Overlooked: All of Infiniti 

"Nathan" (netochan) 07/12/2015 at 12:15 • Filed to: Infiniti, Overlooked, luxury, cars

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Typical sight. BMW, Mercedes, Audi are all over the market. Cadillac and Lexus are getting a lot of press for their crazy and polarizing designs. Doug DeMuro occasionally writes something about Land Rover. People see the new Jaguar XE and start crying. They all get attention.

But what about Infiniti?

Infiniti makes RWD reliable sporty pretty luxury cars (say that five times fast) with base V6’s that are completely forgotten. When was the last time a yuppy couple thought “yes, we need to lease an Infiniti!”

So what have we learned from the pretty pictures above? Buy a new Infiniti! Buy a secondhand Infiniti! Shove the word Infiniti down your loved one’s throats.

At this rate, they’re going to be out with Acura and Volvo.

LongbowMkII > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:19

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They peaked around 2005. I could seriously buy 80% of the value of a new Infiniti with 20% of the price on the used market. Most of their lineup still seems to be FM chassis+VQ engine. Not a bad combo obviously, but just...meh in 2015.

My citroen won't start > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:19

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I bet Infiniti would get a lot more attention if they didn’t microwave their cars before selling them.

Bandit > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:21

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You forgot this... thing.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:21

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Well, can my snark. I didn’t know what they were offering... They kind of vaguely play in the Acura-type market, but with different bodies. I overlook them because most look like slightly modified Nissan Maximas.

desertdog5051 > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:27

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My neighbor has what I call an Infant-Nighty. He likes it better than his Dinan 3 series.

DrScientist > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:35

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agree, and even this hasnt been enough to elevate their status

PS9 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 07/12/2015 at 12:35

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Nah. Only the G37 (whatever it’s called now) coupe and QX have stable mates at Nissan (370z and pathArmada) Everything else is infiniti exclusive, and nothing Infiniti sells is FWD.

Funktheduck > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 12:42

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Outside of the FX and EX I don’t know what their naming scheme is unless the car is right in front of me and even then I’m not sure which name replaced what.

The two car examples you posted look like the same basic car to me. I hate how Audi does the same thing. Let's take the same car and just make it a different size.

dogisbadob > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 13:12

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Their new Q-shit is dumb dumb DUMB, and their new styling theme, particularly the sedans, is tacky.

They need to use the JDM names and bring back the small FWD 4-cylinder. Something starting around 20k. Diesel engine options would be nice and maybe IPL versions too.

Infiniti Primera
Infiniti Skyline
Infiniti Fuga
Infiniti President
Infiniti Patrol

boxrocket > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 13:37

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Infiniti is overlooked, yes, but their bass-ackwards naming scheme really isn’t doing them any favors. And yet in an age where customers apparently don’t know/care which axle has the drive wheels (BMW 1-series, M-B CLA/GLA) FWD-dependent companies like Volvo and Lincoln (except the Navigator) and even Acura are also overlooked.

Folks seem to like a duopoly (apple/Samsung, AT&T/Verizon, McDonald's/Burger King) or the top of the heap (Mercedes/BMW), with little heed to the underdog.

E92M3 > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 14:25

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The Q60 is a handsome car, but I hope it drives nothing like a Maxima. Cause that thing is the worst car I’ve driven all year. The rest of the lineup is fugly.

jkm7680 > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 14:34

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They have a very not conservative style to almost every single one of their designs. I don’t know if I like it too much.

They used to make good cars though, they had great exhaust notes even in stock form. Now they’re just melted butter sticks.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > PS9 07/12/2015 at 20:27

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All the offerings I saw were at least based on a Nissan platform.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Nathan 07/12/2015 at 20:30

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All the confusion and mediocrity in the responses and product line is exactly why enthusiasts don’t buy Infiniti... Beside the fact that hey really don’t have anything particularly exciting.

Cowboy behind the wheel > E92M3 07/13/2015 at 11:13

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Seeing as how they’re completely different underneath, I’d say its a safe bet. FWD vs RWD, etc.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Nathan 07/14/2015 at 13:23

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Not sure how I missed this. I’m on Infiniti #2 now. I’ve got a 2000 I30 (sibling to the Maxima), it’s FWD, 4-speed auto, and the 3.0 VQ engine, which is awesome. Very luxurious, with a touch of sportiness, and accelerates quite well. It does 0-60 a shade above 7 seconds, and there’s still a good amount of vehicles, even now, that don’t perform that well. It’s still running pretty well at 257,000 miles. All original. I paid $800 for it earlier this year, and only had to do minor fixing up to get it to pass MD inspection. Just the basics. New brakes, tires (which came with the car), muffler, and some suspension components. Overall, not too bad.

I had a 1997 J30, which was a smaller 4-door, and also had a 3.0 V6, but it was the VG series of engines (same as in the 300ZX), and four-speed auto, but it was RWD. Small-ish RWD sedan with a touch over 200 hp? Yes. Please. I loved how it drove. Being RWD and smaller, it was fun and easy to hoon.

I believe I’d heard the J30 described as a “Japanese Jaguar”, which is relatively appropriate, but without the reliability and electrical issues. I’d love to have a new one, and I actually like the way they look. If I had the credit/finances, I’d definitely get one, especially because my job nets me up to a $6,500 discount off sticker on a new Nissan/Infiniti.

They are good cars and they don’t really deserve to be overlooked/ignored. They’ve got some uniqueness in them, especially in the amount of features for the price. I almost see a little bit of Maserati in the shapes of the new ones, which is cool. They are very premium looking cars.