Just prior to Memorial Day, Ruth and I had a chance to visit the Seattle area and test a new Infiniti JX35.  We drove it from the airport to Port Angeles, WA, for the purpose of catching a ferry to Victoria, BC.  We also circled the Olympic peninsula and its rainy beaches and forests.  Before we flew out of Seattle, we caught two Seattle Mariner ballgames at Safeco Field.

The JX35 was introduced by Infiniti in the spring of 2012, and is classified as a mid-size crossover SUV.  I call it a luxury crossover, and this one was particularly fancy with an M.S.R.P. of $55,170, including freight.  Its base price of $41,550 was driven up by the optional premium package ($4,950), deluxe touring package ($2,550), theatre package ($1,700), technology package ($3,100), and a set of roof rails for $370.  It’s not difficult to guess at some of the features included in the packages; moon roof, lane change warning, front and rear collision warning/braking, radar cruise control, heated seats in four locations, Bose surround sound, power mirrors/locks/windows/tailgate, tilt/telescope, three movie screens, 8” navigation monitor, and twin front power buckets.  The leather interior was attractive with wheat colored material and gold piping throughout.  Throughout, by the way, means three rows of seats – seven passenger seating in a mid-size!

The outside mirrors had a handy switch that allowed them to be folded in for slender parking spaces or garages.  The feature was nice on the Black Ball ferry boat when passengers were cramming all the vehicles below deck for the 18 mile ride to Canada.  And it seems that most of them go back and forth down there to fetch a handbag or camera.  Other features of the JX included satellite radio, Bluetooth hands-free phone setup, backup camera, pushbutton and remote engine start, heated steering wheel, blind spot monitor, rain-sensing wipers, and wireless theatre headphones for back seat passengers.

Power for the JX is supplied by a 3.5 liter V-6 with 265 horsepower and 248 ft. lbs. of torque.  It’s just ample for the 4,552 lb. machine, and is coupled to a continuously variable transmission (CVT).  The all-wheel drive car sits on a wheelbase of 114.2”, is 68” high, and its width is 77.2”.  Fuel economy ratings are 18 and 23, and during my time with it I observed a 21 mpg reading.  Acceleration at sea level is zero to 60 in 7.8 seconds with a top speed of 121 mph.  The shiftless CV transmission is the best one I have ever driven.

When Infiniti personnel rolled out the JX at a 2012 Denver press conference, they hyped the seven passenger capability and the styling.  The company did, in fact, do a good job with the styling, but their FX and QX crossovers are no slouch in that  department, either.  The good-looking JX had the roof rails as well as ten-spoke alloy wheels, chrome side trim and door handles, fog lights and Infiniti’s signature bold chrome grill.  Tires were Bridgestone 235/55R20 all-season radials.

The Northwest vacation was a blast, in large part due to the great vehicle we were able to travel around in.  Infiniti’s great handling and good looking JX35 is a nice package of luxury and refinement.

    Infiniti’s extensive lineup of 13 models provides a vehicle for pretty much anyone’s taste, and in the middle of the group lies the EX35 compact crossover.  Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan Motor Company, has been selling automobiles in America since 1989, when they introduced the Q45 and M30 sedans to our shores.  At present they make four crossover series vehicles, and the EX35 is the smallest among them.  The others are the FX, JX, and the QX, the biggest of them all.  The QX is the model I so enjoyed early in June.

The 2012 EX35 AWD was painted “Garnet” red metallic with wheat-colored interior leather trim.  The model was the “Journey”, Infiniti’s finest in this lineup.  Upgrades included heated power front buckets, electric power tilt/telescope steering column, Bluetooth hands-free phone arrangement, maple interior accents, sliding power moonroof, push button ignition, XM satellite radio integrated into a Bose 11-speaker stereo/CD system, USB and Ipod connections, 7” color info display, hard drive navigation system with lane guidance and an attractive chrome analog clock front and center on the dashboard.

All these interior amenities made the Infiniti a treat to travel in, but on top of that there existed a small coat hanger on the back of the driver’s seat for a jacket as well as a 60/40, 3-passenger back seat with power up and down capability.  Switches were in place inside the tailgate to operate them in case a bicycle or bag of golf clubs occupied your hands when loading.  Oh, and I mustn’t forget, the cup-holder was a dual level affair to accommodate either a “tall” or a “venti” Starbucks, no sweat.  Just press a switch and the little divider moves out of the way.  I’m going on and on about the interior, but I must admit I enjoyed it.

