2011 Infiniti M Sedan: First Look in Monterey

Beautiful car. However, looking at the first picture, if you cover the front end and look at the side profile, it looks like a lowered suv. Kinda porsche cayenne...esq. Anyone else see this?

I can see a little Cayenne - sort of. My question is how much "over 400" are they talking about here? With what I have to believe is actually a modified truck engine in it, it needs to be way over 400.

the back looks like a CL550 on crack...side looks like it tried to copy the LS600hL...interior screams Beemer. only infiti aspect is the front

sorry not CL meant SLC

Not a fan of the rear 3/4 view area, but otherwise this is finally an Infiniti design, both inside and out, that does something for me. Before, I could never find anything specifically wrong with the design, but I just never liked it either. This excites me.

Very nice.

Beautiful indeed.

As to looking like a (fill in the blank), it's pretty hard not to look a little like something else these days. That being said, Infiniti has made a remarkable turnaround over the past decade, as their new cars—especially the G37—are drop-dead good looking. The brand really has developed their own look.

Now wouldn't it be ironic if we start seeing BMW—the (previous) gold standard in sports sedan styling—mimic Infintis in terms of styling. :)

The interior looks fantastic. The exterior...isn't offensive.

I am surprised to see the amount of resemblance to the G37. It's as if the designers started out with a G37 then pulled, tucked, trimmed and molded a bit until they got what we see here. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't shout "flagship" to me.

Love it. This will surely give its rivals a run for their money.

Much sleeker looking than the current version.

B- effort. IMO, this is a lackluster design by the Nissan design team given the recent edgy designs of the Essence and GTR. Granted there are Essence cues such are the high character line running the length of the car, but it resembles the Maxima-too much. I expected the headlights to really track the Essence with LED lighting. Where is the signature feature like Audi (LED daytime running lights), BMW (corona aka angel eyes) and Mercedes jewel-like headlights. It's a given that buyers in this price range want a "signature" vehicle that turns heads. Undoubtedly, this looks like a midcycle refresh of the current G37 sedan. As the owner of G, I am very disappointed with this effort. Hopefully those with a keen eye for design will agree. I really hope a better effort is made with the next gen G - the company's "bread and butter" sedan.

I've always been a fan of the M. This new curvacious and sleek body is a nice departure from the attractive but buttoned down look of the older car.

"Hopefully those with a keen eye for design will agree."

Hmmm... Been a designer for over 35 years and a and design educator for ~ 15 years, and I disagree with you. Oh well, to each his own...

Very nice car - actually among best in the segment, IMO.

+1 on your comments, Bob.

"he back looks like a CL550 on crack...side looks like it tried to copy the LS600hL...interior screams Beemer. only infiti aspect is the front"

Lexusaddict, this car looks nothing like the vehicles you've mentioned and the interior looks nothing like a BIMMER. A Bimmer is a BMW car, Beemer is a BMW motorcycle.

To me the M says Infinti as it looks like a larger more bloated version of the G37S. Not bad.. but from the rear door back the design just gets all swoopy and bloated in typical Infiniti fashion. The rear 1/4 is extremely Japanese generic, too busy and visually heavy.

"With what I have to believe is actually a modified truck engine in it, it needs to be way over 400."

Vroooom, I was pretty sure the M would have a 5.0L V8 similar to the FX50's but I was wrong.

Many don't know this but the Nissan/Infinti V8 is based off the VQ V6 engine. Of course that means the 5.6L V8 and the 5.0L from the FX50 are from the same family and can offer various states of tune.

Yes, the 5.6L version has only been offered in trucks and SUV's however that doesn't mean it can only fill those applications. That said, its NOT a truck engine. Most manufacturers do the same thing by offering similar engines (or engines from the same family) in cars and trucks.

