wheelbase and five inches lopped off its overall length, the new M has much more compact proportions. The new car's more arched roofline also stands a couple inches taller. Throw in a bunch of curves, and the new M looks nothing like the old. The flavor is now German rather than American, with BMW's 5-Series an obvious influence.

Still, the new styling is not so much a pro as no longer a con. A derivative design, there is little distinctive about it. (Unless the pudginess bred of a high roofline and curvy contours counts.) Lexus also drew from the BMW 5-Series for its new GS, yet emerged with a more distinctive car. With its rocky sales history, Infiniti likely just wanted to play it safe this time around.

Inside the new M does better. An LCD is well integrated at the top of the center stack, with easy to operate major controls logically arranged about it. I continue to find less complex, thoroughly conventional controls even easier to use, but as luxury sedans go these days (they all have too many buttons) the new M fares well. Beyond the control layout, the materials are of higher quality than in the somewhat cheap G35 and the styling incorporates some richly curving trim panels. The last are a striking rosewood in the Luxury models and aluminum in the Sport models. (The wood is a $600 option with the Sport.)

I have only one significant aesthetic criticism inside: Infiniti continues to use orange-on-black graphics for its instruments. While perhaps suitable for a compact pickup in work truck trim (I vaguely recall similar graphics in a circa-1984 Nissan truck I drove for a delivery job), this color scheme is out of place in a luxury car. At least the instruments look more upscale than the thoroughly low-rent units in the G35.

Accommodations

With a tall greenhouse and thinnish pillars (for a luxury sedan), visibility is very good in all directions from the driver's seat.

Said seat also isn't a bad place to be. Relative to the front seats in Infiniti's other sedans, those in the M are much closer to the large, plush thrones in the Q than the more thinly constructed units in the G. Not a bad thing, especially since lateral support is better than the luxury sedan average. The seats in the new Lexus GS are both less comfortable and less supportive in hard turns.

The design of the interior, with a prominent center console, makes the front seat of the M feel much less roomy than most competitors. Some people will like this, as it makes the car feel sportier, while others, especially if they are large, will not.

The smaller G35 offers generous rear legroom, so it comes as little surprise that the new M also does well here. Add in the car's tall roofline, and rear seat room ranks with the BMW 5-Series for best-in-class. Seat comfort is also good, courtesy of a cushion reasonably high off the floor. A major improvement over the old M. As in other midsize sedans, especially those with rear-wheel-drive, the center position is much less comfortable than the outboard positions.

Trunk volume is a bit above the class average at 14.9 cubic feet. Sadly, as in other $50,000 Japanese and American luxury sedans the rear seat does not fold to expand the trunk. While this makes a high level of structural rigidity easier to achieve, the Germans manage to lead in this area even while offering folding rear seats.

On the Road

Even with the V6 acceleration is brisk. In contrast to the smaller sixes in some competitors, the 3.5-liter engine's midrange torque is robust enough that high revs are rarely necessary. Fun, though. Compared to other Nissan and Infiniti products with this powerplant, engine noise is low. As in these other products, though, said noise is throatier than the DOHC six average, more American than German.

The M45 no doubt offers even more grunt, especially at moderate engine speeds. But I'm not seeing a $6,850 advantage here.

The new M handles better than the old, with a stable, balanced feel through turns. Lean is minimal. Uneven pavement does little to upset the composure of the car, though a 5-Series has an even more composed chassis.

This said, "agile" still does not leap to mind despite the inclusion of rear-wheel steering. As with just about every other sedan in this class (with the partial exception of the BMW), the M35 feels like the nearly two-ton mass it is. If you want a sedan that feels light on its feet, you're going to have to buy something smaller.

Also similar to most other luxury sedans, the steering could provide better feedback despite a less-than-average level of assist. Said feedback was likely compromised to provide the smoothness people tend to expect in an expensive sedan. Harder to explain is why the steering lacks the on-center precision and off-center "natural" gain in effort you'll find in a BMW 5-Series or Lexus GS 300. As a result, despite its firmer suspension I did not feel as confident driving the Infiniti quickly.

The M Sport's firm suspension comes at a cost: the sedan rides more harshly than the competition. Tire noise is also significantly higher than average, with clomping over tar strips and tire roar on concrete highways. Wind and engine noise are much better suppressed. Those who place a high priority on ride quality and noise levels should avoid the Sport models, and perhaps the M altogether.

Infiniti M35 Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

Even without options the new M is very well equipped, especially in Sport form (where heated/cooled seats and steering-linked xenon lamps are standard). The $1700 Journey Package on the car I drove adds a Bose audio system, rearview monitor, and crash-anticipating seatbelts. A $4,200 Technology Package (which has the Journey Package as a prerequisite) adds a leading-edge surround sound Bose system, navigation system, and lane-departure warning. The last is an interesting safety feature; sadly it requires ordering two expensive packages. A rear seat entertainment system is an additional option. Finally, on Luxury models a Premium Package including all of these things plus heated power rear seats is available for $10,500.

To keep things simple, I'll compare the price of the M35 Luxury model. Prices are adjusted for features.

Lexus GS 300: $1,800 more expensive (but about even invoice to invoice)

Acura RL $1,600 more expensive (than all-wheel-drive M35)

Cadillac STS: $2,100 more expensive

BMW 530i: $9,000 more expensive

MB E350: $15,000 more expensive

The new M is the least expensive car in its class, though Japanese and American competitors are only marginally more expensive.

Last Words

There is much to like about the new M. The styling is up-to-date, even the V6 is powerful, the rear seat is roomy, and the chassis is taut. But a few lapses pull the car up short, most notably the uncommunicative, oddly weighted steering and a harsher, noisier ride than most luxury sedan buyers are comfortable with. Either shortcoming alone would be less of a problem. But they contradict one another, as the steering limits the amount of driving enjoyment that can be extracted from the suspension.

If Infiniti can fix the steering and realize the potential inherent in rear-wheel steering, the M35 will become my favorite $50,000 sedan. I'd ask for more distinctive styling as well, but that won't be possible until the next redesign.

Currently the Luxury models are more viable. A BMW 5-Series is a better all-around car, but it costs a lot more. A Cadillac STS rides better but has even worse steering. More comfortable front seats and a roomier rear seat lead me to recommend the Infiniti over the better-steering Lexus GS 300. The Acura RL is a tougher call. Its rear seat is less roomy, but its interior is nicer. If you're interested in all-wheel-drive I'd look at both it and the Infiniti.

A Note on Infiniti M35 Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an M35 rather than a BMW 530i or other vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Infiniti M35 reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the M35--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
2003 Infiniti M45 review
Acura RL review
Audi A6 review
BMW 5-Series review
Cadillac STS review
Lexus GS 300 review
Mercedes E350 review
Amount Paid (US$): 50000
Model and Options: M35 Sport with Journey Pkg.