Originally Posted by Mike_TX

... With the exception of soft-close doors and park hold ...

Originally Posted by Helmar

Also missing "Lexus Link" equivalent and auto tilt mirrors.

However, when my lease is up in August, I'll be giving it serious consideration, along with E550 and purchasing my LS600hL.

HBH

Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX

So first..

2011 Infiniti M56 "S"

As I enter the dealership there were tons of G37s lined up, then FXs, then things got confusing as EX/FX/Murano etc were all parked together and I had to reverse as I drove into the NIssans they were selling. I park right behind a black/black M56 and get out and its immediately clear this car is a full size bigger than the GS. Length is 195 inches (5 inches longer) 72.6 inches wide (around the same) and 59.6 inches tall.

Exterior-Those dimensions tell the story like the last model on that it looks too tall and too thin like a Dodge Challenger in proportions. It does not look low and wide. So you walk to the front and the SUV influence is apparent. I walk past the huge fender flares and then you see these slanted headlights and this giant grill. Overall it looks truckish and very masculine. Down low are similar round fog lamps to the last model. It is very curvy and you walk to the sides where the a sharp crease from the front goes to the sides. You notice more curves and then you notice the C-pillar is thin and not thick as the last model which really confuses the tough front end. I end in the rear where the tailights jut out like a Toyota/Lexus and are in a rather ordinary shape. The M56 and "S" badge wasn't even aligned right on any car, it looked like a GM job. At least the last model had some tailight style even if it was ridiculous. The 20" wheels are a must for looks (more on the 20s later) as the M37 I saw with the 18s looked pretty awful. This is one car that looks pretty much the same as it does in pics which means I don't see any opinions changing when you see it in person. There was a M35 parked next to the M37 and it looked for more balanced and classy. Sorry Infiniti this curvy wave stuff isn't really working. To its credit the sport got the nice big brakes from the G37 I believe and they look good (why does everyone feel the need to write their name on the calipers though?). Overall it was a disappointment and to me the best color was I believe "Liquid Graphite".

Interior
So initially I walked inside to check out the showroom model which was open. The doors open and still feel thin like the last model but the interior is a clear step up in quality. A lot of wood if you like wood and it seems very well done (I didn't see any cars with the silver dust in the wood though). Controls IMO are well laid out expect some lower Radio controls I believe which are way to close to the shifter especially in park. Amazingly there is an ashtray on the center console an item dying in other cars. Thats when you start to notice chrome trim everywhere and curves all over. Everywhere you look a curve. You might like it but its a little overdone to me. Headroom is great and the seats felt very good. The seat had the usual power functions. Rear seat room though was lacking, just as cramped as a GS but with much more headroom. It was clearly smaller than the last model which had great rear leg room, IMO one of the best around of most cars. One final thing I hated the headliner, felt like the cheap crap in the old 350Z. I also heard a few creaks in the middle of the dash when I was blasting it around. Which means for the most part the cabin was quiet but I thought windnoise up front was more obvious than the GS.

Everyone in the dealership was friendly. If you are used to Lexus dealerships, this is not as good but its clearly nicer than a Nissan one. Don't expect a ton of space as they simply don't move the volume. The salesmen areas were not as private or upscale as Lexus. I got asked by 3 people did I have help and again they were very friendly and courteous. I spoke back to the first guy to be fair and I asked to drive the M56.

He was friendly and was straightforward saying he didn't read up much on it and I probably know more about it than him (he is right). He told me about the parking/lane features and how fast it was.

He was right.

The Drive
We exit the dealer with him driving and he floors it and the 420hp 5.6 V-8 opens up and roars...It initially shifted hard but I figure it was cold (and hell it is a Nissan). I already could feel the road too much though. We swap spots...

There are 3 settings if I remember..sport, normal, snow. So I tried normal, sport. This car was loaded at $67,000+ sport.tech, most everything. The paddle shifters are in a good place and large enough for my hands (I can palm a basketball) compared to some others who seem to prefer smaller paddles.

Normal mode--the car accelerates but the throttle is not as aggresive. It handles well for a big car but the steering did not feel as "connected" as I thought, especially the way some talk. I honestly wasn't too impressed with the steering. It does have a full leather wheel, good in size and it is "heated" if you press a button. The ride wasn't too good. The 20's really don't help the ride at all, you feel every grain in the road and it wobbles in uneven pavement.

That is when I heard the "Beep Beep" from lane depature. Basically if you go over the white line on either side it beeps. Great feature if you are drunk but for normal driving it would get annoying I would think "beep beep".

