2009 Infiniti FX Preview

Even more to the point, Infiniti has made a name for itself by bringing exciting new technologies to market, and the FX50 offers some tempting fare, including the Around View Monitor, which uses four exterior mounted cameras to give you a virtual 360-degree bird’s eye view displayed on the in-dash monitor. You’ll never be able to go back to a simple rear view monitor again.

Safety & Technology

Advanced safety technology includes Lane Departure Warning, which warns you if you’re drifting out of your lane, and will even apply slight brake pressure to keep you in your intended lane. Forward Collision Warning signals a potential front collision and can engage the brakes to reduce impact speed. There’s also industry-first Distance Control Assist, which helps out in stop and go traffic by sensing if you’re too close to the vehicle in front of you, and actually “pushes back” on the accelerator pedal to remind you to maintain a more appropriate distance. Fail to do so and you’ll get a double pulse through the pedal and an audible warning. Upon release of the throttle, the system will automatically engage the brakes to re-establish a safe distance.


What price all this goodness? The FX35 starts at $40,950, and includes standard leather and a Bose premium audio system. The FX50 starts at $56,700. Compared to its most direct competition, the 6-cylinder BMW X6 Xdrive35i at $52,500 and the V8 X6 xDrive 50i at $63,000, and it could be that the “Bionic Cheetah” may be dining on German fare very soon. Stay tuned for a test drive coming soon. (www.infiniti.com)