New headlight and grille design sets the Infiniti M45 apart from the Japanese-only market Cedric and Gloria sedans upon which it is based. -- Morris News Service

Coming to America

Infiniti delivers spunky kid in M45

By Dan Scanlan
Morris News Service

Cedric and Gloria lived in Japan, and never came to the United States.

But when their little baby M45 was born, they urged the child to immigrate to the land of luxury, with the help of Nissan and its luxury cousin, Infiniti.

The result is a spunky kid with the looks of his parents, which isn't all that bad, and the heart of Infiniti's V-8-powered Q45, which is very good. And like Goldilocks, Infiniti has come up with a powerful "just-right" mid-sized V-8, rear-wheel-drive sedan that fits neatly between its bigger Q45 luxury sedan and the smaller G35 sports sedan.

The M45 really is the offspring of Nissan's Japan-only sedans, the Cedric and Gloria. Both are available with V-6 engines, but Infiniti wanted something with a bit more power, so its designers upped the ante with a V-8 pulled directly from the Q45 flagship sedan. No problem really, since the current-edition Q45 is designed off the Cedric/Gloria platform.

With some exterior design tweaks and a brand new interior, the M45 now comes forth to do battle with the Lincoln LS and Lexus GS300 as well as the larger Lexus LS430, Q45, Mercedes-Benz E500, BMW 540i, Cadillac DTS and Lincoln Town Car.

The result is a car whose design is different enough to stop traffic when we parked it all over town, with many saying it looked a lot better in the metal, one saying it looked a bit GM.

Bird's-eye maple and alloy accent the leather-class interior of the M45 sedan. -- Morris News Service

Side-by-side comparisons with the donor cars show minor modifications were made on the outside of the Cedric and Gloria to turn it into a more aggressive Infiniti M45. The Cedric/Gloria's more delicate grille and headlight design have been replaced with wide black chrome horizontal bars and three-light clusters with high-intensity discharge xenon headlights. The M45's front bumper is bigger, a faceted design with square fog lights and a deep center air inlet.

In profile, crisp design edges run along the top of the fenders into the door tops, meeting at the high trunk to create a wedge shape. The car's flanks are a flat curve bisected by a body-colored side molding and accented by chrome door handles. The Cedric/Gloria's 110.2-inch wheelbase is unchanged, as is the near fastback C-pillar and tapered rear deck, with big angular Nissan-style taillamps. Handsome eight-spoke wheels wear Bridgestone Potenza P235/45WR18-inch radials. Fit and finish on the paint and body panels were good.

Inside, none of the Cedric/Gloria remains, as the M45 gets an elegantly redesigned cabin with black leather, Bird's Eye Maple and pewter-tone alloy accents.

The driver faces a four-dial instrument cluster (160-mph speedometer, 8,000-rpm tach, gas and temperature) with bright amber lighting, easily visible through a four-spoke power tilt and telescoping steering wheel clad in leather. The nicely bolstered front bucket seats are finished in leather, with a 10-way power adjustable driver's seat and four-way power passenger seat standard. They were very supportive, firm and comfortable, although it was a tight squeeze between seat bolsters and door to get to the power controls. Front- and side-impact air bags are standard in front. But the origins of this car, in a land where people are a bit smaller, were felt inside. I found my hair brushing the headliner, while my 6-foot-frame could have used another inch of leg room.

Specifications Vehicle type 4-door, 5-passenger rear-wheel-drive luxury sports sedan Base price$42,300(As driven - $45,155) Engine type DOHC, 32-valve aluminum V-8 Displacement 4.5-liters Horsepower (net) 340 hp at 6,400 rpm Torque (lb-ft) 333 at 4,000 rpm Transmission5-speed automatic Wheelbase 110.2 in. Overall length 197.2 in. Overall width 69.7 in. Height 57.6 in. Front headroom 39.8 in. Front legroom 42.1 in. Rear headroom 37.3 in. Rear legroom 32.5 in. Cargo capacity 13.4 cubic feet Curb weight 3,851 pounds Fuel capacity 21.1 gallons Mileage rating 17 mpg city/ 23 mpg highway Last Word The sporty ofspring of an interesting marriage, but a bit small inside

The angular center of the dash is dominated by a digital screen that can house an optional satellite navigation system, but housed basic displays for the stereo and climate-control system in our model. Under it sits the AM-FM-cassette stereo, connected to a six-disc CD changer in the glove box and playing through a superb 225-watt seven-speaker Bose audio system. Underneath is an oval alloy-rimmed analog clock with "great orange lighting" according to our son. But this is where it gets a bit complicated.

