By Patrick James on 2011-01-08 - The author has been a motoring writer for more than 16 years. Formerly motoring editor at the Coventry Telegraph, he now produces motoring copy, on new car launches and road tests on a freelance basis.
Infiniti FX30d GT
Premium
INFINITI has declared war on Europe's luxury car makers with its first diesel engine.
It may sound like a tank or a missile, but the VX9 engine is the beating heart of the super equipped and unusual looking FX30d.
It is refined and gives plenty of pace, but it is not the most frugal oil burner.
The newcomer Japanese brand looks to have borrowed some of the best style pointers from premium competitors and created a unique-looking SUV.
Infiniti is part of Nissan, has been selling cars across the Atlantic for more than 20 years, but has only been in the UK for two years.
But it has no fears of taking on the likes of BMW, Porsche, Audi or Mercedes with its new bespoke engine.
In fact, the key FX30d targets for what Infiniti describes as a European assault are the BMW X5, X6 and Porsche Cayenne.
It's a big car, although not as big as some rivals, but which is crammed full of luxury fittings and gadgets.
The unusual grille is framed by arches that bulge on the edges of the elongated bonnet and are reminiscent of the front end of a Porsche Cayenne.
The back is more squat and has coupé-like rear tinted windows which means headroom is cramped at the rear and boot space suffers.
The list of features inside the car is so bewildering that it starts to make the £50,000 price tag seem almost reasonable.
Infiniti's first V6 diesel is refined and is quick off the mark while the gearbox is slick and smooth.
The well-insulated and luxurious cabin cocoons occupants from road, wind and tyre noise and the driver enjoys a commanding driving position.
The FX also benefits from an intelligent all-wheel drive system that became a blessing during the recent arctic blast.
It may have a Bose sound system and thick wool carpets but it also a proved a proper workhorse that powered up icy hills and barely twitched in the slush, sleet or snow.
The system constantly adjusts power so that grip is always maximized and is only ever needed when the car senses difficult conditions.
The cabin itself has a luxurious and spacious feel to it and there is excellent attention to detail, even if some of the switchgear seems a bit bargain-basement.
However there will be no nasty £10,000 add-on surprises because Infiniti throws everything they have at the FX.
The anti scratch "self healing" paint is just one of the unusual standard features.
Other touches include cream leather 14-way electrically operated, air conditioned and heated seats, maple wood trim, real wool carpets, 21-inch alloy wheels and a superb sound and entertainment system.
The touch screen high definition 3D sat nav system includes speed camera warnings, voice control, full phone connectivity and a 10GB music box that allows you to record up to 300 CDs onto the hard drive.
It also has cameras on each side of the car to help you revers park and there is iPod and USB connections to a sound system that boasts 11 Bose speakers.
The sport shaped seats have stitched Infiniti logos and there are thick wool cream coloured carpets on the test car - not so good in slush and snow!
Infiniti boats that it provides a "bubble of protection" with its safety package.
It is one of the first cars in the UK to come with a lane departure prevention system that doesn't just warn of "lane drift" but uses cameras and intervenes automatically to guide the vehicle gently back between the lane markings.
The FX also has six airbags, with dual-stage front airbags, and seatbelt sensors.
If there are any drawbacks to this car, and there aren't many, the running costs will be high.
While official figures for the FX seemed relatively frugal, I struggled to get 25mpg and high CO2 figures will cost too.
: 35%
: 20
: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
Infiniti FX30d GT Premium
Price: £49,680
Mechanical: 238bhp, 2,968cc, 6cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 7-speed automatic gearbox
Max Speed: 132mph
0-62mph:
Combined MPG: 8.3 seconds
Insurance Group: 31.4mpg
C02 emissions:
CARS from luxury brand Infiniti never seemed to catch on in the UK, despite...
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