Power for the EX is a V-6 providing 297 horsepower and 253 lb. ft. of torque.  The 3.5 liter engine is coupled to a seven-speed automatic with manual shift mode.  Zero to 60 acceleration is reportedly 7.1 seconds, and the fuel mileage ratings are 17 city and 24 highway.  I observed 22.2 mpg during my time with the Journey.  The Intelligent all-wheel drive system would be great in the winter, so I wasn’t able to enjoy its benefits, but did enjoy the silky-smooth transmission.

Of all the Infiniti crossovers, the EX35 is not my favorite, styling-wise.  But since I am pretty crazy about the looks of the FX and QX, that isn’t much of a knock.  On top of the EX was an attractive aluminum roof rail/luggage rack, and the vehicle was fitted with 19”, ten spoke alloy wheels surrounded by  245/45R19 Bridgestone Turanzas.  Out back were chrome dual exhaust finishers.  Wheelbase is 110”, making the overall length 15”.

The M.S.R.P of the Infiniti was $45,095.00, and that included the Journey base price, freight, $2,200.00 for the Touring Package, and $2,700.00 for the Premium Package.  Those latter two items provided the nice interior items I described, plus the Xenon headlights, the Around View monitor (like eye in the sky for parking), voice recognition, and the Zagat Survey restaurant guide.

The Infiniti Journey EX35 is not inexpensive, but it provides a plush, pretty, personal AWD vehicle and an excellent driving experience for its proud owner.

This past week in Illinois I was presented an Infiniti FX35 to drive around the state.  Ruth and I picked it up at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and set sail to the Northwest towards Rockford.  Our ultimate destination was Galena, Illinois, an old lead mining town that is currently a resort, named a top ten “charming small town” by TripAdvisor for 2011.  The 1989 movie, “Field of Dreams” was partially filmed in Galena, and it was home to Ulysses S. Grant after the Civil War.

The Infiniti was Iridium Blue and had Graphite leather seating.  The Limited Edition FX35 is the top-of-the-line model that includes hard drive navigation, voice recognition information systems, “eye in the sky” parking assist, Bluetooth wireless, reverse tilt-down outside mirrors, 21” dark finish alloy wheels with ten spokes, adaptive front lighting (auto-leveling), dark aluminum roof rails, and aluminum pedals.  The CD/stereo/satellite/USB system was made by Bose with 11 speakers and speed-sensitive volume  control.  The blue paint was specific to this model and floor mats even had blue piping around the edges.  Of course, a moon roof and rear camera were on hand – the interior was stunning.

Infiniti has been producing the FX series of vehicles since 2003, and is the luxury division of Nissan Motors of Japan.  Styling has always been a hallmark of the vehicle and power is supplied in V-6 and V-8 configuration.  My FX35 had a 303 horsepower, 3.5 liter aluminum V-6 with 262 lb.-ft. of torque and 32 valves.  I drove a V-8 in Phoenix over the winter, and both it and this Iridium blue vehicle had plenty of snap.  The transmission is a seven-speed automatic with manual shifting and snow mode.  Zero to 60 mph time for the FX35 I drove was 6.4 seconds, and with a V-8 that number is reduced to 5.8.  Fuel economy ratings of the car are 16 city/21 highway (23.8 gal. tank), but during my week at the wheel the overall average was 22.3 mpg.  The FX35 weighed 4,299 lbs., wheelbase was 113.6”, and overall length was 191.3”.

Ruth and I enjoyed the ride across the state in the FX, but I wouldn’t want it to be any firmer.  This vehicle is somewhat of a sports car/crossover, with persons that ride in it at a low-to-the-ground attitude, despite the underneath clearance of 7”.  It is not an “off-road” four-wheeler, but a weather-fighter, nonetheless.  Cargo capacity behind the five-passenger seating is 24.8 cubic feet.

As mentioned, styling is the thing with an FX, and tourists all over the state were gathering at the rest stops to take a closer look at our ride.  Twin exhaust finishers peek out from under the rear fascia, and those fender vents behind the front wheel wells are functional.  The wheel wells that reveal the 265/45R21 V-rated all-weather radials, by the way.  The dark gray alloys seemed to be a big draw for the onlookers.

The M.S.R.P. for the FX35 was $52,445.00, including the freight charge.  That was about $14,000.00 less than the big V-8 we tested in Phoenix, and made this six cylinder buggy a pretty fair deal in my mind, and perhaps in those of the buying public.