The 2013 Infiniti JX is no secret – Infiniti themselves announced it back in August. They unveiled it in person at the LA Auto show, and it’s about what I expected.

Starting from a cool $42,500, the 2013 JX is a seven seater crossover. A 265 HP 3.5 liter V6 sits under the hood, which should get the JX moving at a decent clip. On the other hand, I almost expect three hundred horses in a $42k luxury mobile. Three hundred is just a number, though, and Nissan makes a fantastic V6. I doubt this will turn away any would-be buyers.

In the looks department, it’s full-on modern CUV. As I mentioned last time, the D-pillar is a little funky, but it doesn’t look odd. The front end is pretty meaty looking – like the QX56 big brother. Nothing particularly exceptional, though.

2013 Infiniti JX Gallery

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When Infiniti officially announced the upcoming JX crossover, the only thought I could come up with was “What took them so long?” The only 7 seater currently in the Infiniti lineup is the truck-based QX56. While a solid offering, it is well behind the times. Car-based land yachts are all the rage these days, and it’s good to see Infiniti joining the club.

As for looks, it’s about as good-looking as any full-size CUV on the market. Perhaps even better, with the muscular Infiniti front-end. The wonky D-pillar is a neat touch too. It’s stylish without being too crazy.

Infiniti promises room for regular-size humans in all three rows, which is sadly absent from many similar vehicles these days. The JX will likely be powered by the excellent 3.7 liter VQ V6, though there’s no telling how much power it will put out in this application.

2013 Infiniti JX Crossover Gallery

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That does, of course, include the destination fee. What does 54 grand buy you in the Infiniti hybrid world? A 360 horsepower, 29 MPG midsize luxury sedan. That’s 29 MPG combined – 27 MPG city, 32 MPG highway. A conventionally powered M37 (powered by a 3.7 liter V6) starts at just over $48k, so you’re looking at a ~$6k premium for the hybrid powertrain.

In the world of luxury cars, $6k isn’t a huge sum of money. But then again, buyers of this sort of car tend not to concern themselves with trivialities such as fuel economy. I doubt Infiniti is planning to move a lot of these – it exists to exist. In other words, Infiniti can now say they have a hybrid.

Read more about the 2012 M35 Hybrid.

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The Infiniti M35 is no joke – it’s a boldly designed, powerful, luxurious mid-size car. The only thing it had been missing, until now, was a fuel-efficient version. Consider that problem solved with the introduction of the 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid. With EPA estimates of 27 MPG city / 32 MPG highway / 29 MPG combined, this is a relatively thrifty luxury sedan.

While the 2012 M35h doesn’t get nearly as good fuel economy as the Lincoln MKZ hybrid, don’t forget that car uses a four-cylinder engine as the basis for it’s hybrid system. The M35h has a much more powerful 302 HP 3.5 liter V6. Combined with the 50 kW electric motor, total output is a stout 360 HP.

Compared to the conventially powered 2012 M37, the M35h is better both in the power and economy front. The M37 makes 30 less horsepower, and gets just 18 MPG city / 26 MPG highway. Adding power while drastically improving fuel economy is always nice.

The real question, as is usual with hybrids, is price. Make no mistake – the 2012 M35h will not be cheap. A plain-jane M37 starts at just over $47, and that’s before you tick any options boxes. What sort of price premium will Infiniti slap on the hybrid? For now, your guess is as good as mine.

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If you’ve been dreaming of having an Infiniti G in your driveway, but couldn’t quite stomach the $33,250 starting price for the G37 sedan, good news is coming your way.  Starting in September of this year, you’ll start seeing a new G at Infiniti dealers – the 2011 G25, priced from $30,950.

Just like the name implies, the G25 is a full-fledged G-series car, just with a smaller engine.  In this case, a 218 HP 2.5 liter V6.  This engine has been available in Japan for a few years, but not in the US until this fall.

For the base price, you get the small engine, leather seats, 17″ alloys, automatic climate control, HID’s, and a seven speed automatic transmission.  AWD is available (though I’d stick with the standard RWD), as rearview monitor and heated front seats.

