2011 Infiniti M56x

Infiniti’s new M-series luxury sports sedan has the brains and the brawn to compete with Bavarian and German luxury car manufacturers. Under the spotlight Infiniti has used its M56x as a showcase to illustrate how technology should be put to use in everyday life; abundant and ever-present, but imperceptible and noninvasive. The M56x offers power, luxury, and technology in ways that you didn’t know you needed, but once you experience them, you won’t want to live without them.




I’ll jump at the chance to drive anything with big horsepower. In this case, it was a 420 hp luxury sedan. I had envisioned being rewarded with wheel spin upon mashing the gas pedal, yet gritting my teeth under braking and cornering. Upon taking delivery of the test car and seeing its size and heft first-hand, I was sure my initial impression was justified as I thought to myself, “all-aboard the USS X56m!” At about 4,200 pounds, I figured the acceleration would be brisk, but it would drive like a boat. I was so wrong.




The driver’s cockpit is so adjustable, everyone is sure to get that perfect “fits-like-a-glove” feel. The first thing you’ll notice is that the seats are soft, yet firm and supportive and well-bolstered. The leather seats are perforated and the front seats are both heated and cooled and work in conjunction with the climate controls to keep your body at its preferred temperature.

The driver’s 10-way power seat will get you into the perfect position. Once you are there, you can use the power tilt/telescoping wheel and power telescoping pedals to bring all the controls to your effortless reach.

Much of the interior and climate technology is built into the multi-function display. Take the time to set things up once and the dash-mounted buttons will simply do whatever you want.

Now what if your significant other adjusts all these preferences to their liking? Don’t worry. Just use your own wireless key fob and the M will know who’s in the driver’s seat and adjust settings accordingly – including radio presents and other functions.




The redeeming quality here is that if you are driving through the hills in a spirited fashion, you can put the transmission in sport mode and after a minute of spirited driving, the car will catch on that you are trying to have fun and will begin to hold a gear for quite a while without upshifting since it knows you have sportng intentions. This doesn’t mean the car is not fast from a standstill, it just doesn’t feel particularly fast. It wants to shift out of first gear ASAP.

Even Sport mode did not allow it to hold first gear for very long unless you bury the throttle and keep it there. It also never downshifts into first gear if the car is moving – even at a very slow speed. Second gear is all you get unless you go into manual mode. But manual mode gives you some very laggard shifts. Even with all of this computer nanny stuff, you can still just mash the gas and watch the other cars disappear effortlessly behind you. The 7-speed transmission helps keep you in the power-band at whatever speed you demand.