They didn't have a tech package...or even a deluxe touring...or a sport.
I did drive it back to back with a G37x.
First, Infiniti did a great job with the shocks. I'd say as good as any E-class, 5-series, or A6 I've driven. Nice and controlled without being anyway near as harsh as the G37x. That car had what felt like crude, too stiff, linear shocks.
The noise level was reasonable. The interior nicely trimmed...I venture easily the best in its class. The audio sounded fine, tested on XM classical music. (Note: I spend a decent amount of time with Sibelius, Audition and a pair of studio monitors doing scores for various short videos).
Overall, it drove very well.
Negatives:
First the tires. Impact harshness that was often heard more than felt along with flaccid performance in the turns. A better set of tires (probably Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3s) should probably the first thing. However, without a spare, the hybrid may be caught out.
The control knob. In my QX56 it works everything. In this car, it only works a few features in the top nav screen. Most of the rest require touching the lower screen. This requires way too much distraction from the road because fingers on a touch screen can only be indexed visually. The knob should have worked for everything. Also, making the second screen that low really requires taking your eyes off the road. The text on the screen is also rather small, further keeping eyes off the road. Someone at Infiniti/Nissan was asleep at the design table.
Net, this is probably the best car in its class, but suffers a few rather strange design decisions.
I did drive it back to back with a G37x.
First, Infiniti did a great job with the shocks. I'd say as good as any E-class, 5-series, or A6 I've driven. Nice and controlled without being anyway near as harsh as the G37x. That car had what felt like crude, too stiff, linear shocks.
The noise level was reasonable. The interior nicely trimmed...I venture easily the best in its class. The audio sounded fine, tested on XM classical music. (Note: I spend a decent amount of time with Sibelius, Audition and a pair of studio monitors doing scores for various short videos).
Overall, it drove very well.
Negatives:
First the tires. Impact harshness that was often heard more than felt along with flaccid performance in the turns. A better set of tires (probably Michelin Pilot Sport AS/3s) should probably the first thing. However, without a spare, the hybrid may be caught out.
The control knob. In my QX56 it works everything. In this car, it only works a few features in the top nav screen. Most of the rest require touching the lower screen. This requires way too much distraction from the road because fingers on a touch screen can only be indexed visually. The knob should have worked for everything. Also, making the second screen that low really requires taking your eyes off the road. The text on the screen is also rather small, further keeping eyes off the road. Someone at Infiniti/Nissan was asleep at the design table.
Net, this is probably the best car in its class, but suffers a few rather strange design decisions.
