The Infiniti M is the brand’s luxury sedan, featuring rear-wheel drive and a 3-litre V6 diesel powerhouse engine.
When it was announced that the Infiniti brand would be resurrected in South Africa in June of this year, the flagship Infiniti was to be the much lauded M model. The 2012 Infiniti M is the brand’s luxury sedan, featuring rear-wheel drive and a 3-litre V6 diesel powerhouse engine.
As a luxury arm of Nissan the Infiniti vehicles are pricey but beautifully finished and thoughtfully equipped. The M model was purposefully built to provide a competitor for the German giants that are the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes Benz E-Class. The European version of the Infiniti M even has a hybrid model available.
Infiniti will also be offering several versions of the sedans with different specification levels. There will be the standard, GT, GT Premium, S and S Premium versions available of the M model. Already established within the South African market are Infiniti's FX, EX SUV and G Cabriolet and Coupe models. The Infiniti M will now directly compete with BMW and Mercedes' luxury four-door saloon offerings. The V6 diesel version is immediately available, while Infiniti has slated the release of the 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine M model in January of 2013. The currently available diesel version generates 175kW at 3750rpms and an exciting 550Nm of torque from 1750rpms. All M models’ engines are mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox and claims of 0-100 km in 6.9 seconds are being issued from Infiniti.
According to Infiniti the target market of the M will be the over-50s: experienced drivers who are able to appreciate the fluidity and handling prowess that the M offers. The M presents 4 driving modes; 'standard', 'eco' - which indicates the fuel conservation the driver achieves, 'sport' and 'snow'. The last mode may only be useful on South African roads in heavy rains when the traction becomes compromised. The ‘eco’ mode boasts innovative ‘push back’ acceleration technology that alerts the driver when they are being over-zealous with the accelerator by gently producing resistance when the accelerator is depressed.
Luxury interior features of the Infiniti M include real wooden finishing, varying levels of Tracker security systems, roomy cabin-space, a Bose audio system, and a ‘shield’ system that involves parking radar, forward collision warning and blind-spot warnings. Safety features include six airbags, Isofix child-seat anchors, Anti-lock brakes, ESC, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and automatic headlights.
The S and S Premium models come with all-wheel steering. Standard features include auto-levelling bi-xenon headlights with washers, front and rear parking sensors, electric lumbar adjustment on the driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control and memory functions for all preferred settings.
Other standard gadgetry included in the Infiniti M is a power glass sunroof, full-colour touch-screen interface, a 2GB music system box as well as six noise control speakers.
All Infiniti vehicles are covered by a 3 year or 100 000km warranty as well as a 5 year or 100 000km maintenance plan which includes round-the-clock roadside assistance.
The prices are as follows:
Infiniti M30d diesel
GT - R671 000
GT Premium - R728 051
GT S - R695 254
GT Premium S - R752 305
Infiniti M37 petrol (available in SA from Jan 2013)
GT - R649 000
GT Premium - R706 051
GT S Premium - R730 305
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