Infiniti Misses The Mark With New M, How Much Longer Can They Afford To Trail Behind The Big Boys?

Basically just learn how to drive a real car and you are about as safe. I can safely say none of these nanny features have done anything to prevent me from having an accident.

Agentzero... if you bothered to run through the link you would see the article is from Car and Driver one of the sources you quoted as reputable.

Interesting that when you see the link off from us you have an issue with it. I suggest you make up your mind on what you consider a factual source because you seem to be conflicted.

BTW: Alexia is a weak ratings system. You need to run their toolbar to register their hits. Almost any site worth their salt uses Google analytics or similar. Alexia's samplings are far too small to be considered accurate in the longterm.

009,

Our friend AgentZero here seems to be a jealous blogger/writer from another outlet or Infiniti itself.

To clarify, we were offered the car for an afternoon while it was here in San Diego to test and to put on our TV segment but decided not to because it is unfair to review it fairly without a few days in it, in numerous situations.

But that said, we have never been treated with respect from Infiniti PR.

Nissan PR yes and you see us at their events, but Infiniti PR no.

Seems they don't like our rebel/naughty image and that we tell it like it is and are not under their thumb like many other outlets.

That said, the only reason we have been critical of them lately is because outside of the G37 sedan, coupe and convertible, THEY GOT NOTHIN'!.

The G is a very nice line but not enough in our opinion to sustain them long term...they need multiple model lines to sell well and the G is their only bread and butter product.

SUV sales are in the tank...not because theirs aren't good, but because of the current economic/gas price climate and the new M IS a styling miss in my opinion and I won't even touch the new QX...That could be the ugliest truck since the Ridgeline from Honda.

And if you've read our coverage on the Essence concept, I have said it could be the MOST beautiful concept ever and that they should shrink it and make it the next gen G Coupe.

And finally, the other criticism we have of them outside of of a PR department that lives in the past off the old boy network is that even their best products have sub-par quality interiors for the money.

They still look like Nissan's to me.

No where near the refinement of their competition at Lexus.

And boys, it is ALEXA.com, not Alexia.

009 is right about the install of the toolbar and anyone in the biz, knows Alexa is a joke.

A better public reference albeit that we have multiple URLs that traffic needs to be combined altogether for an accurate reading of our true traffic is Quantcast.com

http://www.quantcast.com/autospies.com

That url is only for the news part of our site and doesn't track photo galleries/classifieds/etc.

But in todays world the most important metric is audience affluence/demographic

http://www.quantcast.com/autospies.com#demographics

For example a site like Jalopnik gets 3 times our traffic but earns 1/4 of the ad revenue because their demo is young kids with no dough and purchasing power.

THAT's all advertisers care about.

They want to get their message in front of the people who can PAY.

So AgentZero, we got NOTHING to hide.

There you have it.

Anything else you need to know?

001

Edmunds.com's Inside Line also gave the car a very lackluster review. In fact it was much worse than the C&D review this thread links to.

Infiniti PR doesn't treat your with respect because you apparently don't deserve it.

You are jumping to conclusions without proper knowledge.

All you guys care about is ad revenue, even if you are being completely mis-leading and dishonest.

We are NEVER dishonest. You may disagree with an opinion but it is our opinion...good or bad. And YES, ALL sites care about ad revenue. This is a BUSINESS.

It now makes absolute sense why you rail against Infiniti every chance that you get.

If they do something great like Essence we say it. If they drop the ugly bomb like with the new Q then we say it. Isn't it interesting and doesn't it bother you that virtually EVERY auto press writer at the NY auto show thought the QX was hideous yet WE are the only ones that told the truth? Shouldn't that scare you and make you wonder when they are telling it like it is, if ever?

And the interior of the M is definitely their best so far but not as good as Lexus.

001

I laughed at how biased Edmunds review was.

And I do wish them well and success in their sales.

