To Infiniti and beyond (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

To Infiniti and beyond

5:04pm Tuesday 28th September 2010 in Motoring By Steve Teale

Let’s face it, it’s an ambitious plan to launch a high-class marque in the face of a recession. It’s especially difficult when you’ve only got one outlet (in Reading, Berkshire), and with a fleet of vehicles none of which are diesel-powered.

But, against all the odds, Infiniti is succeeding. Never heard of it? Well, these are early days and the brand has been in the UK for less than a year, but the signs are promising. Very promising.

Audis, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Range Rover. Well, they’re all very good, but they’re pretty common. Just look around airport car parks or football grounds (anywhere in fact where there is money to burn) and those marques are two a penny.

But Infiniti? Well, it turns heads, as I found out during a day’s driving in leafy Berkshire. The pair of women in the Range Rover seemed impressed.

Infiniti is to Nissan what Lexus is to Toyota, and the company is busy building its UK business. It has already sold hundreds of cars, not all to people in Berkshire, and is establishing a name as a sporty exclusive brand akin to BMW, where most of its conquest sales come from, and Lexus.

At this point we should give Nissan and Infiniti some credit. Of course, they knew that the recession wouldn’t help, but this is a long-term business and a sticky year or two won’t matter two hoots in the long run.

They knew, too, that dealerships (they call them centres) needed to be spread around the country, and they are opening in Birmingham and Glasgow, with more on the way next year. And, of course, diesels are part of the plan. We love diesels in the UK, even though Infiniti’s biggest market, America, is petrol-obsessed.

We now have diesel versions of Infiniti’s two biggest models, the EX sport utility vehicle and its bigger sister, the FX.

With the addition of an M range (think BMW 5 Series and you won’t go far wrong) later this year and some hybrid versions next year and you can see why Infiniti is thinking big.

The EX and FX diesels are badged EX30d and FX30d respectively. They are powered by a stunningly-smooth 3.0 litre V6 engine which is quiet and responsive.

The EX30d costs £35,975 and the FX30d costs £42,761. OK, it sounds a lot, but they come laden with the sort of kit which rivals charge extra money for, making them actually pretty competitive when compared to a similarly-laden Porsche Cayenne, for example.

Take the FX. The version tested here is the FX30d S Premium which retails at £51,370 but it comes with some features which would impress James Bond. The Infiniti Safety Shield, for example, is a system which keeps you on the right track. For example, if your car starts to wander across lanes, on a motorway for example, it gently brakes on one side to gently guide the car back into the lane. Impressive stuff.

Add to that the more standard (but still hi-tech) active torque distribution, collision warning systems and intelligent brake assist, and you have a car which is impressive.

It also has luxury features such as alloy wheels, a 10BG music box, Bose sound system, speed camera warnings and a wonderfully-appointed cabin. It manages 132mph, 0 to 60mph in 8.3 seconds and an average fuel economy of 31.4mpg. Not bad for a beast of a car.

The EX30d is a sportier, sleeker machine. It’s still a 4x4 but it is a crossover model with coupe pretensions. The ride and handling is more car like and the vehicle is much lighter, managing 137mph, 60mph in 7.9 seconds and 33.2mpg on average.

The model tested here is the EX30d GT Premium and has the same Infiniti Safety Shield. It costs £41,220.

The EX diesel models are expected to account for eight out of every 10 EX sales.

At the top of the line-up is a new GT Premium version equipped as standard with a suite of innovative safety technology.

Despite more engine torque than even Infiniti’s petrol V8, EX30d delivers more miles per gallon and emits less CO2 than the petrol EX models. With the standard seven-speed automatic transmission CO2 is 224g/km.

The entry model comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission, active torque distribution all-wheel drive, Xenon cornering headlights, front and rear parking sensors, 18-inch alloy wheels, Scratch Shield self-healing paint, electrically adjustable front seats, power-fold rear seats, cruise control and a seven-speaker audio system with six-CD changer, MP3 decoder, Aux-In and Bluetooth for mobile connectivity.

The EX30d GT adds leather upholstery, ten-way power driver’s seat with memory, power front passenger seat, electrically- adjustable steering column, heated front seats and rear air-conditioning vent.

The new EX GT Premium, available in both EX30 diesel (£41,220) and EX37 petrol (£41,080), includes features from the innovative Safety Shield program, such as Forward Collision Warning, to which is added the Connectiviti+ infotainment package.

Infiniti EX30d GT Premium

PRICE: £41,220 on the road.

ENGINE: A 3.0 V6 diesel with all-wheel-drive generating 238PS via seven-speed gearbox.

PERFORMANCE: Maximum speed 137mph, 0-60mph 7.9 seconds.

COSTS: 33.2mpg.

EMISSIONS: 244g/km.