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Comments
1. Certain functions are disabled while driving. This is intended to be safer, but actually causes more dangerous situations - precluding passengers from acting as navigators and offloading responsibility from the driver.
2. The routing algorithms are more likely to head drivers in the wrong direction (when compared with Acura).
3. The user interface is not as intuitive, nor is it as useful as Acura's.
4. Acura/Honda' systems can be voice control in all 2004 vehicles (and the 2003 Accord and MDX). Lexus only offers voice-activation in the highest end models - not the RX 330 (their FX competitor).
Can any one address these issues with regard to the navigation in the FX35/45?
Can you use the navigation system normally while driving? Or do they limit what you can do when the car is moving? Can you enter another address while driving? If you have a list of destinations, can you re-order them while driving? If you enter in the name of a movie theater, will the nav show you the phone number so your passenger can call enroute and see what's playing? The Acura system allows all this. The inferior Lexus does not. Where does Infiniti stand with the FX35/45 nav?
this is the first time i have used/owned a car w/ a nav system so i cannot give you a comparison, but i do like all things tech and can say that i am very impressed.
the voice activation is good but limited; less full featured than the '04 accord nav.
the system does allow changes on-the-fly which has come in handy for me when encountering traffic jams on I-95 as i can ask it to give me an alternate route(s)-or reprogram destinations completely.
it offers 7 million points of interest and all 48 states on one dvd---amazing!
overall it is a surprisingly accurate system but does make occasional minor errors.
ironically, i will not order the nav on the fx as i cannot justify the cost-and it may not be as good as the MDX nav.
Thanks for the good input. You are correct that the 04' Accord and O4' TSX navigation systems have more features. You have pointed out some great features and benefits of the Acura nav. Now let's see if anyone can tell us how the Infiniti nav compares.
The AWD system in our MDX is a nifty electronic device (made by Borg-Warner) that electrically transfers torque all 4 wheels only when needed. So the vehicle behaves like it's 2WD under normal driving conditions. With this arrangement, the performane and mileage penalties are negligible. How does the FX35 AWD work?
Also damormino from everything I have read you will not lose handling capability - on dry pavement - with the RWD FX35, and the car will be lighter (and thus slightly quicker) than the AWD version. Some reviewers have said that the RWD version feels more "tossable" and easier to manuever in tight turns. So if you don't need the AWD for snow traction it would very much be worth considering. The real handling difference comes with the addition of the Sport Pkg - Car & Driver measured a .87 vs .82 skidpad between an FX45 (sport pkg & 20 inch wheels/tires are stamdard) and an FX35 non-sport pkg model (18 inch wheels & tires).
The ATTESSA ET-S AWD system in the FX35/45 pretty much works the same as what you described in the MDX, except that the FX has a rear bias, i.e. RWD. However, it is believed that the ATTESSA AWD system has a performance orientation as it was lifted directly from the Nissan Skyline GT-R. I'm not the 100% expert on the system but the Infiniti website might give more info regarding it.
No offense to FX35 owners but I do wish Infiniti would have not made it possible for a FX35 to look identical to a FX45 by adding options . Maybe , putting one exhaust for the FX35 and keeping the two exhausts for the FX45 could have been a good compromise .
Oh, well !!!! Love my extra V8 HP and don't mind the less gas miles . Would have paid more for a SuperCharged version if they offered it ! Don't think even Porsche SUV turbo would have kept up on a FX45 SC !
So, the questios really are
1) When do the '04s start arriving?
2) Would the dealers be willing to deal?
It seems like they are doing 1% over invoice in NJ, from one of the deals reported a month back. I would appreciate any thoughts on these
Thank You!
Does anyone have a realistic feel for how much milage regarding tread life we should expect for the 18 verses the 20 inch tires.
What would it cost to replace these tires?
The 2004 model arrives in September according to Infiniti and they will actually have a brochure.
Hmm...the 2003 model also had a brochure. After I expressed a lot of interest in the FX when I was shopping, the salesperson gave me one to read over (which I did for days). It was one of the nicer brochures that I have seen.
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/infiniti/deptog.asp?dept%5Fid=58
Now the bad news. Infiniti, like Lexus, disables useful features while the vehicle is moving - forcing drivers to pull of the road and stop. This is proportedly done in the interest of safety, and without going into great detail, has never been shown to increase safety. It may even compromise it. A brief scan of the manual shows that this system is most likely manufactured for Infiniti (Nissan) by Pioneer. Pioneer's aftermarket systems are probably the second best aftermarket systems available after Alpine. The Acura navigation is an Alpine unit. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that the Acura Navigation is a level better than Infiniti. That puts Infiniti somewhere in with Lexus for the #2 and #3 spots. Based on the manual, I would give the nod to Infiniti, but will reserve judgement until a real comparison can be made. I am not sure who Lexus works with on there system - I think Panasonic. I will post a detailed comparison of the three systems later.
Should be about 4 to 6 weeks and will post on how good it is and if it is worth the $500.00 + bucks !
ichiban
Thankyou in advance for you kind response
Since there are no book values available yet: The first year depriciation for the FX for zip code 08854 (NJ) is listed as $10,041. This is based off of the TMV for 08854, which,per edmunds, is roughly $650 below sticker.
