Luxist Review: 2009 Infiniti FX50 S, putting the sport in SUV

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed)
Jan 18th 2009 at 4:02PM

Click the FX50 for a high-res gallery

In the waning years of the SUV craze a variety of premium automakers jumped into the segment in an attempt to cash in. But since it just wouldn't do for the likes of Audi, BMW or Infiniti to just simply have another truck based wagon, they had to differentiate themselves. Infiniti decided to inject a healthy dose of sport into the SUV equation when it introduced the original FX45 in 2003 and upped the anti with the redesigned 2009 model that debuted last summer.

One way get a vehicle with a sporty character is to start with a sports car platform, which is precisely what Infiniti did. The FX is based on the architecture of the Nissan 370Z although you would never guess by looking at it. Since one of the best reasons for driving an SUV is the all weather capability, we took the FX50 that Infiniti sent over on pre-Christmas ski trip that just happened to coincide with a major snow storm. Find out how it fared after the jump.

Gallery: 2009 Infiniti FX50 S

The 2009 FX50 S that we tested is tops out the lineup that starts with the V6 powered FX35 and comes pretty well loaded out of the box with most of the features you would expect in a luxury machine. The seats are covered in a quilted brown leather that's soft to the touch and nicely compliments the brown and dark grey surfaces of the dashboard. The real maple trim in the door panels and on the center console has a pleasant gloss without being so shiny that it ends up looking like plastic as it does on some luxury cars.

The S in the model designation indicates the "Sport" package which brings with it enhanced sport seats that wouldn't be out of place in a ZR1 Corvette (actually the ZR1 really could use these seats, but that's another story) or a Nissan GT-R. On what turned out to be a five hour trip from our home outside of Ann Arbor to northern Michigan, these seats turned out to be supremely comfortable.

The back seats also proved to be a pleasant place to spend a few hours. Probably the closest direct competitor to the FX is BMW's new X6 which has a similarly high riding stance and powerful engine lineup. The BMW has a downward sloping roofline that gives it a more coupe-like profile. Unfortunately that also means that the third and fourth passengers sacrifice headroom especially if they are long in the torso. No such issue exists with the Infiniti.

The side glass of the FX is shaped like the X6 but the metal extends back preserving passenger and cargo volume in a profile that the British would call a "shooting brake." Along with overhead space rear passengers which included my nearly 6 foot tall son had ample leg room and the rear seat-back angle is adjustable as well. Those relegated to the rear compartment can also have their own entertainment thanks to a ceiling mounted LCD screen for the DVD player and a pair of wireless headphones.

Since we used the FX for a ski trip, cargo volume is obviously important and again the FX came through. We easily managed to pack in four standard roller-bags, four pairs of ski boots, a couple of bags of food for the road and the condo, a couple of laptop bags and assorted other bits and pieces.

On the road the navigation system proved easy to program and pairing my phone with the built-in bluetooth worked flawlessly. The FX carries forward a tradition from the very first Infiniti, the 1990 Q45 with its center mounted elliptical analog clock. Given the sporting pretension of the FX50, a powerful engine would be expected to be part of the package and 5.0L V8 comes through in spades. With 390 hp going through all four wheels the FX leaps off the line and cruises effortlessly. Under hard acceleration, their is a pleasant growl from the exhaust to remind you of the FX's Z-Car heritage but it's never annoying or droning. It's just enough to remind you this a a performance SUV and not a Lexus LS.

A vehicle for hitting the slopes needs to be able to stay on the straight and narrow when it hits the snow. The combination of active rear wheel steering, intelligent all-wheel-drive and electronic stability control helped the FX get through driving snow with confidence. At a base sticker of $56,700 and $65,015 as tested (including delivery charges) comes in several thousand dollars less than an similarly equipped V8 BMW X6 while offering more usable space and a better overall driving experience.

The only real drawback to the X6 is its thirst for premium unleaded. It's 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway EPA ratings are slightly better than the BMW's 12/18 numbers. Considering its performance capability and the weather conditions when we drove the FX it's overall average of 15.9 mpg actually isn't bad. It's definitely worth a look if you're interested in a luxury SUV with a healthy dash of sport for getting to the slopes.