Given the numbers quoted here (400+hp) I'm sure the revamped 5.6L will offer a different powerband vs the 315-320hp versions offered in the trucks as Id look for it to have Nissans VVEL system, possibly direct injection (Nissan did have a direct injected version in 4.5L form (VK45DD) offered in other markets) and a few other advantages and advancements over the truck engines to produce the substantially improved output. Id look for 410-425hp and 390-405ftlbs of torque.

This will be an interesting fight as the all new BMW 5 Series will debut around the same time with the 400hp/400tq 4.4TT V8. The BMW does have a numbers disadvantage on paper but we all know the 4.4TT like the 3.0TT is underrated from the factory.

Looks like something from Hyundai!

Except for the taillights just looks like a larger G35/G37. I realize the first-gen was supposed to have a similar theme but this is close.

Beautiful. Can't wait to see it up close.

It looks like a bigger and badder version of the Maxima. That isn't a bad thing, but I can sure see the family resemblance. I'm impressed.

I wonder how it will do versus the 5, the E, the CTS, the Jag XF (I think, I can never keep the Jags straight) etc.

I can't get over the way it looks like the Nissan Maxima... It looks decent, I still like the E-Class/5-Series/Hyundai Genesis Better...

IL should definitely get this in their long-term fleet ASAP!

Looks okay... nothing impressive. I don't like this new trend of Infiniti's where they take the old car and put it on steroids... like they did with the new G37 coupe and FX crossover. I definitely like the E/XF/CTS better.

'interior screams beemer' ... BMW only dreams of an interior this interesting. And the only thing this new, gorgeous vehicle 'screams' interior wise is Jaguar or 2010 Buick Lacrosse.

The rear looks like an old gen Q45; albeit curved though ;)

Booooriiiiiing

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! much better than a plain G37. This car makes more presence.
I buy! I buy!
30 mpg, right?

Very much a design blend of the Maxima and current G37 sedan. I like it - but I drive an 08 G35xS, so I'm the designers' "target audience"...I watched the webcast and the cool part - in this world of "bigger is better" - is that the new M will still be the same length (194") and an inch wider but a little lower than the current M. I like the fact the footprint is staying the same. A sensible 7" in length over the current G - and 3" in width. Some sanity in a "super sized" world.

Yea it does look a little G37-like with its curves. Only slightly though and the interior is much improved. Very nice.

From hondaacura4 "Given the numbers quoted here (400+hp) I'm sure the revamped 5.6L will offer a different powerband vs the 315-320hp versions ...advancements over the truck engines to produce the substantially improved output. I'd look for 410-425hp and 390-405ftlbs of torque."

I think I was a bit misunderstood and probably should have elaborated more on my first post. I don't care where the VQ engine block comes from - I own a Titan and bought it FOR the engine so I don't have a problem with the engine. What I have an issue with is the sketchiness of the stated specifications - "over 400". How much over? The fact that they are using 5.6 liter instead of a 5.0 raises my expectations - A LOT.

Frankly, I was hoping for and would have been the first in line for a direct injected 5.0 with about 5-10% more horsepower than the FX50. I thought such a combination would be quite a "reliable" competitor with the new Jaguar 5.0 and BMW. However, if the current Infiniti 5.0 is 390 or 78 hp per liter, I expect the 5.6 to be have at least 435 hp AND 400 lbs of torque if it is based on the same technology as the 5.0. But at this point, anything without direct injection and an evolution in engineering would be disappointing. This is Infiniti's flagship, right?

If, as the press release says that the new M37 and M56 will have more power and better fuel efficiency that the current M35 and M45 (respectfully I hope), I cannot see how they would tune the 5.6 to have better fuel economy without direct injection, 7 or 8 spd transmissions, and other engineering wizardry. Considering that the new engine would have this advanced technology and the 0.6 liter advantage in displacement, I would hope that there would be an even more significant increase in performance over the FX50. A fairly free revving V8 with 450 hp (over 80+ hp per liter) and a very wide powerband with 400 ft lbs of torque would be quite impressive an appealing.

