I have to admit, there is not much I like about the Infiniti FX50. This is certainly not the opinion of the rest of our staff. So, bear with me while I explain some of my reasons.
Normally, I like big powerful V8 vehicles, but the FX50 just seems so silly to me. The loooong front nose sticks out like Pinocchio's. There was an FX35, which looked like a dwarf next to my FX50, parked on the corner of my street, right on the corner, actually sitting illegally on the turn. I couldn't see around it as I was trying to cross the intersection. I was inching out and ended up with the big Cyrano nose sticking out so far I might as well have just blown across the intersection before I could actually see.
I also have a hard time judging where I am in a lane. That big nose distorts my view. Looking in my side mirrors I can tell I have a tendency to drive it too far to the right of the lane. So I have to keep compensating.
There is no button on the key fob to pop the back hatch. Vexing. I took The FX50 to the supermarket and there was hardly any room to put grocery bags. I didn't want to fold down the seats just to load groceries, so I put some stuff on the back seat.
I did find something pretty spiffy though: the Around View parking monitoring system. Because of its odd shape, the FX50 sorely needs this. It not only gives a view behind the vehicle, it gives you a top view of the surrounding area. Very cool. Here's a little video to show you Around View in action:
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
carguy622 says:
02:07 PM, 06/ 1/09
I'm glad to hear that the around view monitor is turning out to be universally loved. Initially I wasn't sure it would help much or that it wasn't just a gimmick.
caheew says:
04:50 PM, 06/ 1/09
How does that system give you the top view of where you are? I don't understand.
carguy622 says:
06:09 PM, 06/ 1/09
caheew: There is a camera in the grill, the rear tailgate, and the two rear view mirrors that point downward. The FX takes those images and puts them on the navi. screen with an image of an FX from the top to make it appear as if you are looking down on the car.
iancar says:
09:55 PM, 06/ 1/09
I wonder how much money it takes to replace the whole set of CCTVs?
dubaizen says:
10:47 PM, 06/ 1/09
" I couldn't see around it as I was trying to cross the intersection. I was inching out and ended up with the big Cyrano nose sticking out so far I might as well have just blown across the intersection before I could actually see.
I also have a hard time judging where I am in a lane. That big nose distorts my view. Looking in my side mirrors I can tell I have a tendency to drive it too far to the right of the lane. So I have to keep compensating. "
I let my sister drive my FX50s for 2 weeks, and in the beginning she had the same problem with not knowing if she was driving in her lane or not. But after a few days, she told me about how much she enjoys driving the car.
Oh, and its quite possible that noobs might not know how far the front goes. What you CAN do is hit the "camera" button which will fire up the AVM (INCLUDING the front camera). This way you can tell exactly how much space you got up front!!
yellowmiata says:
08:12 AM, 07/26/09
"There was an FX35, which looked like a dwarf next to my FX50"
I think both FXs are the same size: 75.9" wide, 191.3" long.