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Claudia Hommel
Cabaret Singer
Extraordinaire
Cordell Koland
Car Writer
Weekly Reviews
 2007 Infiniti M35 Sport Sedan by Cordell Koland Under the leadership of CEO Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and its upscale Infiniti division have made major strides forward. But with calendar-year sales off by 15.5 percent through August, Infiniti is slipping. While Mr. Ghosn is attempting to put together a formula to revive General Motors, perhaps he should be spending more time in his home court. Yes, there is hope for Infiniti on the horizon with the all-new entry-level G35 sedan to be launched this fall. On the other hand, Infiniti has taken its full-size luxury Q45 off the market, which isn¹t any real loss. This leaves the company¹s mid-size M sedan as the company flagship and only four platforms‹two cars and two SUVs to compete with the likes of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes, which offer many more models and price points. The M sedan is now slotted at the top of the Infinity line and offers V-6 and V-8 power. The M sedan group ranges from the M35, which offers a 3.5-liter, 275-horsepower V-6 engine with a base price of $41,450 up to the $50,550 M45 Sport with 325-horsepower V-8 engine, active rear steering and 19-inch wheels. With a sticker price of $54,000, it¹s had to see the M35 Sport as a huge value proposition. But it is well equipped with such features as a leather interior, stability and traction control, xenon headlights, 19-inch wheels with W-rated tires, power sunroof, voice recognition control technology, and dual automatic climate control. Options included a GPS navigation system with RearView Monitor, XM Satellite radio, Bose audio, and climate-controlled front seats. Standard safety equipment includes side-impact and side-curtain airbags, active head restraints. Tire condition is actively monitored and can be checked via the LCD display, which registers the exact air pressure in each tire. The most satisfying aspect to the M35 is its ability to pamper the driver. The interior is luxurious and very comfortable. I especially like the design of the center console. Infiniti has developed what might be considered a three-dimensional approach, which cascades the multitude of controls by mounting many of them on a sort of shelf just below eye level. The net result is that almost every button and knob is immediately accessible. This approach differs greatly from the practice of German luxury cars, which hide controls behind a visual display that requires the drive to dig down a computer menu to get the desired effect. I also like the M35¹s ride quality. What really impressed was the ability of the suspension to suppress extraneous motion, no matter the quality of the road surface. While the road surface was full of the normal dips, bumps and undulations, it was as if the M35 rode on rails, without any suggestion of lurching, diving or deviations from a smooth, steady glasslike plane. I'm convinced that a lot of the fatigue associated with long road trips is derived from the constant motion that the human body must endure. But before we give the M35 our highest marks as a highway cruiser, it should be pointed out that the car seems to exhibit more road and wind noise than one expects in this class. Despite Nissan's model designation for the car as the M35 Sport, it's hard to qualify it as a sporting sedan. The V-6 engine delivers adequate power for a 4,000 pound car, but nothing more. I found it particularly frustrating in trying to get quickly up to speed on a freeway onramp. Given the very fast pace of California freeways, this is the kind of luxury I crave. After I was blown off by a big Ford F250 pickup‹which actually passed me on a two-lane onramp‹I decided conclusively that if you like the M sedan, you'd better get the M45 with V-8 power. The sporting aspirations of the M35 are called in question by its handling. The car just doesn¹t deliver the road feel or the precise control of the BMW 530, Audi A6 or even the Acura TL, which is much more affordable. Vehicle:
Infiniti M35 Sport Sedan
Price as tested: $54,040 Engine: Type: 3.5-liter V-6 Horsepower: 275 @ 6,200 rpm Torque: 268 lbs.-ft. @ 4,800 rpm Fuel economy, automatic transmission City 18 mpg Highway 25 mpg Curb Weight: 3,916 lbs. Cordell Koland is an automotive journalist based in California's central coast. He can be reached at cordellkoland@oakparkjournal.com |