It isn't a fair comparison, but the new Ferrari 4.5 is producing said to produce 125 hp per liter - but then again its a Ferrari with a 9000+ rpm red line. But this engine does set a new benchmark and change expectations of what can be done.

Infiniti has to trump the Jag and BMW mechanically, it does not have the brand cache not to. Even though I like the design, Infiniti certainly did not capture the "wow factor" with the design. Yeah, I can see the influence of other car designs in it, sort of, but really, it looks most like a freshened G37 on steroids and Essense concept swoopyness. To me the design is evolutionary and not exciting, therefore the new Mxx had better have reliable "blow me and everything else away" drive trains if Infiniti wants me to spend $60,000+ on one. It has to have something extra. Considering today's engine technologies, 410-425 hp out of 5.6 liters of displacement, just doesn't cut it.

"It has to have something extra. Considering today's engine technologies, 410-425 hp out of 5.6 liters of displacement, just doesn't cut it."

Yes I got the impression that you didn't agree with Infinti's usage of the 5.6L V8 in the M.

It would seem like a DI version of the 5.0L in the FX with the power increase you stated would be a more logical choice but I think Infiniti is trying to beat BMW on paper. Nissan and Infiniti for some reason LOVE paper performance.

I think the 5.0L is more than capable of matching the BMW 4.4TT on paper and in peak numbers however what I think Infiniti wants to substantially increase is the torque. As of now the 5.0L spits out about 370ftlbs and the very conservatively tuned 5.6 spits out around 393ftlbs.

I'll assume Infinti wants to use the 5.6 so they can better exploit its displacement advantage over the 5.0L which leads to a thicker torque curve and to better match the BMW TTV8. I know the numbers I quoted for the M56 were on the conservative side but I don't see the reason why Infiniti would want to substantially beat BMW in output as a 400+hp 5.0L V8 is more than adequate.

I really don't see the reason for a 5.6L 450+hp midsized sport/luxury sedan given its not a super high performance alternative like the M5, CTS-V or MB E63.

Maybe it just the angle at which the picture is taken at, but that grille screams Honda Accord. Other than that, the design is nice, although it doesn't have anything on the Lexus GS or Jaguar XF when it comes to looks.

I am a bit puzzled. FX50 makes 390hp. +.6L to that engine and the result is only 10hp?

No iancar, it is "more than" 400 hp. Just like the ZR1 was going to be "more than" the Z06 and its 505 hp. hondacura and vroom were discussing it above. I would imagine at least 450 and probably more. But those two are right, without a meaty torque curve, it doesn't mean much to me.

The new engine is called the VK56VD.

The engine used in the Titan/Armada/QX56 is called the VK56DE.

This new engine has both VVEL and DI, so it should have no problem making over 400+HP. My guess is that Infiniti wants to tune it for torque and off the line power. Something that is missing from the VQ and current VK.

The VK56DE "truck engine" is used in FIA GT1 racing. In race trim, it produces 600 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque.

This is going to be a great looking car moving down the street. It has a touch of essence, touch of big G, & a touch of old M (which wasn't a bad car at all - just not sexy). Love the new styling and look forward to seeing it in person. I used to have trouble distinguishing a G from an M coming towards me on the street for a fraction of a second ... not anymore. This thing is sexy and unique. Well done, Infiniti!

Wow, gorgeous design. I'll admit that it looks a lot more like a refresh than redesign but the current M looks great and there really is no reason to stray far from the look. Have an 06 M45 currently and am glad that they kept this car nice. Side profile hasn't changed much but looks like the current G37 when looking at the back. front looks a lot like the Essence and G37 mixed together with the current M35/45 and while the back looks much cleaner and without the gigantic lights, it reminds me of the back of the jugaur xf: http://carzpage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/jaguar_xf_2009_dw.jpg

interior looks carried over but if it has nicer material, no reason to change it. hard to tell by the pic but i hope the center stack has been changed a bit to be more convenient, especially the climate controls.

can't wait to see the car in person

A big thumbs up from me-minus the rims.
vrrroooommmm-
"Infiniti has to trump the Jag and BMW mechanically, it does not have the brand cache not to."
Wouldn't matter-to some people, Infinitis will always be seen as luxed-out Nissans and nothing more. That said; I also hope that the VK56VD has at least 450hp; can't see why they'd bother getting an engine that big and tune it for maximum fuel economy.

