The front seat is adjustable for height with 3 inches of vertical travel, so you can choose to perch up high to keep tabs on the rest of the tall SUV commuters around you, or you can drop your hind end down to the floor for serious driving on challenging pavement. The view over the hood reminds us of a Jaguar's or a Porsche Cayenne's, with a hood contoured over the headlights and grille. It's the opposite look of the squared-off hood of a BMW X5 or Range Rover, and the view keeps telling you you're in a car, not a truck.

The view out the back is not hindered by the sloping D-pillar, although an optional rear-view camera, like you'll find on big motor homes, will display a rear view on the 7-inch dashboard monitor. The rear display shows two virtual lines on the rear image that correspond to the width of the FX. We still didn't trust it when parallel parking, but we suspect some FX owners will learn to.

The steering wheel and gauges remind us of the Nissan 350Z's with a thick rim framing big dials. The gauge pod adjusts with the tilt wheel. Given this sports car climate, we expected to find a six-speed manual shifter in the FX, but a five-speed automatic is the only gearbox available. Infiniti, however, says they haven't ruled out offering a manual in the future.

Three adults fit comfortably in the split reclining rear seats, which we didn't expect with the sloping rear roof. Total rear cargo area is smaller than in square-shaped SUVs. Infiniti says it placed a higher priority on floor space and that the FX offers more floor space than a BMW X5 or a Lexus RX300.

FX45's optional Bose 300-watt 11-speaker stereo was tuned for the middle-aged mid-life crisis male. Infiniti says it worked with Bose specifically to get the car to play rock and roll. Bass and treble were emphasized. Satellite radio service is optional, too.