scarbrough77
Member
- Name
- Danny Scarbroug
We just bought our first Infiniti, a 2011 FX35 AWD in Midnight Mocha. It has really low miles and is in pristine condition, it's the AWD model with all the options minus the Technology Package. We come from a dozen years of Toyota ownership, so this is quite a change for us. I tend to become active in communities like this, have been a member of t4R.org for more than a decade now since we bought our first 4Runner. I figured I'd end up here eventually so decided to go ahead and join now and introduce myself. Here's a summary of our experience that I posted on another forum, figured I'd share here as well though it's a bit long for a first post.
Coming from 4Runners for the past 10 years we did not want a car, wanted something with a bit higher ride height but also wanted something a bit more sporty. Coming from a 4Runner that's not a difficult task obviously, but was still the main factor behind the decision.
We test drove everything out there before finally deciding on this one. There's not a perfect vehicle out there, and the FX is no exception, so it made this a long yet fun process. Models that made the initial cut were the Audi Q5 and Q7 (and basically the VW version of those vehicles), Lexus RX350, Acura MDX, Cadillac SRX, BMW X5 and X6, Mercedes M Class, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, and obviously the Infinity FX and JX models. The first round of elimination was pretty easy as with some there were glaring things that we didn't like.
All were very nice vehicles so we're not talking bad points here, just things that didn't match our personal style:
As we drove more and more cars though we could really see that our preference was more on the sporty side of things, so the real choice came down to the BMW X6 and the FX35. Those two are very comparable, and without writing an article on the two I'll say there were a couple things that pushed us towards the Infiniti.
Let me touch on that last point a bit more. If you're in Texas and looking at a brand of vehicle that Sewell sells, you should be looking at them as a dealer. There are lots of high end dealers these days that have great customer service practices in place, so from that perspective Sewell now has more competition than it did in the past, but Sewell wrote the book on how customer service should work in a dealership (literally, he wrote a book called 'Customers for Life' that many other places have modeled themselves after). It's not just about the free car washes, free loaner cars, or the fact that they'll pick up and deliver your car for service...those are all nice and they set the standard for alot of that stuff years ago IIRC. It’s about the whole experience though, buying this car was BY FAR the most pleasant experience that I've ever had at a car dealership...and it’s not even close. When we were shopping around, they were the ONLY place that let me come and go freely without a hard sell as I told them I was going to other dealerships to look at models they didn't carry, and then when it came time to do the deal it was the most relaxed experience I've ever had buying a car.
OK, back to the car. We've had it a few days and really love it so far. I'm glad we opted for the all-wheel drive version even though the MPG takes a slight hit and I assume will cost us more in the long run, we drove both and it feels more 'grounded to the ground' than the rear wheel only model. I can honestly see this as a vehicle that we'll hold on to for a long, long time.
The styling seems to be very polarizing, people see this car and they either really like it or instantly hate it – and I’m good with that. That's the opposite of what I'm accustomed to with Toyota, where their vehicles are never really offensive but also never something you really LOVE either. Being boring is the worst offense of all, and IMO too many cars on the road today fall into that trap in efforts to be accepted by the greatest number of people possible. This vehicle does not fall into that trap.
Ultimately the FX isn't the most practical option, even in the crossover SUV market, but it makes up for it in performance. It’s not the most fuel efficient, does not have the most cargo space, does not have the most visibility, does not have the most rear headroom, and is not the most capable in terms of going off-road. But it has enough of each of those things to meet our needs and plenty of performance, luxury and personality to make up for those and then some.
We'll miss the 4Runner, the last two trucks have been good to us these last ten years but it's time to move on to something new I guess.
Coming from 4Runners for the past 10 years we did not want a car, wanted something with a bit higher ride height but also wanted something a bit more sporty. Coming from a 4Runner that's not a difficult task obviously, but was still the main factor behind the decision.
We test drove everything out there before finally deciding on this one. There's not a perfect vehicle out there, and the FX is no exception, so it made this a long yet fun process. Models that made the initial cut were the Audi Q5 and Q7 (and basically the VW version of those vehicles), Lexus RX350, Acura MDX, Cadillac SRX, BMW X5 and X6, Mercedes M Class, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, and obviously the Infinity FX and JX models. The first round of elimination was pretty easy as with some there were glaring things that we didn't like.
All were very nice vehicles so we're not talking bad points here, just things that didn't match our personal style:
- The Audio models were nice, but didn't really find much in our price range and the interiors, while very nice, just didn't excite us much. Honestly if I'd found more in our price range this may have been a better contender. Audi really has the AWD system down to damn near perfection.
- The Acura drove ok and had one of the better rides out of the bunch, but the interior didn't impress at all. Of the bunch, this was the one we were downright disappointed with in terms of interior - that's clearly not an area of focus at Honda.