Interesting – a couple of thoughtful posts here.
I was also surprised to hear that [ an evolutionary version of ] the 5.6L would be used, instead of a slightly updated version of their 5.0L.

I would second the suggestion that this choice had a lot to do with increasing the TQ – and making more TQ available lower in the RPM curve than the current 5.0L provides. Under typical US driving conditions, low speed TQ availability does much to enhance the feeling of responsiveness.

Since a Twin Turbocharged version of this engine seems very unlikely, I suspect that Infiniti is aiming for ratings in this 5.6L at something between the Jaguar XF’s new 5.0L V8 and the Supercharged version of same: 385 \ 380 and 510 \ 461

425 to 450 HP + TQ would likely provide a substantial & immediately obvious boost [ sorry ] in acceleration. Both ultimate & ‘real world’. And assuming the 7-speed trans is used, and assuming CAFÉ is a prime consideration in the gearing, I expect that we will see a useful increase in Highway EPA rating. My prediction is: 23 or 24 MPG.

I have found that judging a complex 3D object, like a car, from 2D renderings is often subject to [ um ] error.

I will therefore reserve my opinions on exterior & interior styling until I see a production example. . .

I see a lot of the new Subaru Legacy in the front. That's not a good thing.

I smell a lawsuit from BMW about the Ininiti using the M56 moniker for the V-8 powered M sedan. Sounds close to sounding like 'M5'.

I smell a lawsuit from BMW about the Ininiti using the M56 moniker for the V-8 powered M sedan. Sounds close to sounding like 'M5'.

Looks like the love child of a Maserati Quattroporte and a Hyundai Azera (or maybe a Buick LaCrosse).

This is one of those cars that I hope looks much better in the sheetmetal than in the photos.

^
^
hmmm... yeah... "M Fifty Six" and "M Five" really sounding alike... having a wonderful Tues"day".

the book looks small. People who buy cars in this segment care about cargo space

The sculpted character line from rear wings to headlamps is nice, and is at least as effective as that on the A5 - or, without a hint of irony - the Tiburon. Both of which have admirable design elements. The spoiler integrated with the trunk is great. Infinity has finally gotten this right.

I also really love how the front fender pontoons begin with the headlamps and sweep back through the deeply sculpted hood. This ads a ton of automotive romance found lacking in contemporary mass market cars. I loved this element on the G35 debut, and am glad to see them pushing the advantage.

There's a small point in the interior that I really like too - maybe. An possible improvement over the previous design that is a personal niggle to me. In the current Infiniti the radio and interface controls sit fairly high in the center stack. In the interior rendering above the controls sit lower on the center stack which may prove to be easier to reach.

However, I have a concern. If the screen is touch sensitive, it will require the operator to reach down and up which may not be as intuitive as the previous design.

My last comment on the engine and drivetrain.

The following are the M56 numbers that would get my attention

450 HP, 400 ft lbs of torque with 80% of it availible at lower RPM ~ <2000 RPM.

7 spd transmission that shifts as good or better than current 5 speed (current auto tranny is a fine piece of work)

16/24 city/hwy MPG acceptible (would prefer better - especially in the city)

I'd bet on a somewhat higher TQ number -
since I expect that is why the 5.6L vs the 5.0L.
I'd also bet on the 24 HWY #...
- Ray
We shall see - next year, apparently...

rayainsw - I'd bet on a somewhat higher TQ number

I hope so, but I don't see it going too much over 400. It'd be nice if the TQ was higher considering so many cars gain weight from generation to generation. I hope the new M holds the fat in check - but I wouldn't bet on it.