Base price: $43,765
As Tested: $48,765
275-horsepower
3.5-liter V6 engine
16 city/ 23 hwy
More info:
www.infiniti.com
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In terms of performance, Infiniti's flagship M mid-size luxury sedan runs neck-in-neck with the 5-series BMWs and Mercedes E-Class. But they haven't quite looked like the kind of aggressive sports sedan that gets your right foot all twitchy. For 2008, Infiniti gives the M a not-so-extreme but sporty makeover, with a slick new front bumper treatment and side sills that add a little mean streak head-on or in profile. The optional Sports Package ($1,650) on our blue slate tester added an even more aggressive front bumper design and rounds out the look with 19-inch five-spoke alloys. Our right foot got jitters before we even pushed the ignition button.
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The M35's ultra-modern, spacious interior matches the abundant gadgetry of the optional technology package ($3,300), which includes a 9-gig music hard drive with Bose eight-speaker audio, the imposing center console hard drive navigation system with an eight-inch screen and real-time traffic, voice recognition and the crucial iPod interface. The interior upgrades for the sport package include a leather-wrapped, sport-trimmed steering wheel and shifter, aluminum-trimmed instrument panel and pedals and sport-bolstered seats to keep you planted as the g-forces rise.
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Our tester's sport package included a sport-tuned suspension that made for a stiff but not uncomfortable ride in city driving. Also part of that upgrade package, Infiniti's rear active steer (RAS) adjusts the rear suspension based on driving input, improving handling agility on our rear-wheel drive test vehicle (the more expensive M35x model has all-wheel drive). The five-speed automatic transmission has a manual shift mode and downshift rev-matching for smoother deceleration. As for acceleration? The 3.5-liter V6 cranks out 275-horsepower, making the M35 plenty fast enough for all but the most dedicated speed demons.
-- by Sam Jemielity
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