Overall, it was very torquey and power felt more than ample...but I dunno, needed more..so hit sport

Sport-Not sure what the hell it does exactly but this is the way I would probably drive the car most of the time. You keep the same harsh ride but to me the throttle and steering fits better. I doubled the speed limit in 35 MPH zones without fear of the rear swinging out. The car felt planted but honestly rode like some aftermarket car with big wheels and a stiff sway bar. It really wasn't what I was expecting. The steering to me was a disappointment. All these electric do-dads in cars make them all feel like like my hybrid. Everthing is "assisted" and I honestly never felt at one with the car. Now true this is my first drive in it but for that that have driven/seen me drive I think I am capable. It really surprised me. In some corners you can feel the weight in the front pull the car, lacking balance. Maybe I set my expectations to high I was expecting this "Japanese BMW" people yap about but all I got was "F-sport Lexus" in translation.

Acceleration--The car feels like it has 380hp, not 420....I am not sure why but it is fast yes (didn't time it) but I didn't feel like OMG. Riding in the LFA might has screwed my senses up. What I do love was the ample torque at any speed in any gear. No waiting, just punch it and the car goes. PLENTY of power and it NEVER felt close to underpowered.

Brakes-Overlooked in most reviews are brakes. They are SUPERB in this car. Lets be honest most people don't track their cars here so in normal driving I feel they will get the job done. GREAT feel, immediate response and never feel on/off. Glad to know they brake as good as they look.

Tech/Features
-The blind assist was cool.....there are two small lights on each side of the mirror and it actually lights up when there is someone in your blind spot. I tested it on a SUV and it worked Except you get another "beep beep" to go with the other "beep beep". Another great if you are drunk feature

The soundsystem is still bose according to the salesman and it sounded loud but was lacking clarity to me. I am no audiophile and surely for most they will love it but compared to the competition it simply didn't leave me with a "wow" experience.

I hate the ******* on top the dash. I don't want to think of bras and **** when I drive. Infiniti in its quest for curves gave the lid over the speedometer double humps. Looks like 2 *** cheeks if you don't like ****. Very odd, weird. Maybe the interior designer likes T&A?

The big Nav screen was very nice and easy to read. I have grown to appreciate "birds eye view". It has real time traffic, weather and 9 gigs hardrive. I do think its kind of redundant for cars to focus on these things when most peoples cell phones do it. I can appreciate the real time traffic though.


Drive vs the GS
So I took my GS over the same road and the Infiniti did feel more capable but honestly not that much more capable. The Infiniti rides on 40 series 20s and the GS has 40 series 18s but the ride in the Lexus is more supple. How do they do that? While the GS has ample torque due to the batteries it is more loud with the CVT whereas the M56 just drops down with a nice growl from the V-8 and it always feels like there is power without telling you all the time it has it. The M56 did have less roll than the GS and felt more planted but again I really was disappointed with the steering and when driving my GS didn't feel "weird" I knew I was right about it.

Finally I am SICK AND TIRED of cars getting bigger, bigger, bigger and then claiming/getting sportier. The confusion is the GS felt more coupe like inside with a less cluttered dash and no ******* over the speedometer. The M56S is bigger, felt bigger and while indeed the sportier car I wish the dash was more drivers oriented. At this rate all cars will be copies of the 7 series, huge and sporty which in essence is a mix at odds with itself.

The dealership had no brochures so I was given a stack of printed paper on the new model. I appreciated the effort but it came across as cheap.

Summary
If you don't desire the supreme dealership experience that is a plus as people were nice but the dealership lacked proper tier 1 "status". If you are a loyal Nissan guy/gal, then you might like the curves of the car inside and out. It is a very good car, there is no doubt about that and in no way is my review saying it isn't. The the price is $67,000+ loaded and I think that is 10k to high and reading around it seems discounts are available already. I did not walk away feeling that car was worth near 70 grand. I did not walk to my car saying "damn that feels old". Which leads me to believe the M37S might be the better buy around 55 grand.

Sorry but the 5 series has NOTHING to worry about.


All pics taken with my iPhone....

Where the last model is more sedate the new one is curvy. Personally I can't believe it but I really like the last model.



This is where things get bad to me. The front with the huge grill and aggressive flairs is met with a slim center and a slimmer C-pillar than the last model, a bulbous drooping rear and non distinctive tailights.



This is the one I drove. The front is very bold with the 20s peeking and you can see it and the new QX have very similar cues. I think with the chrome painted black it would look even more tough. (you can see my 450h behind it)


Not the one I drove but the same color. 4 spoke steering wheel looks out of place and the curves are just overdone to me. It is well laid out to me for the most part and high in quality. You can see the "****/asscheeks" on top of the speedometer with the double hump cover...When I was driving it just felt like I was looking at buns or ***** the entire time....


You have to get the 20s for looks but the 20s give it a harsh ride, here it is with 18s...


I guess in the sake of keeping things "curvy" the rear badges are not straight across but angled upward.