001

Lexus interior is better? Have you seen how cheap it looks? Seriously type up a 2010 Lexus GS interior and you can't honestly say that looks nicer than the 2011 Infiniti M.

And lastly, and you can take this prediction to the bank...

Because of its strange Jaguaresque exterior design, it will become niche and will absolutely get annihilated by the new 5-series.

But then again, so will ALL of the new 5-Series competitors.

The new 5 blows the M away in EVERY level of competition.

Some of the press who were at the M event who also drove the new 5 with me in Portugal said the new M is a joke compared to the new 5.

They will NEVER report that, but that's how they feel.

And THAT'S how Infiniti LIKES it. ;)

001

The M is priced just shy of the segment leaders; E-Class, GS and 5-series. Infiniti is new money trying to fit in with the old money crowd. Don't bother. To make a impact, Infiniti is better off rolling with the up-and-comers. For instance, the Acura TL. For $10K less, you drive away with a formidable sedan. Hate the new Acura beak? Slap on a straight bar from Ronjonwheels.com. And voila, sex on wheels and money in the bank.

"Acura TL,sex on wheels"

The first time in history those two phrases have be written in the same paragraph. The TL styling problems go far beyond the goofy beak.

"Acura TL,sex on wheels"

- LOL!!! You need to have your eyes checked.

The TL competes with the G, not the M.

Who said Infiniti missed the mark with the new M? Isn't it a little early to say the M missed the mark? The only comparison test i know of so far is the one against the E class by Edmunds. The M beat the E in almost all numbers but of course Edmunds said the E was the winner for absurd reasons.

I personally think the M is a great looking car and is probably one of the best in its segment. I also dont think Infiniti is trailing behind the big boys all that much. Depends on how you look at it. By numbers yes, but the G sedan always comes in 1st and 2nd in the camparison tests, the G coupe always comes in 1st and 2nd too, the G cabrio looks and does great too, and the FX50 keeps up with the X6 well. One of BMWs and Mercedes main competitors is Infiniti, since thats who they are losing to or barely winning to a lot.

Infiniti just isn't a popular brand, but give them time cause when they come out with a expensive, high performance car, like they should have done with the GT-R, then people will notice them.

Agreed. If Infiniti's cars were all coming in last place or close to it then I would agree with this article, but they do great!

Very incomplete and bogus review. Fine, avoid the Technology Package, but that shouldnt trash the rest of the car. It's quite fast and, if you believe, Consumer Reports, one of the most reliable cars out there. I did like the comment about the optional stereo being able to bake a potatoe, however.

That's what you get from a magazine based in Detroit. They suck up to Europeans.

It's Autospies editorializing an article that says nothing of the sort. But in criticism of the article itself, the first two paragraphs are really unnecessary.

Nice way to show bias. The M and Infiniti have always done well with their sales. Not everyone wants a BMW in order to feel better about themselves. I for one would take the M over its competitors, especially the 5. They didn't miss the mark, you are just not their target, thats life. Everyone has different taste.

WELL SAID PERFORMANCEGUY!

Journalistic integrity is not an issue. What matters more to the agents here are click thrus and visits to this site = more $$.

Agentzero - Sales are sales. Just a measure of individuals that bought the product. It has nothing to do quality, performance, or luxury. Again you are assuming the data you have an issue with was derived from our archives.

The facts remain that C&D had issues with steering and braking as quoted below, these are key elements.

"The M is pulled around ruts, and it wanders on the freeway, always keen to explore other lanes and nuzzle with other cars."

"In every mode, the stability control is too intrusive, the threshold set so low that the brakes are fired and the throttle stunted just as the tires (and the driver) are coming up to temperature"

I think Infiniti sales will improve drastically if they offer a baby brother to the G37 sedan and coupe version like the Lexus IS250 and IS350. And instead of having 330+ hp, let it have 280 or 290 hp like the last G35 coupe.

A 1-Series competitor?

