DriveTech

2006 Infiniti M45 Sport Sedan out does European sports cars

If you've been in the market for a luxury sport sedan and looking at vehicles from across the pond, you need to stop to look at the new Infiniti M45.

Take all the badges off the M45 and you'd be hard pressed to tell where it came from. The new "M" class set its sights on the luxury sedan market and with the introduction of the M35 and M45, it looks as if Infiniti may have hit a home run.

If you happen to be a techno geek (I mean that in the most complementary way) then the M class is for you. This car is full of gadgets to satisfy your taste with Sirius satellite radio, Blue Tooth capabilities and Lane Departure Warning System. If you like navigation systems, then you'll love the Infiniti system. The first thing that comes to mind is that you're in the cockpit of an airplane making the approach to Lindberg Field.

The M also has very sophisticated features under its skin, such as a 4.5-liter dual overhead camshaft, 32-valve V8 that produces 335 horsepower and 340 pound foot of raw torque. (Don't forget Infiniti's racing heritage!) This combination will not only get you down the road swiftly, but with a fuel economy. It gets 17 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the open road. If you need just a little more fuel economy, the M35 is available in a V6 that produces 280 horses, plus gets 18 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the freeway.

Talk about handling. This vehicle has rear wheel drive with rear active steering, independent front suspension, multi link suspension in the rear and four-wheel ABS brakes with additional help from electronic brake force distribution. And if that isn't enough help braking, the M45 also comes with brake assist so the power steering is speed sensitive, which means the steering gets stiffer for better control at higher speeds.

For a touch of safety, it has vehicle dynamic control and traction control system - all this is connected to the ground by 19-inch five-spoke aluminum wheels surrounded by P245/40R19 W-rated, high performance tires. There's only one transmission - a five-speed electronically controlled automatic with the ability to slap shift.

The inside of the M45 drifts away from the European competition, which I think is a breath of fresh air. Gone are the dark black, rough-surfaced dash pads and consoles. They're replaced with a softer but still grey-black interior with a touch of carbon fiber style accents on the dash face and around the shifter.

The center dash has a piano look to it, with a large knob in the center and a lot of control buttons surrounding it. Those buttons will help you navigate all the systems Infiniti has for techno geeks, systems such as voice recognition, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, audio controls and cruise control.

But the best part of this M45 is the sound system. My tester came with an upgrade from the stock eight-speaker Bose system. It had a 14-speaker Bose Studio Surround Sound System for the AM/FM/in-dash six-CD system with MP3 and WMA playback.

The driver and front passenger get seats with "Infiniti" stitched in the headrest. The driver can adjust the seat 10 different ways, with heat or cold running through the seat is just a fingertip away. The passenger gets hot and cold plus six-adjustments. All seats and the steering wheel are leather wrapped. The backseat of the M45 is comfortable with a center armrest and high-back seating.

More safety features include dual-stage supplemental front airbags, front seat side-impact supplemental airbags, curtain side-impact supplemental air bags, front seat active head restraints and crumple zones protecting occupants.

The M series is built on the same platform as the G35 and the FX, but comes out of the box six inches longer and with an additional two inches at the wheelbase. Another techno geek fact feature worth mentioning is the Intelligent Key and push button starting.

How does it drive? If I were the Europeans, I'd be a little worried. This car needs to be on your comparison list if you're in the market for a sport sedan. Stop by Infiniti of Escondido, which has a new name but the faces are still the same. It's in the Escondido Auto Park at 855 La Terraza Blvd.

Next week, I'll review a Chevrolet from Poway Chevrolet.