Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Infiniti EX35

Infiniti first showed the world its new EX35 as a concept at last year's New York Auto Show and then put it on sale in fall essentially unchanged. Although the Acura RDX has been described as a sports car in CUV clothes, it's based on a fundamentally front-wheel-drive architecture. If Honda had instead taken the S2000 roadster, stretched it and jacked it up a bit, they would have come up with something more akin to the EX35. In fact, that's almost exactly what Nissan did.

The EX35 is based on the platform of the G35 sedan/G37 coupe and, of course, the fun loving 350Z. If you want a crossover with sports car genes, it would be hard to find something more suitable. Of course, wearing a badge from the Infiniti side of the family tree means getting a handsomely tailored suit and all the latest high-tech gizmos to go along with the go-fast hardware. It also means a few sacrifices to ultimate utility, but we'll get to that after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Infiniti has finally joined the ranks of other automakers deemed worthy of the IIHS' Top Safety Pick with its recently introduced EX35 CUV. The luxurious and techalicious cute 'ute has garnered a fair amount of praise in recent months for its combination of high-class amenities and high-tech wizardry, but the Institute's focus is set squarely on how it avoids crashes and how it fairs in front, side and rear impacts. In order to receive the IIHS' designation, the vehicle has to provide "superior overall crash protection" and incorporate electronic stability control, both of which, the EX35 apparently provides.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's press release is posted below the fold.

[Source: IIHS]

Entry luxury crossovers are only a few weeks from getting a new competitor, and the Infiniti EX35 will be priced to sell. The base EX begins at a reasonable $31,300, and includes a 297 HP 3.5L V6, five speed automatic, and six air bags. Infiniti also offers a RWD EX Journey for $34,850, and leather-trimmed seats, moon roof, and front and rear sensing systems come standard. AWD is a $1,400 option on both models. Infiniti also offers several option packages that will bring the little CUV over the $40,000 mark, but that's the standard top end for much of the segment.

The EX35 has good looks, a willing chassis based off the G35 sedan, and an outstanding VQ engine. At these prices, Infinity should meet sales quotas and steal buyers from other luxury nameplates at the same time. The EX35 will be available beginning December 21. Check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: Infiniti]

Spatially-challenged drivers rejoice! As previously reported, Nissan has developed a new parking assist system that employs four ultra-wide high-resolution cameras mounted in the front, rear and both sides of the vehicle to provide a bird's eye view of the vehicle's surroundings. All those images are processed and displayed in real-time on a dash-mounted screen, giving drivers a 360-degree view of what they don't want to hit.

Shifting the car into reverse or drive will alternate between a view of the front or rear, while drivers will be able to toggle the left, front and right views when performing a particularly tricky parallel parking maneuver.

The first application of Nissan's "Around View Monitor" in the U.S. will be in the Infiniti EX35, but we'd expect it to become a hot commodity on some of Nissan and Infiniti's more bloated SUV offerings soon.

Nissan's full press release, including a video, is posted after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

Being the auto-obsessive types that you are, we're sure you can recount endless conversations with potential car buyers about the variety of body styles on the market, and how several of the CUVs and wagons currently available are, at times, far superior to their overblown SUV counterparts. The reasons behind the current boom in hatchbacks and crossovers are obvious: better fuel economy, more car-like handling and ride, all with many of the same attributes of an SUV.

USA Today ran a piece that details some of the offerings that are either making a splash in the marketplace already, or that are pegged to be winners as the movement away from big 'utes continues. Much of the discussion centers on some of the new high-end crossovers that are currently in the works, specifically the BMW X6 and Infiniti EX35, which offer a bit more luxury over outright utilitarianism.

The real crux of the article is that American consumers have put to rest the moribund offerings of the 70s, like the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega, and are finally warming up to the sloping rooflines of modern five-door designs.

[Source: USA Today via Winding Road]

While we weren't looking, Infiniti snuck the new EX35 in the back door and released a ton of press pics and details about this newest luxury cute-ute. While we didn't get a chance to attend the official debut, we did spot a nice black example near the Infiniti hospitality tent and grabbed a couple of quick pics. From the front, and especially in black, this vehicle looks long and elegant. When it was introduced in New York as the EX Concept back in April, it won us over with its appealing styling and gorgeous interior. Somewhere between a G37 and FX35, it's quite attractive, but not really cute.

