We like a winner. Dominate a comparison test and there's a good chance your ball goes into the hopper for entry into our long-term fleet. It's not a guarantee, but if a vehicle is fresh in our mind from a series of crushing victories, the vehicle is usually first to our tongues to answer the question, "What should we get next?"
The 2011 Infiniti M56, however, has not been much of a winner. First, the new V8-powered M56 luxury sedan got its rear end paddled by the granddaddy of the luxury sedan world, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550.
More recently, the M56 got edged out by the 2011 BMW 550i. Both sedans had Sport packages, and after plenty of seat time we determined that the Infiniti's setup was just a little too sporty for our tastes. Instead of pleasantly firm and communicative, it was jumpy and overly sensitive. Fun on a back road, but too nervous in everyday driving.
But there's still something to the 2011 Infiniti M56. It's got loads of power, a tremendous list of standard features that undercuts the price of the big boys in the game and it doesn't come with the hang-ups people have about buying a Mercedes or BMW. Maybe it deserved another chance? Maybe an M56 without the overly wound-up suspension would prove to be the combination we were looking for all along.
What We Got
The 2011 Infiniti M56 comes loaded from the factory. Even for a vehicle that starts at $58,775, the features list is long: heated and cooled eight-way power front seats with power lumbar, rain-sensing wipers, power sunroof with remote operation, interior air filter, dual-zone climate control, Bose premium 10-speaker stereo, XM nav traffic, USB input, hard-drive-based navigation system, keyless entry/ignition, Bluetooth, analog clock, heated steering wheel and cruise control.
These standard features are, of course, in addition to the M56's burly powertrain. The transmission is a seven-speed automatic with a rev-match feature. The engine is a 5.6-liter V8 making 420 horsepower and twisting out 417 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. In previous testing, this combination has been good for sprints to 60 in as little as 5 seconds and low 13-second quarter-mile passes. All of this for less than the price of the BMW 550i ($60,575).
But there was still a decision to make. Did we want to live with the sport suspension to see if it would grow on us? Nope, so we ditched the Sport package in favor of an extra helping of high-tech goods.
First was the Deluxe Touring package. This $3,800 checkbox includes a 16-speaker Bose surround-sound system with digital 5.1-channel decoding along with the frighteningly named Plasmacluster air purifier and its grape polyphenol filter element. The package also includes a power rear sunshade, quilted seat pattern, white ash wood trim, suedelike headliner, soft-touch armrests, door inserts, center console and knee pads and Infiniti's Forest Air system. This feature has advanced auto recirculation and a breeze mode that lets the air waft through the cabin like, well, a gentle breeze. It sounds silly, but it's designed to reduce that dry feeling you get on long drives. Surely we'll be giving this a thorough test.
Next box ticked was the Technology package. For an extra $3,000 it adds intelligent cruise control, lane departure prevention, distance control assist, intelligent brake assist with forward collision warning, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention systems, front pre-crash belts, active trace control, adaptive front lighting system with auto-leveling headlights and another Infiniti specialty, the Eco pedal. This varies the resistance of the throttle pedal so you don't accidentally go fast and waste gas. Should be an interesting feature to try.
The final option was a set of 18-inch split five-spoke aluminum alloy wheels ($1,650) wrapped in P245/50R18 Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season tires.
Total price: $67,225. But, as the disclaimer at the bottom reads, this vehicle is on loan from Infiniti for the purposes of this test.
Why We Got It
The 2011 Infiniti M56 is the latest attempt by Infiniti to find a gap in the armor of the German stalwarts of this segment. Riding on the second-generation FM platform — shared with the Nissan 370Z and Infiniti's FX50 and G37 — the M56 is only marginally bigger than the car it replaces. But the size increase has come in an area that radio advertisements tell is very important: width. The new M is 2 inches wider and rides on the same wheelbase. This means a bigger cabin and if there's anything that says luxury, it's a spacious cabin.
This new M is also running a direct-injection 5.6-liter V8 with variable valve timing and lift. Despite the size and power bump over the outgoing 4.5, the new engine is 10 percent more efficient. Part of that lies in the wizardry of the new seven-speed automatic.
It's an interesting and (relatively) affordable package that has all of the makings of a real competitor for the crown. And then there's that whole suspension issue. It's been a long time since a Sport package caused such a stir and we're more than a little curious to see how the standard setup fares over a year's time.
Seeing the Forest (Air) for the Trees
For the past two comparison tests, the M56 has taken a backseat to the competition. This is despite the Infiniti being frighteningly quick and nimble for its size. But still, the swooping lines, smartly dressed interior and advanced powertrain have us coming back for more. And in this case, more means 12 months and 20,000 miles. Will it be more of the same? Follow the long-term road test blog to read more.
Current Odometer: 1,956
Best Fuel Economy: 19.5
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.0
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.5
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Follow the long-term road test blog for updates about our 2011 Infiniti M56.
Add A Comment »
zrated says:
07:13 PM, 01/01/2011
Beautiful interior, stupefying price. This is the definition of a car in search of an audience.
Best of luck to Infiniti, in finding one.
88virtues says:
01:10 PM, 12/31/2010
Anyone that questions whether this car can get up to 180 MPH or not clearly has not driven a high end luxury car since 2006. An S550 is a much heavier with about 40 less HP than this car & I was able to get its electronic limit of 155 MPH quite easily. 420 HP in a sedan of this class is a lot. A Merc E550 does not even have power like that unless you get the AMG variants. The Infiniti M is a great car. It is priced very competitively but the problem is that people willing to spend that much money on a car will usually not mind spending extra to get something with more "prestige" like a Mercedes, BMW, or even Audi. $67k may seem expensive but it's much cheaper than its competitors. The only competitor that is more of a bargain in this segment is the CTS-V. The regular CTS is much cheaper than all of these vehicles but then again the regular CTS competes more directly with the G37 & BMW 3 series. It's a good idea for Infiniti & InsideLine both as this car really is a capable alternative to its more expensive German competitors. Car websites like this appreciate good cars more accurately than people do (largely because of cognitive dissonance and buyer's remorse) and I think that their experience over the next 20,000 miles will hopefully bring people's attention to a good car which should sell more units. Infiniti needs to better market this vehicle so people realize what they are missing. Good choice InsideLine as I am considering getting this car in a couple of years when my FX starts to get old.
matt310 says:
08:46 AM, 12/30/2010
"My problem with this is that the 0-80 zone of the speedometer is now so small that it becomes more difficult to assess your speed at a glance in the range that you will be driving 99.9999% of the time. And I hearby heap scorn on the Audi for the same reason."
^That makes sense. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 with gauge cluster numbering that started at zero and stopped at 180 - but the problem was the actual numeral markings took up just over half the circle and not the full space like you see in this Infiniti and my linked Audi example.
It is my opinion that interior/telematics designers are using gauge clusters that - while optimistic on their maximum potential - clearly idenfity the highway-use portion of the speedometer between the ten-and-12 o'clock position of the steering wheel - the part that's generally unobstructed by equipment and that is close enough to the driver's line of sight that it's less of a distraction at those speeds to look down into the instrument cluster than say, if the 'needle were buried' at 85.
This, of course, can all be avoided by using digital dashboards - which may look cool - but I find them quite boring. To me there's something visceral about large, sweeping gauge needles (and seeing that 'maximum' number in the riduclously-fast/would-never-try-it/but-it-sure-looks-cool realm is somewhat of a validator for my purchase and car payment. And in the end, that's sort-of what it's all about.
saunupe1911 says:
07:25 AM, 12/30/2010
I hate when people on this board calls an Infiniti "just another Nissan", as if Nissans don't have a history industry changing performance. You will not understand how well an Infiniti drives untill you own one. People fail to realize that the R&D from selling and insane amount of G and Z cars when towards the development of the GTR. People don't realize the fact the G is called Skyline in Japan, and we all know how much of a beast the original Skyline GTRs are. My point is that Nissan has a history of building performance machines at bargain prices and has stuck to it unlike the other Japanese manufacturers. The M adds to this legacy and its proven from its track tests. The M shares platform technoglogy with the G, Z, Skyline GTR, and even the new GTR. That's some good company to be in. I'm proud to say I drive a Nissan derived car because its performance history on the street and track is impecable.
piredon says:
06:30 AM, 12/30/2010
Love the interior! That wood with the silver is extremely distinctive, and is something no other maker offers. Great choice on the dark, dark brown/espresso leather.
Based on my experience with Infiniti (2008 G35x), it should never break down, or have the slightest mechanical issue (over 3 years and 48,000 miles in my case). The electronics will be easy to learn and use on a daily basis. You will take it to redline more than you intend to because the engine/transmission just love to go there. You will not make it through the break-in period without doing something you aren't supposed to do duing break-in. You will pass 3 cars at once on a 2-lane road because you can...then get pulled over for going 75 in a 55...maybe not this part, what can I say, power is addicting (I did only get pulled over the 1 time...I'm really not a crazy driver). Oh, and the service at the dealership was always top notch. When I needed a loaner car...I got a G35, not a Ford Taurus (Volvo dealership). You could pull right into in indoor drop-off point, you didn't have to search for a spot outside.