- The Cadillac was a nice balance between performance and ride comfort, of everything it probably had the most even distribution between the two and I'd rate them at 50/50. Ultimately I just don't like any of the styling Cadillac uses, not for a SUV anyway. That aggressive, angular styling works well on a car like their new ELR, but it's too much for the kind of car we're looking for. The SRX lost only because of the styling, everything else was very good.
- The Mercedes has transmission problems DURING the test drive, that's not a good sign. We drove the ML 350 and it felt underpowered compared to the other options and even our 4Runner, that could have been related to transmission problems but it didn't feel like it on the drive. We actually liked the exterior styling alot and the interior was nice, but their electronics system is not very intuitive at all and would be difficult to use.
- The two Jeeps were very nice. They weren't quite on par with the interior quality of some of the other models but were still very nice. The Grand Cherokee is a damn nice vehicle, but ultimately chose against it because the drive and ride were too similar to our 4Runner, to the point where we were wondering why we were upgrading. If I were looking for a vehicle like our 4Runner the Grand Cherokee would get very strong consideration. The Cherokee is a nice vehicle as well, and has tons of bells and whistles and good MPG compared to everything else, but when compared to the other options on the table you could feel the difference in price, everything just felt smaller and lighter. It was hard not to go Jeep because of what you get for the price though.
- The Lexus RX350 was a very nice vehicle, the drive was surprisingly sporty and very comfortable and the interior was very nice. I can understand why you see SO MANY of these things on the road, but therein lies the problem. We see these EVERYWHERE, and even other vehicles like the MDX look to be derivatives of the same shape. In our neighborhood, every fifth house has one of these parked out front. Ultimately I just couldn't do it, I don't need an exotic vehicle, but I gotta be able to have a reasonable chance of spotting my car in a parking lot.
As we drove more and more cars though we could really see that our preference was more on the sporty side of things, so the real choice came down to the BMW X6 and the FX35. Those two are very comparable, and without writing an article on the two I'll say there were a couple things that pushed us towards the Infiniti.
- Ultimately reliability wasn't a huge concern because of the dealer we went with, but the Infiniti looks more reliable at least on paper and in studies.
- We personally liked the styling better on the Infiniti, by a mile, but that's purely subjective. The Infiniti is more outlandish while the BMW is more understated, both inside and out, so it's really just a matter of which you prefer.
- The FX35 was considerably cheaper than the X6 and has slightly better fuel economy and the X6 REQUIRES premium gas whereas the FX35 just PREFERS it.
- Finally, we were able to buy the Infiniti from what I think is the best brand of dealers in Dallas (and likely one of the best in the country), Sewell. Sewell has pre-owned BMWs but is not a BMW dealer and likely can't do all the service needed on those, and service is the reason you go with Sewell.
Let me touch on that last point a bit more. If you're in Texas and looking at a brand of vehicle that Sewell sells, you should be looking at them as a dealer. There are lots of high end dealers these days that have great customer service practices in place, so from that perspective Sewell now has more competition than it did in the past, but Sewell wrote the book on how customer service should work in a dealership (literally, he wrote a book called 'Customers for Life' that many other places have modeled themselves after). It's not just about the free car washes, free loaner cars, or the fact that they'll pick up and deliver your car for service...those are all nice and they set the standard for alot of that stuff years ago IIRC. It’s about the whole experience though, buying this car was BY FAR the most pleasant experience that I've ever had at a car dealership...and it’s not even close. When we were shopping around, they were the ONLY place that let me come and go freely without a hard sell as I told them I was going to other dealerships to look at models they didn't carry, and then when it came time to do the deal it was the most relaxed experience I've ever had buying a car.
OK, back to the car. We've had it a few days and really love it so far. I'm glad we opted for the all-wheel drive version even though the MPG takes a slight hit and I assume will cost us more in the long run, we drove both and it feels more 'grounded to the ground' than the rear wheel only model. I can honestly see this as a vehicle that we'll hold on to for a long, long time.
The styling seems to be very polarizing, people see this car and they either really like it or instantly hate it – and I’m good with that. That's the opposite of what I'm accustomed to with Toyota, where their vehicles are never really offensive but also never something you really LOVE either. Being boring is the worst offense of all, and IMO too many cars on the road today fall into that trap in efforts to be accepted by the greatest number of people possible. This vehicle does not fall into that trap.
Ultimately the FX isn't the most practical option, even in the crossover SUV market, but it makes up for it in performance. It’s not the most fuel efficient, does not have the most cargo space, does not have the most visibility, does not have the most rear headroom, and is not the most capable in terms of going off-road. But it has enough of each of those things to meet our needs and plenty of performance, luxury and personality to make up for those and then some.
We'll miss the 4Runner, the last two trucks have been good to us these last ten years but it's time to move on to something new I guess.
