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2008 Infiniti M35
wanted to start a thread where people could post information about next year's model. Last year we heard lots of rumors about Infiniti trademarking M37, which suggests that rather than just putting the VQ engine from the G into next year's M, they may put in a larger version. Also, Infiniti continues to take hits over gas mileage. Maybe 08 will be the year that we finally get a six speed automatic and other refinements to help mpg while maintaining performance.
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Regarding "get a six speed automatic and other refinements to help mpg while maintaining performance", I don't disagree with improved mileage, and that could also lead to reduced engine revs at highway speeds.
But in my own expereince with BMWs, I found you get improved performance with a 6 speed versus 5 speed automatic, at least in responsiveness.
Thanks
Bruce
Regarding CVT's, I have experience with 2 CVT's. I had a 2003 Murano with the first gen CVT, and I also have a 2006 Lexus RX400h which has the Toyota CVT. The main advantage of the CVT is that it "locks up" at much lower speeds than a conventional transmission. I believe the Murano's torque converter locked up as slow as 10 MPH, while a typical multi gear tranny does so above 30-35 MPH.
The M's fuel economy is embarrassing for such a technologically advanced vehicle.
I have a '71 Buick with 350 4bbl and 3-speed transmission and I can get in the high teens cruising at 70 mph. It has a 3.08 rear end.
Has anyone heard anything further about upgrading the engine in the M35, perhaps for the 2008 model year? If so, any idea whether Infiniti will offer a 6-speed automatic?
Thanks
Bruce
I stopped by the newsstand this evening. The mention of the new 3.7 engine possibly going into the M was in the May issue of Motor Trend, page 56, first paragraph (which is a continuation from the previous page).
Bruce
Bart :shades:
That won't work for me...if that's all they do, then when my lease is up, I'll be in some other car for the next lesae
When you mention M45x, does that mean Infiniti is coming out with AWD for the V-8? Or did you mean to say M35x?
Thanks
Bruce
By way of comparison, I just rented a 36' RV for a weekend with a Ford V-10 ... it had an OD gear and at 65 mph was turning a mere 2500 rpm. Bart
To the guy that said it needs more power, I don't think I've read a single post that it was underpowered in V6 or V8 form; though, the V8 could use some more juice simply for appearances. The 550i and E550 have 360HP and 382HP, respectively. But the M45 is still competitive against the A6 4.2.
I've been looking at the new 535Xi, and an M45x would be a more attractive alternative to me than the M35x.
Does the M45 with auto have the same issue some have raised with the M35 auto regarding high engine revs at highway speed?
Thanks
Bruce
I mileage in NYC is a dismal 9 MPG and at $3.59 A gallon they are in deep trouble with me. MY lease is up in 4/08 and I better see some changes, this is my 4th Infiniti and I dealt with the bad mileage when it was around 2 bucks a gallon I didn't care but when I spend $70 for a full tank and only get 200 miles the buck stops here.
They will sell few M's if they don't improve the horsepower and mileage, I want a 7 speed tranny.
For 2008, the Infiniti M receives major upgrades that include the first-ever availability of Infiniti’s intelligent ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system on the 4.5-liter V8-powered M45. The new model, designated M45x, joins the M35x to provide buyers with two choices in all-climate AWD performance.
Other enhancements for 2008 include revised interior and exterior styling and added luxury amenities and technologies, including the production debut of Infiniti’s newest safety technology, the Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system. LDP takes Infiniti’s existing Lane Departure Warning system (currently implemented on the FX and the 2007 M sedan) one step further by utilizing the Vehicle Dynamic Control to apply slight brake pressure to the wheels opposite the side of the lane departure direction to help prevent the M from inadvertently traveling out of its travel lane.
The M45 continues to offer a 325-horsepower 4.5-liter aluminum-alloy DOHC V8, while the M35 features the award-winning VQ-series 3.5–liter V6, tuned for the M to produce 275 horsepower. For the new model year, both engines will be offered with rear-wheel drive and Infiniti’s intelligent ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system. For 2008, previous M Sport models have been replaced by an available Sport Package.
Enhancements to the 2008 M include:
- New M45x AWD model with intelligent ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive
- Production debut of Infiniti’s Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system
- Revised front and rear fascia, headlights, grille, rear decklid and taillight design, rear fender panels, new chrome accents
- New wheel designs
- Available Sport Package with unique styling, Rear Active Steer (RAS), 19-inch wheels and tires
- Increased differentiation between Sport Package and non-Sport Package vehicles with unique bumpers, side sills, headlight color and wheels
- Rain sensing wipers
- Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation System with touch-screen, 9.3GB Music Box hard drive for digital music storage and playback and available XM NavTraffic® (requires active XM® subscription, sold separately)
- Revised interior and revised aluminum and wood trim
- Standard High Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlights with Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) (optionally available on M35 AWD)
- Standard climate-controlled seats
- New Stone interior color
- New white instrument panel lighting with violet accents and white and violet interior lighting
- Standard XM Satellite Radio (requires XM® subscription, sold separately)
- Six new exterior colors (out of eight total)
On a side note I wonder what sort of mpg's the new M45x will yield.
