speedflex

I think I've only seen one "review" of the new M and that one used pre-production cars. Where are the rest of these reviews?

soakgame

actually passed through the dealer last week and saw the 2010's..

i like the new look.. i wish i had the fog light setup on my 2007.. but to each his own

UDel

http://www.insideline.com/infiniti/m...rst-drive.html
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/dr...finiti-m37-awd
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...pressions.html
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...37_m56-preview

Here are a couple I found. Yes I believe they all were pre-production but that still does not mean that is the sole reason it felt sluggish to the reviewers and Nissan was not wanting them to really drive the v8 or draw a conclusion from the M56 they test drove. I find it odd that Nissan would test and allow reviewers to drive a pre-production or close to production M56 that was so out of tune and down on power for some reason. Why is it so down on power?

Infiniti had the same issue with the last Q45 where the gearing was so poor it felt sluggish and was slower then cars with much less power. Maybe the engineers will get the final version to where it feels and performs like the hp ratings suggest but as of now reviewers did not seem all that impressed with the performance of the v8 and felt the v6 was the better choice with a better soundtrack and livelier character that felt almost as quick if not as quick as the v8. People are not going to pay extra and choose the v8 if it does not blow the v6 version away like a 420hp v8 should.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Infiniti priced this car on par with the class. I do not believe that tghis car will be a slug considering how much of a shot gun the heavy FX 50 is. If the price of admission is too high then this not the car for you. Wait for a used version

TRDFantasy

This car apparently won't be for a lot of people given the fact that it's priced roughly the same as the class leaders. Infiniti has nowhere near the brand loyalty, reputation, prestige, or dealership service of the class leaders, yet they believe they can price it this high.

Infiniti is suffering from "Acura syndrome".

Most people aren't going to pay almost 60K for a base M56, because instead they will buy an E550 or a 550i.

A lot of people might not even pay 46K for a base M37 given the release of the new 5 Series, and how well the new E Class is selling.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

^^ What a bunch of crock.. Consumers purchased the current $60k Infiniti M series cars and will continue to buy them. The car has its niche & need not be a 200k per year seller. The m series is a fantastic vehicle & fits the bill when it comes to performance luxury sedans.

TRDFantasy

Yes, they purchased them in very small numbers, and will continue to purchase them in very small numbers, especially at these prices.

The Acura RL "has it's niche too", but that doesn't make it any less of a sales failure.

(Cj)

I don't think Infiniti cares if the new M becomes a volume seller, hence why they haven't released any sales guidance. Remember there coming out with a TL/ES compettor so that will probably be their new volume midsize sedan. The M will be the pseudo flagship which is probably why Infiniti thinks they can command such high prices for it.

TRDFantasy

Infiniti must be setting the bar pretty low for the new M then.

LexFather

lol at the irony of crock...

Infiniti's like BMW sell on lease rates. Their MSRPs are largely irrelevant. They both also offer some of the highest incentives per luxury brand (along with Cadillac).

So please, the "pay to play" arguement is largely invalid. You also have no idea (no one does) of how many M45s were sold last gen and how many were loaded.

Looking at autotrader/cars.com and around town, most are M35s with most M45s being not fully loaded.

FYI, there is not one person in here saying its not a great car. That has not been the argument at all. The argument is the high price from a brand that still struggles with image.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The midsize luxury sedan segment is my favorite and this time frame where they are all redesigned within 1-2 years of eachother makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. New E, new 5, new M, now I'm just waiting for the GS

Audi's recent FAILs with the A4 and A8 have me less enthusiased about the A6, and I have given up on the RL all together. The Caddy _TS will likely be FWD and V6 only, so that's also pretty irrelevant to me as well.

joe80

60k is now new 50k.

TRDFantasy

The Infiniti M really does not appeal to me with it's bulbous styling, but spec-wise it seems like a good car.

The 5 Series seems like a solid effort, although IMHO the exterior styling is incredibly boring.

The new E Class I really like, from styling, to specs, to even price (as Benz greatly lowered the price compared to the last-gen model). So far the new E Class is my favorite car in the midsize premium luxury segment.

The A6 I have a feeling will have a strange exterior like the A8, while still managing to look like an A4. I have a feeling it will dissapoint.

The new GS is the one I am most interested in right now, since the A6 and the GS are the only next-gen models in this class yet to revealed.

The next-gen GS needs to be great in all aspects, as competition in the class is tougher than ever. I also eagerly await the GS because it will show hints and cues as to what the rest of the next-gen Lexus sedans will look like, in both exterior and interior.

I guess Mercedes never got the memo. They reduced prices on their new E Class instead of increasing them.

speedflex

Thanks. I do remember those. The only one I consider a real review is the Edmunds one. The rest are just preview drives which never really give any significant impressions.

Maybe I'm missing something but the only one of those 4 who mentioned disappointment with the M56 was Car and Driver (And their impression was strictly subjective since no performance figures were not provided). The other reviewers did not comment at all and it appears that they didn't have much time, if any, with the V8 M.

And regarding the prototypes this is what Inside Line had to say:

"We were driving development mules, however, and Nissan's engineers were still in the process of fine-tuning the M's character at the time of our drive. We've since been told that the personality of production versions of the 2011 Infiniti M56 will be enhanced through revisions to the throttle and transmission calibrations, and that they're taking another pass at its aural signature."

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I guess my thoughts would be somewhat different. I really don't mind the look of the new M, provided it's in Sport trim with the split 5 spoke wheels which is the only way I would buy a car like this anyway. 330 or 420hp connected to a 7AT is 100% win in my book, but I hope the production car "feels" more like 420hp as many of the reviews have indicated that it doesn't. I also find the M interior to be drop dead gorgeous, so that is another selling point for me.

I really don't care for the exterior styling of the E class as I find it to be a mashup of cues that don't flow that well together overall. Some sharp, hard lines and yet plenty of curves and organic shapes. I'm not saying every car should either look as hard as an xB or sinewy as an SC 430, but I just don't like the design execution on the car. The interior is nice but I am not so much a fan of the upright dash and console mounted shifter. The V8 is now out on power and the V6 is perhaps one of the most inferior engines on the market- it's not particularly fuel efficient or fast.

The new 5 is the wild card for me, as it seems beautiful in some pictures and dull in others. The interior looks like a huge step up and I like a lot of the details of the car inside and out. The engines are, as always, strong and seem up to the task.

Of those three I think I would go with an M Sport. I like the interior the most of all and can live with the exterior so long as it's a Sport model.

As for the GS and A6...I guess we will see. Based on how Audi ruined the A8 and what they did with the A4, I really don't have high hopes for the A6. Also, if they plan on using the same 372hp V8 for the new car then I would suggest they just drop it and go with some F/I option because that engine is weak.

The GS...I have high hopes for. As I have said time and time again, the awkward and completely unnatural power steering in the GS is what absolutely killed the car for me. Yes it needs a sports package, a better V8, and more personality but first and foremost the steering is awful. That said, I think it was the first car that switched over to electric power steering and since then Lexus has made some significant improvements with this technology- IS, ISF, LFA, and even the LS all feel more linear and natural than the GS. I am hoping that they will do more to differentiate the car from the ES and give it a more performance-oriented attitude with more personality, more dramatic styling, and especially more performance. I think the 4GS will be a make it or break it moment for the line, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will do it right.