You will become frustrated that so many functions in the user interface are off-limits when moving. You will notice little areas where it is less than completely refined, that you do no notice during a test drive or even the first few thousand miles (hard plastic on the lower door panels, and on the transmission tunnel, cheap switches for seat heaters, NVH at redline, occasionally harsh shifts at low rpm, a stuttering in top gear at 35mph in wet weather). You will stop using the radar cruise control (there is a bypass to normal cruise control) because you can't seem to change lanes early enough to avoid the car beginning to slow, nor can you handle the space between you and the next car that allows anybody to pull right in front of you, and cause the car to slow dramatically...causing someone else to pass on the right and pull in front of you...and repeat. The fact that it can slow down is great, but once you get to that point, you are better off driving the car yourself...the system is just too awkward in those scenarios, which kind of defeats the purpose. You will gripe about bad fuel mileage (20 mpg avg in my case...in what is essentially a compact car, and mostly highway driving). You will wonder how the seat heaters passed quality control (literally 10 minutes before you even feel them on a cold morning). The seats themselves were also only comfortable for about 2 hours. Anything longer than that, and I think the seat bottoms were just too flat or something.
But then you drive it on a windy back road, hard. And none of the little things matter. The transmission is in the right gear, there is plenty of power, the steering does what it should, the car stays flat, and you go faster than you really should.
Ultimately, the car was best when driven hard, and perfectly liveable the rest of the time. But needless to say, I didn't buy the lease out. And I wasn't sentimental when I turned it in. It didn't have enough personality to be endearing, and it wasn't close enough to perfect that I wanted to live with it for another 3 years. Obviously, your experience may vary. Just thought I'd share.
t1328 says:
03:01 AM, 12/30/2010
scorp wrote:
"I predict nissan will have to do a lot more giving away of these things. They got cocky and tried to charge luxury car prices when they dont have a single car worth luxury car prices. "
alex38 wrote:
"I'm sure this is a fun vehicle to drive and not 1/2 bad looking. But at $67K??? WTF? And there just something about this interior that doesn't do it at all for me. Just not feeling those swoopy lines; i know they tried to be stylish and dramtic but just excessive for my tastes..
I'd take the BMW/Merc over this anyday.."
arigold1 says:
"Overpriced, over ugly, no image. Has anyone seen one on the road? 67k? No one bought the Q45 and no one is going to buy this.
The entire brand seems to sell to NJ Guidos and Camaro types and mostly all G35s. You rarely see any other model.
More fail from them."
I'm just curious if any of you have actually sat in this car let alone driven one, and then driven the equivalent BMW 5 series and/or Merc E550? Based on what you're saying you have not, but maybe I'm wrong. All I can say is that regardless of what you think of the interior (certainly the majority of reviews out there prefer this interior to that of it's competition), if you've sat in it, and don't consider it worthy of other luxury brands' interiors, the problem is with some kind of bias you have. It has been compared to Audi's interiors in terms of material quality, and let me tell you - it is one of the most luxurious interiors I've ever seen on any car, and that includes a ton of cars that I have driven, such as the Jaguar XF, the new BMW 5 series, the Audi A6, etc. It's far richer feeling than the BMW 5 series interior - that's for sure.
As for how it drives, and/or whether it's a luxury car, or some folks still insisting calling it a Nissan, again, I challenge you to go out and drive it as soon as possible after or before test driving the BMW 5 series (which is what I did), and come back and stand by your comments. If you have, well then I guess it's a matter of opinion. But if you haven't driven this car, or driven it side by side to the new 5 series, frankly your comments are lacking the reality of what this car is like. It's easily as luxurious as anything in it's class, and it's an absolute blast to drive. Shape wise - that's also a question of taste. I personally think it's shape is like a bigger version of the G37, but I love the shape of the G37 - think it's a lot nicer looking than either the BMW 3 series sedan, or the Merc C Class and Lexus IS. Almost all car manufacturers have a significant similarity in looks between their various entries in different sizes, as they should - their brand should look cohesive.
arigold1 - you mentioned the G35 - that hasn't been on sale in 2 years, even if the shape was the same from 2007, but it does make me wonder how much you really know about Infiniti's these days that you first refer to a car that hasn't been on sale for that long, and then claim that Infiniti's are for 'guidos' and NJ types who normally drive Camaros - which is an insulting statement to many, but regardless, it's also completely inaccurate - the average Infiniti buyer these days is either moving up from the family sedan class, or moving from a BMW because the Infiniti offers much the same performance wise, but with so many features standard for far less money and so much better a service experience, that it makes sense to rather get a G37 than a 335i - it's certainly a lot less $ to get into, and not all of us have $ to burn.