1) The obvious negative is no changes to the engine or transmission...Where is the 3.7, where is the 6 speed or CVT...and where is the fuel economy improvement? What is Infinity thinking? I guess they are abandoning the M for 2008 expecting the G to make the money. I am going to bet that the 08 M is a very short model year and the 09 comes out (very) early.
2) White and lavender instruments? I wonder if they did any market research? Sounds incredibly ugly for a luxury car.
3) every M owner I know turns off the current lane change system. With the "improvements" which will cause the car to turn back into the current lane, it sounds almost dangerous if you are actually trying to change lanes. I guess it works, but I can't imagine anyone using it except to demo to friends.
4) Finally, rain sensing wipers....wow, what a technology improvement.
I'll be moving to a Lexus or returning to a BMW for my next car.
Before I got around to test driving an M35x, BMW announced the 2008 5 series models and I ordered a 535Xi immediately after a test drive (just picked it up last night). I felt the twin turbo engine would make the 535Xi more of a competitor to the M45 than the M35; the M45x was still an unconfirmed rumor; the 535Xi was available now (although it is expensive), and I have rarely seen any criticism of the ride, noise, and handling of a 5 series.
I was also concerned that Infiniti would upgrade the engine in the M35x to either the one in the new G series, or even the 3.7 engine in the new G35 coupe, and did not want to pay that much money for a car that could soon have last year's engine.
The M45x sounds exciting. I'll be anxious to see what others think, and hope I don't get buyer's remorse!
Bruce
I certainly would agree that it would be nice if gas mileage were improved across the Infiniti lineup. However, I'm a little at a loss as to why this is such a gigantic problem for everyone.
As I have noticed in the various threads, most posting here are very capable of computing actual costs of ownership, leasing, etc. So, if you apply that same mathematical ability to actual fuel costs perhaps you'd stop wringing your hands.
1. Assume that you drive 15,000 miles/year, which is greater than the national average of just less than 12,000 miles.
2. Assume that the Infiniti M45 manages only 16mpg in combined driving. Unless you drive incredibly aggressively or on ultra-short hops with cool down periods in between this should easily be achievable. Even when I make mostly 5 mile in-city drives with long cool down periods between trips I can average 16.5mpg.
3. Compare the above mileage to the car which achieves the best mileage of the bunch, most likely the Audi A6 4.2FSI. Allow us to be generous and give the Audi it's predicted "combined" mileage, 20mpg.
4. Cost to fuel the M45 - 15,000/16 * $4/gal = $3,750/yr.
Cost to fuel the A6 - 15,000/20 * $4/gal = $3,000/yr.
So, assuming even worst case scenarios for the M45 (short hop all city driving) and using the EPA combined figures for the A6, you find that you'd spend an extra $750/yr for gas on the M45 assuming $4/gal gas. I can guarantee you, at least in my case, the actual spread would be far less than this.
Now, let's compare MSRPs of the bunch when similarly equipped. M45 Sport - $56,750, BMW 550i - $71,000, MB E550 - approx $74,000, and Audi A6 4.2FSI - $64,000. With most of you driving your cars 3 years or less, the additional fuel costs would not come close to matching the price difference of the cars.
MSRP, as a measure of cost, can often be misleading due to resale values of the cars. The old, poor resale value argument against Infiniti no longer applies when you look at current figures for the M and G especially. The M has held it's value as well as the BMW 5-Series and has actually surpassed the MB E-Class and Audi A6.
BMW's routine practice of sub venting leases may bring the actual out of pocket costs over the course of a lease close to the M45 so it might be possible to claim that the thirstiness of the M is detrimental. However, if you look at the EPA estimates for the 550i, they are actually lower than the Infiniti M.
As to the matter of high revs and accompanying noise, I've found this to be a concern in the M35 only. Even though the M45 is above 2,000rpm at speeds greater than 60mph, noise is not a factor. The only reason noise is a factor in the M35 is Infiniti's choice to equip the M35 with an aggressive chip set that boosts the exhaust note. I personally would remove that chip set from all M35 models excepting the M35 Sport. I truly believe that more people in the luxury market would seriously consider the M35 if it were quieter. Infiniti has had no problems moving their available M35 inventory without deep discounting or incentives though so perhaps they know better than me.
Finally, I would caution against solely focusing on the features of a car that affect you negatively. While you consider Infiniti "arrogant" for not changing the features you have mentioned, how do you feel about their ability to deliver all the features that this car has for anywhere between $6,000 and $17,000 less than their competitors? I'd say they've done quite a good job of delivering this car at it's price point.
Lots of people were hoping to see some of these improvements for the 08 model year - but Infiniti chose to do nothing in this regard. Whether they are "arrogant" or "foolish" or "have done a good job" is in the eye of the beholder; however, it is hard to see how they will sell more Ms for 08 without having addressed these consistent complaints.
Pearl: The TRUE test of what they have or haven't accomplished is retention of owners who move into their next car as leases on the '06 model expire this year. Repeat business is a better barometer of success or improvement than raw sales numbers, although the raw numbers translate into dollars. But that is short-lived ... if people leave the M badge for Lexus or (perish the thought, BMW or MB) the message will be quite clear that they've shot themselves in the foot AGAIN by not fixing the fixable.
Bart :shades: