Infiniti M56 finds right mix of high-tech luxury, safety

BY JOHN STEIN Automotive Editor November 28, 2011 4:08PM

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2012 INFINITI M56

ENGINE: 420-horsepower 5.6-liter V-8

TRANSMISSION: seven-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: all-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 16 city/23 highway

BASE PRICE: $61,600

AS TESTED: $66,925

WEBSITE: infiniti.com

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The 2012 Infiniti M56 is an impressive mix of luxury and sportiness with the predictable dash of high-tech safety and convenience gadgets the Japanese manufacturer is known for delivering.

With the M sedan, there is no shortage of big impressions, not to mention a memorable exterior — at a value luxury price compared to German competitors in the class, which was part of what made the first batch of Infiniti cars so impressive.

I remember the first time I saw a 1993 J30. It did not redefine the exterior design rules by any means, but it was clearly not like anything else on the road. And the price was thousands less than the competition in the class. That was good enough for most shopping in that class.

My M56 tester appeared in a crisp and elegant Harbour Blue hue that was conservative, yet complementary of the M’s flowing exterior lines. The M comes in three versions: M37, M56 and an all-new hybrid version, the M35h. Gas-only versions are rear-wheel drive with an optional all-wheel drive. The M sedan doesn’t offer a manual transmission, but the new 3.7-liter V-6 and 5.6-liter V-8, which define the M37 and M56 naming conventions, are worthy of performance note.

The M sedan exterior is long, lean and refined. From the classic Infiniti grille to the classy horizontal rear light assembly, this M is as gorgeous passing you and as it is coming at you. It is not too far left of center to be considered anything other than Infiniti.

The M sedan offers plenty of room, comfortable seating and a quiet ride. It’s a fine place to pass the miles, and passengers will find adequate room in the back seat, though the center hump is higher than normal, which would make any third passenger a bit cramped for a long trip.

The Infiniti M pairs sleek design with traditional, high-quality materials. Leather heated and cooled seating is supple and cozy. Standard power seat controls on the driver-side seat were a bit hard to manage when the door was closed, though memory buttons for variable seating positions would help avoid having to reach down into that space very often.

The dash is classic luxury and highly functional with sightlines and gauges that are easy to read daytime or nighttime. The standard navigation system offers touch-screen convenience with intuitive operation that I managed from the first time I tried it out.

The newest M sedan delivers an especially comfortable ride that is less sport and more luxury in its cabin comfort and road feel. This ride is much softer than the firmer ride of previous generations, but I’m just fine with the new mix Infiniti has found with the M.

While there are certainly many drivers who would be content with the power from the 3.7-liter V-6, the M56, with its extra weight from the AWD system, provides a notable pop and responsiveness with the 5.6-liter V-8 and its 420 horsepower that makes it worth the base $61,600. A standard seven-speed automatic transmission is in place to deliver better fuel economy, but I found it to be a bit fragmented in its choice of shifts when I challenged the M to jump into the Dan Ryan highway flow.

The M sedan’s AWD system definitely sends the majority of power to the rear wheels, but it handles exceptionally well in wet weather as well as during aggressive driving maneuvers. If you want more performance, there are other sedans built just for that purpose.

The M offers eco, normal and sport settings for the transmission. Eco is the most fuel efficient; sport delivers more responsiveness; and normal is just that, somewhere in the middle. Sport was my preferred setting; it matches my driving characteristics and created the best experience of luxury cabin and sporty drivability. At 16/23 mpg city/highway with AWD (16/25 mpg without AWD), the M sedan is not going to save you much in fuel refills.

At the end of the day, especially long work days with even longer commutes in Chicago traffic, the M sedan is a great place to be if you have to be on the road. The mix of luxury amenities and high-tech convenience makes the 2012 generation a wonderful shelter from the on-road storm the region’s traffic throws at you.

With a $3,800 touring package, my tester landed at a robust $66,925, close company to the German sedans it once fell far below in pricing. This could be a reflection of how much Infiniti has added to its products as well as how much competition there is in the class.

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