What looks like the volume control for the driver is actually an a/c on-off and temperature control knob. What looks like the corresponding climate-control knob on the other side of the joystick control is actually the stereo volume and power control, while the smaller knob asymmetrically to its right is actually the passenger's temperature knob. To access climate functions outside of temperature, you tap one or the other "Auto A/C" knobs and use the joystick and stereo pre-set buttons to adjust fan speed, air flow (head, feet, etc.). And while steering wheel controls can access preprogrammed stations, volume and AM, FM, cassette or CD, you have to tap the "Audio" button to get a menu that allows scan or seek. Buttons flanking the joystick allow you to adjust the display's brightness, fiddle with stereo bass, treble, balance or fader, or access fuel economy and tire pressure displays.

The glove box had decent room despite the CD changer, while the map pockets were small and the dual-level storage compartment in the center armrest was big. Twin cup-holders hide under a wood panel, while the sun-visors have slide-out and fold-down extenders. The rear-view mirror had standard auto-dim, digital compass and HomeLink garage door transmitter buttons, but it rattled on concrete highway surfaces like the Hart Expressway. We also had an intermittent buzzing from the dash, again on rougher concrete roads. And on one chilly (39-degree) morning, a piercing alarm rang out while the dashboard display said we had a flat tire. In fact, the tire pressures were down around 28-29 psi, and soon warmed up to 32 psi, although the "flat tire" warning didn't go out for a while.

Back-seat room is OK for two adults, with slightly tight leg room if the front seat is set for 6-footers. Rear passengers get a fold-down center armrest with console-mounted air-conditioning vents.

On the road, our 4,500-mile-old M45 felt like a lighter, tighter Mercury Marauder, that company's muscle car version of its big V-8 sedan.

The M45 gets an alloy double overhead-cam, 4.5-liter V-8 engine with 340 horsepower and 333 foot-pound of torque, funneled through a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode. Push the loud pedal and the M45 rockets to 60 mph in a smooth 6.2 seconds with precise shifts and a mellifluous exhaust growl. You can shift the five-speed automatic gearbox yourself, while Vehicle Dynamic Control easily controls the wheelspin the 340-hp V-8 ladles out even on dry pavements. We managed 20 mpg throughout the mixed-use test drive, according to the trip computer.

The ride is very firm but forgiving, its independent strut suspension with coil springs in the front and an independent multi-link suspension in the rear working to iron out bumpy roads and potholes with buffered rebound. Toss it into a turn, and the M45 tracks very well, with a meaty, almost artificial feel to the power steering that didn't offer as much road feedback as some German competition. The VDC also wards off problems during understeer or oversteer. The all-wheel disc brakes also offered good stopping power from 60 mph with a hint of fade after four strong uses.

Our M45's base price was $42,300, with standard dual-zone climate controls, xenon headlamps, leather seats, Bose premium audio system, alloy wheels, wood trim and power windows, door locks and mirrors. Our options included a $950 Comfort and Convenience Package with memory seats, auto-dim mirrors, heated outside mirrors, reverse tilt down mirror, HomeLink, full-size spare and tire pressure monitor. The fully loaded Technology Package comes with the Infiniti Navigation System, upgraded LCD display screen and Intelligent Cruise Control, which uses lasers to sense vehicles ahead and adjust speed to maintain a selected following distance. The sunroof was $1,000, the lighter wood trim $1,000, and trunk mat $60, for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $45,155 with destination fee.

Bottom line -- the new M45 is an obvious choice for car shoppers looking for power and handling in a mid-size luxury sedan, with a different body style that many people seemed to like the longer they saw it. But 6-footers who sat in it found the front-seat headroom and leg room a bit tighter, while the back seat also lacks some of the leg room folks might need for friends or a growing family.

Florida Times-Union staff writer Dan Scanlan test-drives new vehicles on Northeast Florida's roads, averaging about 200 miles of combined highway and city traffic during a weeklong test. The test vehicles are provided by the manufacturer according to their schedule, and represent a broad spectrum of sizes and prices. The prices listed are manufacturer's suggested retail prices.