Thoughts on FX35?

[Mike K]

Anything good or bad about them? I'm looking at 2004 - 2006's, 60kish miles. My wife has basically told me to just get whatever I think is best. I think the FX would be great for me because it's sporty, handles well and has an exhaust note that God himself composed and I think it would be great for her because it has the room she needs and handles like a car.

The only real issues I can find are oil consumption. Is the VQ engine pretty stout otherwise? I can't really find anything with respect to reliability online, just vague mention of oil issues.

The other thing I'm concerned about is the interior which looks to be on par with the first Gen G35. Or in other words: cheap. Is it cheap? It looks really plastic-y. We're not looking for a BMW interior here but the Volvo was really nice in that department and I don't want to give all that up in the name of having something that's fun to drive.

If you've driven one did you like it? Any complaints?

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[Mook]

[MENTION=12]Bru[/MENTION]

 

[Mook]

Also, the VQ motor is a fucking tank. I wouldnt worry about that.

 

[Intel]

A couple of people have gone through oil consumption issues on ChicagoZ.com. Most should be fixed by now as it would have already come up in the past 6 years. Bottom end on them is overbuilt to a nice extreme.

Otherwise VQ's run a long time. Only issue my neighbor had was just the lack of space in the back of them. Liked it otherwise. I loved the one I drove for a couple of days but I am not the pickiest on interiors. I felt it was nicer than the early G35 models.

 

[Aircal]

I loved it my wife hated it. To manly she said. One of the few Suv's I think I could Daily as I am not a big fan of suvs.

 

[cacicgtp7]

Only thing is shitty gas mileage from what I understand, and the Bose stereo kind of blows.

 

[Freebeer187]

My boss had one and I rode in it many times. Typical Nissan interior. Exhaust sounds exceptionally unique. Rode nice. He had a led foot and it did scoot. Other than gas mileage I think you would be happy with it.

 

[Bru]

The 2009+ FX's darker colored interior hides the cheaper materials better than the light colored ones. And like mentioned, gas mileage is poor. It's also tiny on the inside for how large of an SUV. Front passenger room is dandy, though cargo and rear passenger room are minimal compared to more traditional non-fun SUVs. Depends how much or who you carry in the back.

Here's how well child seats fit in the back of the 2012 FX we previously tested: 2012 Infiniti FX35 and FX50: Car Seat Check - KickingTires

But, man, does it handle really well for an SUV and sounds amazing. The FX37 lost some of that great sound for not much noticeable gain in power/torque. The FX35's factory tires were also geared more for performance than all-season friendliness and were garbage in the snow on the last AWD FX I tested with 20-inch wheels.

 

[EmersonHart13]

Love them. I have had 2 family members own them and both with they still did...

 

[ktraver97ss]

Do you have kids? My buddy sold his after trying to put a car seat in the back, the front pass seat had to be all the way forward to make it fit. I dont think you have kids though, do you?

 

[Yaj Yak]

um duhhhh mike k gots kids yo

 

[EmersonHart13]

Mike K has like 3 kids now. Dude keeps cranking them out.

 

[ktraver97ss]

Hmm yeah i dont pay attention, but you 3800 nutswingers dont count as his children.

 

[RedBeard]

Only major issue I've seen with the 3.5s is excessive oil consumption. Most of the time from lack of regualr oil changes. Other than that the engine and drivetrain are increadible derable.

Tie-rods, sway bar links and wheel bearings wear out rather quick on the FXs so check that. Can't think of much else right now thats common issues.

IMO the ride is rather stiff for an SUV but they do handle better than most. Gas milage does suck like stated.

 

[Mike K]

Kevin, I bet your buddy put the car seat all the way over to one side. My wife's XC90 was the same way. We'd have to fully lift the front seat to get it to fit. The good news is that we only have a 2 year old rugrat and we put our seat in the middle. Plus it didn't look any less roomy than the XC90 so it should be fine.

Bru, that's about what I hear on them. I drove one this morning with the sport, touring and tech packages but it was an 03. I don't want that old, I don't want first year and I didn't want to pay the $17,000 they wanted for it but hell if it wasn't in mint condition. Plus it was copper with a 2 tone copper interior which was really nice.

