2008 Infiniti G37 S - Laser Cruise Control Option, Navigation & Tech Pkg. on 2040-cars

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2016 Infiniti QX50 is new and improved, kind of [w/video]

The Infiniti QX50 is, to be frank, ancient. It hit the market way back in 2007, and has labored on ever since. Through December of last year, the company only moved 2,727 QX50s. The year before, there were only 2,164 sales, and 3,495 in 2012. What do all three years have in common? The QX50 was Infiniti's slowest seller in each of them. Here's hoping, then, that this latest update will boost the 2+2 crossover's appeal. Being shown today at the 2015 New York International Auto Show, Infiniti has made a number of updates to its smallest crossover, with the most notable being a 3.2-inch stretch in its wheelbase and a 4.5-inch increase in its overall length. That makes for an enormous 4.3-inch increase in the legroom of the formerly cramped second row. Infiniti also made slight increases to the overall ride height, of 0.4 inches in for rear-drivers and 0.8 inches for all-wheel-drive variants. Outside of the dimensional changes, Infiniti also beefed up the former EX37's exterior, with new front and rear bumpers that boast SUV-like scuff plating, as well as LED accents in the new headlights and a new grille that is more in keeping with the brand's current design language. LED taillights sit out back as standard, while Infiniti will happily sell consumers an optional xenon headlight package. Infiniti may have updated the exterior, but the cabin looks largely unchanged, aside from the extra space in the second row. It looks like a complete carryover in terms of features, trim and general layout. Also unchanged is the QX50's 3.7-liter V6 engine. Output remains fixed at 325 ponies and 267 pound-feet of torque. Regardless of whether power goes to the rear or to all four wheels, a seven-speed automatic is in charge of managing the power. We'll have more on the freshened QX50, including live images, coming soon from the floor of the 2015 New York Auto Show.

Infiniti SUV recall marks latest chapter in Takata airbag saga

Automotive parts maker Takata is having a rough year with millions of vehicles equipped with its airbag inflators being recalled. However, it looks like there might still be problems with the company's quality control, if a new recall by Infiniti is any indication.
The Japanese luxury brand is recalling 1,912 total units of the 2013 Infiniti QX56 and 2014 QX80 in North America because of a manufacturing flaw with their Takata-supplied inflators for the driver's side front airbag. Of those, 1,848 are in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Specifically, the outer baffle could be the wrong component and cause too much pressure to build up inside. According to documents submitted to NHTSA, it's possible in a crash for the part to rupture spraying metal shrapnel at occupants. At this time, Infiniti has not had any reports of this actually happening to drivers.
While this problem sounds nearly identical to the issue affecting millions of earlier vehicles, it must be noted that this is a different fault. According to the notice being sent to dealers on NHTSA's website: "This particular Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign is unrelated to two earlier campaigns that involved Takata passenger front air bag inflators on some older model Infiniti vehicles. This issue involves a much newer inflator and is a different, more isolated, Takata quality control issue."

2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe debuts with 400-hp V6

Infiniti killed it with the G35 Coupe in 2002, its second act being the G37 in 2008. The third act has officially begun, the 2017 Q60 Coupe launches today at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. It hasn't strayed far from the concept shown a year ago, the major tweaks being government-approved headlights and side mirrors. Without discussing numbers, Infiniti says the new car is lower and wider than the current Q60, with a lower center of gravity, and it is more powerful and efficient. Much has gone on with the rolling stock, too: tighter wheel gaps, staggered tires on some models, wheels designed to absorb road vibration, and optional 20-inch alloys available for the first time. In the US, there are two engine choices with three levels of output. The twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 comes with either 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, or 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. In the US that will mean a boost of 70 hp and 80 lb-ft over the 3.7-liter V6 in the current car, and Infiniti estimates a combined fuel economy rating of 22 mpg. The 300-hp unit has a provisional rating of 23 mpg, the increased efficiency down to bodywork shaping and an active shutter behind the grille. A direct-injected, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo is the second engine, getting 208 hp and 258 lb-ft and an estimated 24 mpg in the US. All engines will shift through an adaptive seven-speed automatic transmission. G'bye, manual gearbox. A Drive Mode Selector can dial through six settings, the Customize option throwing up three more individual choices to get the most from the updated internals. The V6 models can be optioned with Infiniti's second-generation Direct Adaptive Steering and brand-new Rack Electronic Power Steering that claims to provide more linear assistance. The four-cylinder comes with a speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion setup. Revisions to the base suspension include relocated shock absorbers among a new link layout, and modified shock tuning and bushings. Above that there's a brand new Digital Dynamic Suspension that will come standard on the Sport trim, now with adaptive dampers. Both units should have improved performance thanks to stiffer crossmembers. Finally, the cockpit gets dressed in one of three trims depending on the model, with aluminum or black wood at the entry-level end, carbon fiber at the other end, and silver glass fiber for buyers who choose the white or red leather.