Having driven a G35x prior to my current M45x, I can also tell you that the G35x feels just as luxurious as the BMW 3 series (I drove an '06 BMW 330i - current shape minus a few facelifts, and traded UP to a G35x after just 1 year filled with more problems/service appointments than there are months in the year - the 330i was one of the least reliable cars I've ever owned, and the service dept at VOB BMW was by far the worst service dept I've ever dealt with), and by the way, the G35x back in 2006/2007 was a LOT more fun to drive than the 330i was (it also had 41 more HP but fully featured, was over $10k cheaper). It was only when BMW upgaded to the 335i, that things swung around and the 335i became the more fun car to drive - even than the G37, because the BMW has more torque - but even then, when you optioned the cars fully, the 335i was now $13k more expensive - that's 30% at that price range - hardly worth the extra $.
alex38: you wrote that at $67k, this is excessive. You're ignoring the features that this comes with out of the box. Try this - build out either the BMW 550i or the Merc E550 to just the features that the based M56 comes with and look at the price. I guarantee you that you'll be well over the $68k mark in either one. Then try to fully load each of these, and there shouldn't be a comparison. I'll try this one of these days myself and tell you what I found out.
Please though, dont think of or refer to Infiniti as Nissan. Lexus is not Toyota in the majority of it's cars - it far outshines Toyota. It's a separate brand for a reason. The VW group owns a ton of brands, and shares parts between many of them. You'll find Audi parts in some VW's, Bentleys, Lambo's, etc., yet these cars are all very distinctively different from each other. I've driven a Bentley Continental GTC Speed, and it's interior is unbelievable - but it still has a lot of Audi parts. I don't hear any Bentley owners or perspective buyers calling the Bentleys Audi's or VW's despite the parts sharing.
Cars' looks and driving experience is obviously a subjective thing, and if you don't like the way the M or the G looks, but love the way the 3 series or the 5 series looks, that's your prerogative. But saying that Infiniti's are just not luxurious enough to even compare, etc., which everyone I quoted here said shows one of 2 things - either you are basing your opinions only on pics of the car or looking at the interior from outside - ie. you haven't sat in, let alone driven one of these newer Infiniti's, or there's something very strange about your sense of what luxury feels like, or you're just plain BMW or Merc fanboys that don't want to admit that a Japanese manufacturer could actually beat the German stalwarts. Again, please do yourselves a favor if you haven't done this already. Go and test drive the M56 (hell, I think my M45 is more luxurious (not better looking mind you) than the new 5 series, let alone the new M56), and then go and drive the new 5 series as soon as possible. If you still think that the M56 can't even begin to compare luxury or drive wise, come back and let us know. I for one would be shocked having driven both, and having a healthy respect for BMW's (have owned and driven 4) and Mercedes (my wife drives one now) if you still felt that Infiniti wasn't up to par.
emajor says:
09:58 PM, 12/29/2010
"these vehicles are quite capable of speeds nearing that high of a number when limiters are removed and roadways are clear and maintained for such speeds (autobahn, etc.)"
I really don't think that this car can reach anywhere near 180 mph even with the governor off. That's supercar territory, isn't it? Anyhow, who buys a $70K luxury sedan to rip out the governor and drive it in this manner?
My problem with this is that the 0-80 zone of the speedometer is now so small that it becomes more difficult to assess your speed at a glance in the range that you will be driving 99.9999% of the time. And I hearby heap scorn on the Audi for the same reason.
That is a handsome gauge cluster in the M56, though.
arigold1 says:
09:31 PM, 12/29/2010
Overpriced, over ugly, no image. Has anyone seen one on the road? 67k? No one bought the Q45 and no one is going to buy this.
The entire brand seems to sell to NJ Guidos and Camaro types and mostly all G35s. You rarely see any other model.
More fail from them.
alex38 says:
08:06 PM, 12/29/2010
I'm sure this is a fun vehicle to drive and not 1/2 bad looking. But at $67K??? WTF? And there just something about this interior that doesn't do it at all for me. Just not feeling those swoopy lines; i know they tried to be stylish and dramtic but just excessive for my tastes..
I'd take the BMW/Merc over this anyday..
irvg37 says:
06:38 PM, 12/29/2010
infiniti has really done an amazing job w. this m... and not just the m but the entire product line. and the v8 engine in this car is phenomenal--trumps all of the competitors' specs, hands down. i don't believe it's a coincidence that every infiniti product beats the competitors' power ratings in every segment.
but despite all this good work, i've got an ominous feeling that IL will be terribly biased against this infiniti product. we've seen in the last two comparisons (mb and bmw), IL has put down the infiniti as a loser for some immaterial faults. and on the comparison vs bmw, infiniti lost due to some random subjective measures. and the tagline for the first picture: "Some have said the M56 looks like an inflated G37. | December 28, 2010 | Kurt Niebuhr for Edmunds"... to which i respond,
... some have said the S class looks like an inflated C class
... some have said the 7 series looks like an inflated 3 series
... some have said the LS is an inflated camry
... some have said 911 turbo is an inflated boxster
... some have said R8 is an inflated TT
... some have said A8 is an inflated passat
... come on. wtf.