I drove it though and I think it's perfect. Our XC didn't have nav, bluetooth or really any features that you find in luxury cars now and even if you do outfit it with NAV it's archaic. The FX handled like a car, sounds like a dream and was surprisingly comfortable. The interior was a lot better than it looked. It looks very plasticy and is very plasticy but it's well put together.

So on a whim last night I offered some guy $14,999 for his fully loaded 2006 so I could pay $80 in tax instead of $750 and he accepted this morning . Nav, Dual screens in back, keyless go, bluetooth, reverse camera, sport package, 70,000 miles... perfect for my wife who puts 3000 miles a year on her car and perfect for me who put on a sad face every time I had to drive it.

So hopefully this time tomorrow we have an 06' FX35 in the stable.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I love that copper color. That's all I have to add to this thread

 

[Mook]

What color did you end up getting then, mikey?

 

[radioguy6]

FX35 is a nice sexy SUV, just a tad small on the inside. It shares alot of components with my car. It's built on an extended version of the FM platform, shared with the 350Z and G35 coupe/sedan. The FM platform has a near perfect 50/50 balance, why it handles really well for an SUV.

The exhaust system is the same as the G35 coupe, with that sexy ass tone. As far as the VQ35DE... its an excellent stout engine. The 5AT paired to it is just as tough, its geared almost perfectly to the VQ's torque curve.

Oil consumption is more an issue with the "rev-up" VQ35s, but those are not in the FX35. I have 106K miles on my car, nothing but Mobil1 every 5K. I burn maybe 1/4 of a quart every 5K. Has never left me stranded and is just as strong as the day I got it.

And autumn copper is FTW.

 

[framos242]

The only problem I have with the FX 35 is the rear door entry pedobear. Putting a child in a car seat and coming back out was a bothersome for me. I still have them on my list though....

 

[radioguy6]

Kevin, I bet your buddy put the car seat all the way over to one side. My wife's XC90 was the same way. We'd have to fully lift the front seat to get it to fit. The good news is that we only have a 2 year old rugrat and we put our seat in the middle. Plus it didn't look any less roomy than the XC90 so it should be fine.

Bru, that's about what I hear on them. I drove one this morning with the sport, touring and tech packages but it was an 03. I don't want that old, I don't want first year and I didn't want to pay the $17,000 they wanted for it but hell if it wasn't in mint condition. Plus it was copper with a 2 tone copper interior which was really nice.

I drove it though and I think it's perfect. Our XC didn't have nav, bluetooth or really any features that you find in luxury cars now and even if you do outfit it with NAV it's archaic. The FX handled like a car, sounds like a dream and was surprisingly comfortable. The interior was a lot better than it looked. It looks very plasticy and is very plasticy but it's well put together.

So on a whim last night I offered some guy $14,999 for his fully loaded 2006 so I could pay $80 in tax instead of $750 and he accepted this morning . Nav, Dual screens in back, keyless go, bluetooth, reverse camera, sport package, 70,000 miles... perfect for my wife who puts 3000 miles a year on her car and perfect for me who put on a sad face every time I had to drive it.

So hopefully this time tomorrow we have an 06' FX35 in the stable.

Congrats! The '06 is a good buy. Updated interior and the nav is the 7.x system, more refined than the previous. I hope the bluetooth is nothing like the G35s. It was like a last minute decision for the US G35s, the bluetooth audio only comes out the front passenger door speaker, its near useless

 

[Bru]

Kevin, I bet your buddy put the car seat all the way over to one side. My wife's XC90 was the same way. We'd have to fully lift the front seat to get it to fit. The good news is that we only have a 2 year old rugrat and we put our seat in the middle. Plus it didn't look any less roomy than the XC90 so it should be fine.

Bru, that's about what I hear on them. I drove one this morning with the sport, touring and tech packages but it was an 03. I don't want that old, I don't want first year and I didn't want to pay the $17,000 they wanted for it but hell if it wasn't in mint condition. Plus it was copper with a 2 tone copper interior which was really nice.

