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| 2006 Infiniti M35 Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Inside & Out | |||
It was smart to use the G35's platform, smarter to abandon its interior. Instead of a plain center stack with tacked-on fake aluminum casing, the M35's dashboard is a cohesive, stylish, and flowing unit. The nav system is the center of attention, not an afterthought that pops out of the radio. The two tiny gloveboxes joined forces to create a big, roomy one. Aluminum and chrome (or wood, if you please) are used in tasteful measures. The gauges are still orange but the lettering has character now, and longtime Infiniti loyalists will jump for joy at the analog clock. The seat controls are no longer randomly on top, but on the sides where they belong. And, miracle of miracles, Infiniti finally took the extra five minutes to orient the radio, climate controls, and shifter to left-hand drive instead of just sticking us with Japan-market controls again. Wow, these guys really are trying. Every witness commented on the "cool" interior almost as much as its "beautiful" outer styling.Judging by some other automakers, designing the central interface was practically an invitation to destroy the interior. Infiniti passed; this one works. Instead of a wobbly knob that tilts unsurely like a joystick (like the one in the Acura RL), the "Infiniti Controller" is clamped down. Eight solid buttons spaced 45 degrees apart surround an Enter button in the center; the outer rim also rotates if that's your preference. With self-explanatory menus and the big "back" button right by your thumb, it's all so intuitive that I was clicking my way through every menu with iMac-like ease. Within the menus, I found plenty more "off" switches (can you tell I'm loving these?) for stuff I didn't like, such as the luxury car gimmick of rearranging the seat and steering wheels every time you open/close the door. Best of all, this system didn't usurp the radio and air conditioner, which stand alone, away, and unharmed. The DVD-based navigation system is just as user-friendly; the only thing missing was the option of a QWERTY keyboard layout. It's a little funny how one female voice starts off the instructions while another chimes in to complete the sentence, but both ladies speak clearly, and they also take voice orders from you, boss. You can't input a destination address on the fly, but you're free to do things that take less concentration like choosing a local restaurant from a preselected menu. As for route guidance, the computer knows where it's going and always puts you on a direct path. Sometimes too direct. For anyone familiar with the California city of Irvine, I was once instructed to crash through a concrete wall and take a flying leap off the Jamboree bridge to land a right turn onto Edinger Road. For those with less adventurous leanings, the computer automatically reroutes the way if you disobey. Infiniti's boatload of luxuries solves problems you didn't even know you had. It starts with smart design, like doors that open almost 90 degrees. Thanks to Intelligent Key, unlocking them only takes pushing a button right where your thumb falls on the handle - a better solution than some systems that try to motion-sense your hand and sometimes don't. With the key still in pocket and a foot on the brake, you start the engine with the push of a button and drive off in a wonderfully comfortable seat with heaters, coolers, and two-position memory. You can make hands-free cell phone calls with Bluetooth, and the rearview backup camera makes driving in reverse a live event. Music gets sent straight to your ears from seat-mounted speakers, and there's ten more to come in the MP3-capable, WMA-capable, DVD Audio-capable 5.1 digital surround sound system. Meet the new features leader. Still, our 14-speaker test car didn't sound half as good as some stereos with half the speakers; nor can the tuning knob keep up with quick spins of the hand. This long-time partnership with Bose should be rethought. Audiophiles and poets alike would concur: Infiniti should pair up with Infnity. The roomy rear seat is nearly as comfortable as the fronts - for two. The middle passenger gets stuck dealing with one of the bigger driveline humps I've seen, going all the way up to seat level and measuring nearly a foot across. The center seat is perched higher and forward so no one bumps shoulders, but whoever's there also runs out of headroom earlier. Better solution: make guy #5 go Greyhound so the others can flip down his seat to gain an armrest, console, and cupholders. Of some significance is the Infiniti M's place near the top in head, leg, and shoulder room for all passengers. In fact, on models without the Premium Package, total interior volume comes to 120.1 cubic feet, qualifying the M as an EPA "large" car in the vein of cars that command tens of thousands more: Lexus LS430, BMW 7-series, Mercedes S-class, etc. First with the G and now with the M, Infiniti has done it again: made a car that sneaks into the next class up. |
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