However, from what people keep reporting, we should get a new '03 FX for $500 over invoice which is also roughly $3400/= below MSRP OR $2773/= below the reported TMV (Is everyone confused, yet? ;0) ).
Now, since we pay 2,775 below TMV, we are looking at a depreciation of 10,041-2775 = $7,268 /= at the end of the first year assuming tht all other parameters are the same. But if we assume that the mileage on the vehicle is just about 4,000 or so, the mileage adjustment to apply would be ~ (4000* $0.15 = $600). This makes the net depreciation 7,268 minus 600 = $6,668/=. (I may be off by a couple of hundred bucks in rounding incorrectly )
So, Should the price of a pre owned FX35 with 4K miles approx. be around (6668-500) = $6168 below invoice?!?!?!? This doesn't seem to jive Am I missing something here? Somebody, please light the candle - This sounds tooooo good to be true..
(Even if it is true, doesn't it sound too incredible to make an offer based on?!)
FYI, we bought our FX35 AWD with Premium Pkg for $$35,933.39 + TTL back in March 2003. MSRP was close to $40K. So, a used one with 4K for $36.5K is a bit high.
even though the car is supposed to depreciate $10k in the first year, you probably won't find too many people selling it exaclty for that reason: depreciation is too high to sell it. On top of that, there are not so many of them sold to begin with, so of that low number of FXs out there, a tiny percentage will be sold after first year, so this depreciation numbers are a good guide, maybe, but in reality , I doubt they really work, unless you decide to trade it in to the dealer, and then you will get hit. But back to your original question(sorry for rambling on),
I live in SoCal and a couple of dealers offered me FX35 w/premium for flat invoice. That would bring a new 2003 FX35 to about 35 or 36 K depending if you want to include or exclude dealer incentive(about 1k). Hope this helps somewhat. And 36.5 for a used car seems way to high.
Alex
Crickey - My fair price would be Invoice minus 5/6 th of the depriciation so, I get to eat 1/6th of the depreciation; we got roughly 2 months to go before the '04s roll in at full speed. The dealer takes 10months of the dep and I take the remaining 2 months worth. Fair enough?
It's definitely true that too few FXs are out thre for resale. But hey! Figures are figures and paying more than that is like paying over the sticker, to me. I don't like the car like that ;0) (Just me.. Can't speak 4 anybody else)
The other option is to wait a couple more months and see if more '03 pre-owneds are available.
I amstill torn between the RX, FX and the '04 Murano SE expected to show up with triptronic..
I will let you folks know if there is any development.
Thanks very much and have a good day!!
By the way I asked him what my vehicle was worth just out of curiousity (thinking about an '04 fx45 with chrome wheels :-) ). He pegged my car at 35/36 trade which would mean 37-39 retail.
that is not bad. I bought it new in april for 40530 MSRP was 44340. So real world depreciation is only a 1-3 grand on the retail end.
If I traded it I would take a 4k hit on trade in but would probably be able to get that off a FX45 (buying from grubbs he will order '04 for vpp pricing already).
So in reality it would be a wash but meaning I would not be able to get out of the FX45 (why would someone want to?) until the lease would be over.
If I was serious I would swap my lease or sell it privately and do a courtesy trade don't know if my wife would let me though.
I feel that maybe less than 5% of 03's will be resold in a year. The reason is people are passionate about these cars. The only people likely to sell are those that.
1) Have a lot of problems with the car
2) coming from lexus or acura and don't know what "sporty" means
3) are having financial difficulty
4) Want an 04 like me
just my .02
tidester, host
For the first time, one of these items were available and thanks to "clpurnell" I was able to save a good chunk of change.
Here are the spec's from the dealer : Tonneau Cover Assembly, Part #84982-CG000 . They need to see your VIN # to order the right color for your interior .
Go to:
http://www.infinitiwholesaleparts.com/en_US/ and check out page 3 to see an example. My local dealer was going to charge me $517.96 + tax but when confronted with me cancelling the order, he matched the price on this web site. 4 to 6 weeks before I'll receive it and I'll post to see if it is really worth it !?
PS: Still bugging Colgan and Stillen to make a
front end mask (bra) and chip up grade .
Colgan says it still has not made one yet .
Stillen is working on a chip and Supercharger
up grade for the FX45 but not sure when it
will be available .
Thanks again ;0)
I was told Infiniti is redesigning the cover to be more like the Murano cover.
hope this helps
Thanks!
As to the rear end of the cover, one should think Infiniti would have measured it to be exact . Thanks for the input and I'll post when I receive it. Hopefully, it is the NEW DESIGNED Version !
There's an ad in my local paper, quoting 1.9 and 2.9 for 36 and 60 month. Anyone else seen anything like it?
Thanks,
Alex
However, the incentive page on the NVPP (which is normally accurate) does not indicate any customer or dealer incentives on the FX for the month of August.
pay $900 over invoice, while every dealer I called is willing to sell at flat invoice!!! (examples would be Infiniti of Ventura, Advantage Infiniti of Santa Monica, etc). Just my opinion.