Power isn’t everything

The G series has never been all about power.  Granted, the world’s best V6 sits under the hood of the G37, and that helps.  However, style, refinement, and fantastic handling have been huge parts of the G’s success.  Plenty of folks buy for those reasons, and don’t have a need for 300+ horsepower.  The G25 is perfect for these folks.  Not to mention the people who will now consider the G25 thanks to the lower cost of entry.

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As chrometastic as ever, the 2011 Infiniti QX56 was displayed at the New York International Auto Show. If huge, powerful, and tons of chrome is how you like to roll, I can’t think of a better choice than the 2011 QX56. It has gobs of power (thanks to the excellent 400 HP 5.6 liter V8), outrageous amounts of space (room for 7 adults), and enough chrome to blind any and all oncoming drivers.

2011 Infiniti QX56 Quick Specs

• 400 HP / 413 lb-ft of torque 5.6 liter DOHC V8 engine
• 7 speed automatic transmission
• Your choice of RWD or 4WD
• Maximum towing capacity: 8,500 lbs
• 10% more fuel-efficient than outgoing model
• Starts at $56,700

More power AND better fuel economy? Sounds pretty good to me. Granted, you couldn’t call the 2011 QX56 anything approaching efficient, but I’m thinking buyers don’t care about silly things like saving the planet. They’re more concerned with the huge rush from stomping on the gas pedal. And, you know, chrome.

2011 Infiniti QX56 Gallery

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Though the future of the Nissan Titan is still up in the air, it looks like the Infiniti QX definiteyl has a future. The current QX56 is a badge-engineered version of the Nissan Armada, which rides on the Titan platform. From these shots, it looks like the 2011 Infiniti QX ( No idea what engine we’ll see ) will be based on the Nissan Patrol, sold elsewhere in the world.

I don’t really care for the look of the current Armada / QX56, and I’m not sure the 2011 QX improves on the current design at all. The front end looks, well, very nice. Bold, modern, clean. It’s the profile / rear end that get me. The D pillar in particular is bizarre in a full-size SUV.

Then again, as with the current Armada / QX, it really isn’t about looks. It’s about the fantastic interior, phenomenal engine / transmission combo, and the ton of goodies that are available.

So does this mean that there will be a 2011 Nissan Armada? Too soon to tell. But I’ll put my money on it.

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The long awaiting drop-top version of the Infiniti G37 has arrived, and starts at $43,850.  Ever since the G35 began offering us a for-real alternative to the German luxury-sport sedan, we’ve been asking for a convertible.  Finally, Infiniti has delivered.  Opting to go with a retractable hard top was probably a good choice.  Though not as svelte as the coupe, the hardtop convertible looks a heck of a sight better than a ragtop would. 

The closest German rival would be the BMW 328i, which starts just a bit higher, at $44,500.  Infiniti still doesn’t have the same brand cachet as BMW, regardless of merit, and it’s good to see the beancounters recognize that.  An Infiniti should cost less than a BMW – at least for now.  A few more models of VQ goodness, and who knows how this battle could play out.

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And the crowd goes wild.  At least that’s how I imagine the unveiling of the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible.  After all, the G35 has been a solid answer to BMW’s 3 series since it’s introduction.  The world has been in waiting for the droptop version, and finally we get it.  Of course, it’s a G37 by this time, which is a good thing.  That means over 320 ponies from the sweet 3.7 liter V6.  Oh, and did I mention that this one’s a folding hard top?  With the top up, it will look as sexy as the G37 coupe.  And that’s fantastic news indeed.

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Infiniti showed off their all-new 2009 FX50 at Geneva – complete with it’s 5.0 liter V8.  This big V8 managed to push out 380 HP – not too shabby for an SUV / crossover / hatchback / thing.  The new FX rides on the new platform underpinning the current generation G sedan and coupe, which means RWD is standard, with the option of AWD.

Unfortunately Infiniti kept the overall design the same, which means very, very ugly.  The FX50 looks like nothing else on the road, and that’s not a good thing in this case.  Couple that with the fact that the 5.0 liter V8 will likely be quite thirsty, and I have my doubts on the success of this vehicle.  Could the younger brother FX steal the new FX’s thunder?  We’ll see, but I’d lay my money on it.

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