Click image for gallery

Pebble Beach provides the swanky surroundings for the unveiling of the production Infiniti EX35 compact coupe crossover. Introduced in New York as the EX Concept back in April, the car won us over with its appealing styling and gorgeous interior. Happily, both have made the transition to production unscathed. The exterior styling fits right in with the brand's current offerings, and brave Felix Unger types with a passion for keeping things clean will no doubt be thrilled to have the available light cream-colored leather interior shown in the gallery. As with the concept, the IP hood is wrapped in a stitched leather, and black lacquer or maple wood trim adorn the center stack and console. Fans of cloth seating are in luck, too, as its available in the EX.

As was announced by Infiniti in New York, the car arrives with the same 3.5L VQ featured in the G35, and it's tuned to make "over 290 horsepower" here in the EX. Shifts come via a 5-speed automatic. The concept's trick 4-camera Around View Monitor parking assistance system is on the list of available options, and the 60/40 split rear seat has a power folding feature that can be performed from the cockpit or the rear of the car. The other nifty new addition is a scratch-resistant, self-healing finish. Finally, the expected raft of luxury and safety features is, of course, available. Finally, the EX will also be offered in Europe as Nissan establishes the brand there.

This was one of our favorites in concept trim, and if you throw out the show car's magic roof, what you'll see in dealer showrooms is fundamentally the same. That's really good, and we can't wait to get behind the wheel. The US on-sale date will be sometime in December of this year. We've included both production and concept galleries below for your comparison.

[Source: Infiniti]

UPDATE: Additional live shots added to the high-res gallery

click above image for high-res shots of the Infiniti EX concept

After the formal reveal of the slinky Infiniti G37 Coupe, Nissan's luxury division turned its attention to a vehicle that will have significantly broader appeal and is sure to be a supermarket/shopping mall/suburban driveway staple once it sheds the "concept" moniker later this year. We are, of course, referring to Infiniti's very compelling EX Concept, a slightly sub-FX-sized crossover that shares its underlying architecture with the new G37 Coupe and its engine with the new G35 sedan. After a video intro narrated by Nissan's design guro, Shiro Nakamura, the EX had its veil lifted (literally) and we journo-types got our first look at it in person.

It's impressive. More than just a wagon with a G35's face grafted on it, the EX has a sporty stance, rakish profile, and presents itself as a cohesive blend of the division's car and crossover styling. It takes the best parts of both the G and FX, and it's arguably more attractive than future competitors like the BMW X3 and Acura RDX. Showcasing blue sky, concept-only technology like a liquid-crystal roof that turns from transparent to translucent at the touch of a button, as well as production-ready niftiness like the new around-view monitor that uses multiple cameras to vastly improve visibility when parking, and the enhanced lane departure warning system that incorporates brake intervention to help keep the car where it's supposed to be. Both those technologies will be available later in the year, and at the end of the presentation, Infiniti GM Mark Igo officially announced that the production EX35 crossover will arrive at the end of 2007. We asked an Infiniti rep what this means for the FX, and were told that it's evolution will continue as well, and to look for new concepts that will hint at its direction at future shows.

Check out our new live shots in the gallery by clicking below, or watch video of the live reveal after the jump.

You can view all the debuts and galleries from the New York Auto Show here.

The EX Concept is one of those concept-in-name-only vehicles automakers love to trot out at auto shows throughout the year. Sure, the concept car's gee-whiz liquid crystal roof won't make it to production, but just about everything else will when it bows in showrooms later this year as the EX35 (assuming the engine info Nissan Sport magazine's sources provided is accurate). "E" comes before "F," and appropriately, the EX will be slotted just below its slightly larger brother, the FX35/45. As its likely nomenclature suggests, the EX would be powered by a 3.5L V6. It sits on a 112" wheelbase and (the concept car, at least) rolls on a set of 19" wheels and tires.

In the looks department, the EX grafts the new G35's face onto a crossover body. Overall, the look is very tidy and appealing -- moreso than the angrier-looking FX. We haven't got shots of the interior yet, but expect to see the usual level of detail with the new Infiniti products. We'll have more on the EX for you next week from New York. From the looks of things, Infiniti's going to have a winner on its hands when it materializes in dealerships.

UPDATE: High-res photos added to gallery, press release after the jump

[Sources: Nissan Sport Magazine, Infiniti]