Hmmm, i wonder who predicted that over 2 years ago at the 1-Series launch ;)

001

He said nothing about a 1-series competitor. He mentioned putting a smaller, less expensive, more efficient motor in the G, like the IS has the IS250.

I have yet to try new M56 but so far the car impressed me a lot. I like the design and class leading Performance numbers. Also agree nowhere in the article it is said Infiniti missed the mark. I think that is a 4/5 star review.

JUGNU

Lexus interior is better? Have you seen how cheap it looks? Seriously type up a 2010 Lexus GS interior and you can't honestly say that looks nicer than the 2011 Infiniti M.

Response to 009. sorry.

Lexus interior is better?

I agree the new M interior LOOKS better than the GS...more modern and I like the Bentley style quilting stitch on the seats and doors.

But look close at the leather seat quality, gap tolerances, carpets, trunk interior, door feel, steering wheel, switches and my biggest pet peeve with ALL Infiniti's...the stupidly CHEAP looking speedo and tach on ALL their cars. Always looks blurry when lit up, not clean like Lexus Electro luminescence.

001

001

0-60 in 4.7.. i highly doubt that.

The 0-60 is correct- its a 400hp sedan with similar weight/power to the E39 M5 which did it in 4.8 (C&D March 2000). The new F10 550i has almost the same HP but more torque and should also do it about the same.

And I really LIKE the Jaguaresque styling.

But whether this will all be enough to boost M's sales to anywhere near the "E" and 5er is another story....

You can't really say if it misses its mark just by reviews... Lexus falls short in just about every review and it still remains #1 in sales. Almost are car magazines are from a male perspective, and to be honest, how often does the male get to choose what car is the family car...

I would take the Infiniti M over a Cadillac CTS anyday.

Might even take it over the new BMW & Merc.

Por que?

Agentzero <== what you guys delete him?

they're deleting all comments that shut them up...

Good God, i don't even know how you can lump Acura in with this lot.

I own a g35 6MT 2006 with all options save fo the Tech package, that I bought brand new. This is by far the best car that I have ever owned. On the Performance side, it is far better then any 4th gen 3 series save for the M3. On the luxury side, I didn't feel like it was worse or better then the 3 series, just the same. I bought the G based on the fact that it gave me 3 series performance and luxury or better for a much lower price (i bought this car for $29k brand new). From that point till now, the car has had nothing done to it accept new tires. It has 70k miles on it. Since 2006, Infiniti has steadly improved quality and fit and finish on their cars to best or match competition. This article is a joke and can't be trusted. Most magazine articles are like most newspapers.. they favor one side and one side only. The real proof is in the drivers themselves. It is kind of like politics. Remember how the Boston Globe/New York times reported on the Scott Brown election in Massachussetts? They were completely bias towards the other candidate. At the end of the election people spoke and voted for Scott Brown anyway because of what he stood for. This is a very similar case. These magazines are just affraid that the pressious BMW will loose sales to cars like the new Infiniti M. At the end of the day, sales will tell all and the people will speak. The Infiniti will gain sales based on this car and the upcoming G25!

"That said, the only reason we have been critical of them lately is because outside of the G37 sedan, coupe and convertible, THEY GOT NOTHIN'!. The G is a very nice line but not enough in our opinion to sustain them long term...they need multiple model lines to sell well and the G is their only bread and butter product."

-Im assuming you guys feel the same way about Cadillac as a brand then. They are in the same boat being that the CTS line is their only "bread and butter product". No?

A positive review from Edmunds magazine.

http://www.insideline.com/infiniti/m37/2011/2011-infiniti-m37-full-test-and-video.html

4.5/5 stars is great.

JUGNU

I am shocked that people are so negative about the 06-10 M's interior looking like a Nissan or not being worth the price. When it came out in spring 2005, it looked great and had tech that was not available in any Nissan. It was also better built than the 2005 G's interior by a long shot. Maybe it's not that great 5 years later, but I dont think it was that terrible when it was released.