Review: Infiniti M45-One step away from the lead?

I think it's really generic that they couldn't come up with something original other than "M". That's a blatant rip off of BMW Motorsports. With that said, it's not a bad looking car, but I don't think Infiniti can compete in this class, at least not with their current offerings. Anybody with sense would rather get a BMW, a MB or a Lexus. Infiniti is going to need to bring some better offerings if they want to be a serious competitor.

I waited many months to get my M45 sport and have had it since July and have about 6,500 miles on it. This car is such a pleasure to drive every day. I was a little scared about how the ride might be with the 19-inch rims but it has been way better than I expected. To me the only down side is no matter how much you try and hide it is still a powerful rear wheel drive car and it will not drive well in the snow. I knew that but driving it otherwise is awesome. This car handles like a true sport sedan. What this car exceeds in is balance. It drives like a sports car, is luxurious enough for a luxury car, has all the bells and whistles to satisfy any techno geek, has a better surround sound system to watch DVD’s than in most peoples house. I am sure the back seat is not as big as some of the competitors. I drive this car about 95% by myself and for me it is everything I could have asked for and more. Every time you stomp on the gas you cant help but smile. One of the other nice things is you don’t see many on the road and people do comment on the rims from the sport package. If they made a (AMG) type version with perhaps a manual transmission I will put my deposit down now. There might be other cars that might do individual things better but overall package is second to none. Not to mention that I was able to negotiate off sticker even before it came out!!!! Try doing that with a Lexus GS430. I don’t think so!!! Gee I can’t wait to drive home!!! :)

They don't advertise their safety rating much because it's the worst in its class!!!

It's not that I consider safety very high, but high enough nonetheless. If I'm to pay premium for a luxury car, it should be among the safest.

I'd take the complete package, an Audi A6.

... sources. To quote or believe any car publication (I've subscribed to all the well know at one time or another) is to waste your time. They cater to their sponsors and provide biased opinions and confusing/misleading results. Their test always seem to give BMWs and advantage. Why are the tests always only oriented to people who must drive with a manual and a clutch. Is this a stupid religion or what? I agree there is some satisfaction in feeling the road but to negate the advances of technology and remain blindly faithful to the shift & clutch is plain retarded. I find the new DSG technology gives me more satisfaction and better performance than any manual drive. Just because some manual drive freak says I'm not a true car guy does not make it so.

A car should not be any less of a car because it offers DSG instead of a manual.

And what about REAL driving conditions. How many of us drive around cones on a perfectly dry, perfectly flat piece of tarmac on a sunny day every day of the year? Let's be more realistic. I see rain and snow 35% of my year and I drive in wet, icy or snowy conditions for more close than 50% (rain and snow are known to stay on roads even after they have precipitated!), not to mention, dirty, salty, and graveled roads around construction sites. If I had to chose a car that outperforms on these real world conditions than I would not look further than an Audi A6 (I can't wait for the S6 V10!). Maybe the M5 has a miniscule advantage in the IDEAL sunny world but the Audi has a million mile advantage in every other environment, including styling, safety, interior quality.

Why not have a Winter Test for all cars? is this not beneficial to your magazines? or is it not pro-sponsorlike?

Finally, regarding these JD Power ratings... they are way overrated! this rating does not differentiate a person who complains about his window being too dirty from one whose car caught fire when he turned on the radio and activated the window at the same time. Result? misleading results. Here's another one, JD depends on peoples OPINIONS! How many people do you know who give exaggerated opinions pro or con depending on whether they are proud of their purchase or not. Specifically, Lexus and BMW owners tend to exaggerate and or lie about the actual reliability of their priced possessions because they want to maintain their high rating.

JD has not yet been able to measure actual reliability facts directly from OEMs simply because the OEMs will not share that data. You believe JD if you want or if it makes you feel better.