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Week at the wheel: Infiniti EX 37. Image by Infiniti.

Week at the wheel: Infiniti EX 37
The EX 37 does its best to perpetuate the 'posh Nissan' tag that Infiniti loves so much.

   



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| Week at the Wheel | Infiniti EX 37 GT |

Overall rating: 3 3 3 3 3

Pardon the predictability of the following sentiment, but the EX 37 is too much like a posh Nissan Qashqai for its own good. It's well built, handsome, quick and surprisingly good to drive, but it just doesn't feel special, and it's alarmingly small beyond the front seats. Then there's the cost of running the thing...

Key Facts

Model tested: Infiniti EX 37 GT
Pricing: £41,930 (data correct as at 28 July 2011)
Engine: 3.7-litre six-cylinder petrol
Transmission: seven-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Body style: five-door SUV
Rivals: Lexus RX 450h, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Volkswagen Touareg
CO2 emissions: 265g/km
Combined economy: 25mpg
Top speed: 149mph
0-62mph: 6.4 seconds
Power: 320hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 360Nm at 5,200rpm

Inside & Out: 3 3 3 3 3

Infiniti's EX 37 is about as swoopy and hunkered as these things get, with slim lights, high shoulder lines and a grille raked steeply backwards. We don't know whether it's badge unfamiliarity or just its compactness, but the EX doesn't quite have the road presence it should.

The coupé-like styling doesn't really help matters in the cabin either, because there's little by way of rear legroom and luggage space; by volume the boot is smaller than a Volkswagen Golf's, which for a £40k 4x4 is a shambles. At least the cabin is nice. Again, maybe this is to do with us Europeans having very little knowledge of Infiniti's corporate aesthetic, but it's certainly styled more pleasantly than the interior of the Lexus RX 450h - and has all the quality. Takes a bit of time to learn, but then if you've bought one that's presumably an investment you're willing to make.

Ride & Handling: 4 4 4 4 4

Not many SUVs, or even crossovers for that matter, ride and handle with the sort of gilt-edged composure that the EX does. It has the roll-quashing cornering capability of a Mazda CX-7, but with much better bump-soaking skills. Its nimble athleticism, cornering grip and fluent steering are at odds with its high driving position and ability to float at low speeds; it's a very well set-up SUV, completely unintimidating to drive.

And when it is just shuffling along, it's properly quiet, with a muted engine note and little wind or tyre noise. Nissan's done good.

Engine & Transmission: 4 4 4 4 4

We know this engine from the Nissan 370Z and it's a peach - but not necessarily the sort of peach you want in an SUV. It makes the EX 37 one of the quickest 4x4s around (check out the stats above), but also one of the most demanding to get the best of; who wants to be revving an automatic 4x4 to high heaven all the time?

That said, even though its torque peak is up in the hills, it's actually such a strong engine and the gearbox so unobtrusively slick, that it doesn't ever feel underpowered or clunky at the bottom end. Plus, it's a nice change not to have a diesel chugging away. The real problem is running costs...

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money: 2 2 2 2 2

Infiniti first introduced the EX with just this petrol engine. In your face, European market convention! Problem is, the diesel that Infiniti eventually did come to town with (the EX 30d), is a lot slower but not a lot more economical (33.2mpg; 224g/km; 0-62mph in 7.9). So, unusually, we'd probably tell you to buy this petrol one and just swallow the running costs.

But you'd better be ready to take some big gulps, because the reality of a petrol-fuelled V6 in a near two-tonne SUV is fuel economy in the high teens. It's officially a gas-guzzler: you'll pay a grand in showroom tax for year one, then £460 every other year. The upsides are that the list price undercuts the Lexus RX 450h's and the Mercedes M-Class's considerably, high equipment levels are Infiniti's forte and it'll be as reliable as a builder's travel kettle.


Mark Nichol - 3 Apr 2012



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2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.



2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

2012 Infiniti EX. Image by Infiniti.
 

 






 

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