By Bill Zervakos
It wasn’t too many months ago that I had the opportunity to drive Infiniti’s M45 luxury sport sedan, yes I said sport sedan, and like a lot of my peers, I ran out of superlatives. I hadn’t driven the M35 and quite frankly I wasn’t terribly concerned about it because I felt that it would be a total disappointment going from the V8 to the V6 as far as performance goes.
That all changed on a recent trip to San Francisco. The group at Page One Automotive was kind enough to provide an M35 for me to use and all I can I say is that I was completely wrong. The M35 was an absolutely fabulous surprise.
Powered by a very potent 3.5-liter V6 with Variable Valve Timing that generates 280 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque, this car really scoots down the highway. Clearly there is no performance problem with the M35. The power gets to the wheels via a 5-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode and downshift rev matching.
One might ask why a manual shift mode is needed at all and living in Arizona, I have asked that question myself. However, if you drive the streets of San Francisco for any length of time you will appreciate the ability to downshift and have the rev-matching feature. It’s very seamless and makes driving a pure pleasure.
The Infiniti M was added early in 2005 as a 2006 model, built on the same FM (front mid-engine) rear-wheel-drive platform used for the G35 and the FX. The M is more than six inches longer overall, with a 2-inch longer wheelbase. The design provides a strong family resemblance to the G35 and the overall profile has a stylish yet athletic appearance. Infiniti designers describe the interior of the M as inspired by a piano keyboard with standard satin-finish rosewood trim that I really liked a lot.
Infiniti calls the M the most technically advanced vehicle they’ve built. It offers a lane departure warning system, intelligent key with push-button starting, adaptive front lighting system, rear view monitor, bluetooth wireless connectivity, intelligent all-wheel drive, Bose Studio Surround Sound System, and rear active steering.
Just for kicks, here’s another acronym for you; ATTESA E-TS, and while I have no idea on how to pronounce it, I do know it stands for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split all-wheel-drive system. I’m not even going to try and explain that to you, but I will tell you it works remarkably well. I had the opportunity to drive some very twisty winding roads and because the car handles so well, I was able to move spiritedly along, much to the chagrin of my sister-in-law in the back seat. But seriously, this car handles phenomenally well.
I was especially pleased to have the voice activated navigation system in the car because I do not know San Fran very well, and looking around for streets can be a bit frustrating to say the least. The system works flawlessly and made traveling anywhere very easy. The back-up camera that comes with the nav system option was very helpful when maneuvering in a parking lot.
I could talk for a long time about driving this car but suffice it to say, it is a blast to drive and what a great combination of form and function. I had 4 people in the car almost all the time, and 5 at times, and to be able to transport that many people in total comfort and have great performance to boot, well for me it doesn’t get much better.
I do want to talk about the inside of the vehicle for just a bit. As one would expect from this class of automobile, it does come with the complete compliment of safety features as well as the LATCH system for baby seats.
Inside, once you sink into the plush leather seating area and wrap your fingers around the leather wrapped steering wheel, you find out just how functional the “piano keyboard” styling is. Everything is within easy reach and because the controls aren’t perpendicular to the dashboard, reading and using the controls is very easy.
This is a vehicle that pretty much has it all, styling, performance, handling and a surprisingly large fun quotient. As I said with the big sister M45, I really don’t know what’s out there that offers this much for the money. In the $43,000 to $55,000 price range, the E-Class Mercedes, the 5-Series BMW and Lexus’ GS sedans obviously come to mind, and they’re great cars all. There’s just something about the M that really rings my bell and I really appreciate the folks at Page One in San Francisco for providing the M35 for me to drive.
So, if you’re looking for a vehicle with that special something that’s hard to put a finger on, the M35 by Infiniti may fit your bill. Go drive one; I’m sure you’ll like it.