I drove it though and I think it's perfect. Our XC didn't have nav, bluetooth or really any features that you find in luxury cars now and even if you do outfit it with NAV it's archaic. The FX handled like a car, sounds like a dream and was surprisingly comfortable. The interior was a lot better than it looked. It looks very plasticy and is very plasticy but it's well put together.

So on a whim last night I offered some guy $14,999 for his fully loaded 2006 so I could pay $80 in tax instead of $750 and he accepted this morning . Nav, Dual screens in back, keyless go, bluetooth, reverse camera, sport package, 70,000 miles... perfect for my wife who puts 3000 miles a year on her car and perfect for me who put on a sad face every time I had to drive it.

So hopefully this time tomorrow we have an 06' FX35 in the stable.

Congrats

Plastic is not always as bad as journalists make it out to be. Some cars have interiors almost exclusively made from hard plastics but with the right textures, color choice and fitment the hard plastic can look just as good as soft-touch materials. It's less about the material and more about the fitment and texture. There are cars with all soft-touch materials that look like crap because nothing fits and is low quality.

 

[Mike K]

What color did you end up getting then, mikey?

Black, not my first choice but it's $5,000 less than the next 2006 with the same features.

The only problem I have with the FX 35 is the rear door entry (). Putting a child in a car seat and coming back out was a bothersome for me. I still have them on my list

I'll be super stoked so long as it's not as bad as the BMW...

Congrats! The '06 is a good buy. Updated interior and the nav is the 7.x system, more refined than the previous. I hope the bluetooth is nothing like the G35s. It was like a last minute decision for the US G35s, the bluetooth audio only comes out the front passenger door speaker, its near useless

Do you know any more about the 06' update? I can't find any info on the FX35... model year changes, options, common problems, nothing. It may as well not exist as far as the internet is concerned. I do know that the 06 has a better center stack but the rest of the interior looks pretty much the same.

Plastic is not always as bad as journalists make it out to be. Some cars have interiors almost exclusively made from hard plastics but with the right textures, color choice and fitment the hard plastic can look just as good as soft-touch materials. It's less about the material and more about the fitment and texture. There are cars with all soft-touch materials that look like crap because nothing fits and is low quality.

Most of the BMW is plastic, just nice plastic. Some of it isn't even so soft but it all fits together nicely, doesn't make any noise and doesn't look cheap. Compared to the newer Chrysler 300's which are all soft touch but still look really cheap... So yeah, I get what you're saying.

 

[RICH17]

Love the looks but hate the backseat. Its tight

 

[radioguy6]

Do you know any more about the 06' update? I can't find any info on the FX35... model year changes, options, common problems, nothing. It may as well not exist as far as the internet is concerned. I do know that the 06 has a better center stack but the rest of the interior looks pretty much the same.

here's alittle info from wikipedia:

The FX series was updated for 2006 with new options and standard features. The updates included an exterior facelift with new grille, bumper, wheel design and three new exterior colors, and inside a revised center console with new color screen. Many features previously optional were made standard, including the 300-watt Bose audio system, RearView Monitor, 7-inch color display, Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), leather seating surfaces with heated front seats, 10-way power driver’s seat with power lumbar support and 8-way power passenger’s seat.

The FX45 featured additional upgrades, including new 20-inch wheels, leather-appointed seats, a revised sport-tuned 4-wheel independent suspension with new dampers, a Bluetooth system, and the Premium Package became standard. The taillights on Sport Package equipped FX35 models and all FX45 models were changed from red to clear.

The Infiniti FX was the first passenger vehicle to offer a lane departure warning system in the United States market. Infiniti's version uses a camera that watches the lane markings to alert everyone in the car via an audible buzzer that the driver is drifting unintentionally.

 

[Mike K]

I never updated this. I ended up picking it up Tuesday. 2006, 72,000 miles and I talked the guy down to $15,000 which is cheaper than the '04's sell for so I got an amazing deal.

So far I love the think. I had to fix a huge exhaust leak on it but it cost me $5.00 and 15 minutes so that's not so bad. The thing drives amazingly and probably has quicker steering response than my BMW. All in all a bad-ass SUV.