FX50S spearheads new Infiniti range

Expert Rating:

What is it?

The FX50S is the flagship SUV from new brand Infiniti. Think of Infiniti as Nissan's equivalent to Toyota's Lexus with more emphasis on sporting appeal and design flair. The FX is offered in FX37 guise with a 3.7-litre V6, or this fully-loaded FX50S with a 5.0-litre V8 that delivers a thumping 384bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 5.8 seconds. As flagship SUVs go Infiniti isn't holding back, the FX50S promising not just brilliant dynamics and performance but styling that's absolutely guaranteed to turn heads.

Is it any good?

Should I call the bank manager?

You'll need to give your bank manager the hard sell to convince him to loan you in the region of £55k for a 5.0-litre V8 engined SUV from a brand that he's unlikely to have heard of. Infiniti itself will surely be a better bet if you're after finance. Insiders at Infiniti suggest that trade-ins for the FX50S have covered everything from Nissan 350Zs to Porsches and Ferraris. It seems that a good few buyers aren't bothered by Infiniti's ability to offer the FX only with petrol power, either. They might change their tune when they're filling it up, the 21.7mpg official combined consumption figure unlikely to be achievable in reality. Emissions of 310g/km won't please the environmentalists either, but the taxman will be happy enough with his takings.

Summary

Infiniti's FX heads an impressive new range of cars that will enter the UK market officially mid-2009. The FX50S is the flagship model, but it demonstrates an understanding of the marketplace and level of ability and appeal that underlines Infiniti's seriousness in becoming a player in the busy premium marketplace. We fully expect Infiniti's planned 14 UK outlets to be busy with trade-in BMW X5s, X6s and Porsche Cayennes when the FX50S and its FX37 relative go on sale next year.

Kyle Fortune