Used 2013 INFINITI FX

When introduced in early 2003 the Infiniti FX brought to the market an over-the-top look that was unlike any sport-utility-type vehicle previously available, stressing as it did sporting performance and expressive style over the utility of passenger and cargo accommodation. After two facelifts, the most recent just last year, the 2013 Infiniti FX37 and FX50 have gained a little more elegance and perhaps more restrained lines (or have we grown used to them?), but they continue to be more about a bold look with a driving experience to match than dutifully transporting lots of people and their gear. The FX qualifies as a sport-utility vehicle, but it is clearly more sport than utility.

The 2013 Infiniti FX’s exterior shape sacrifices some utility in the name of sporting character, and the rest of the vehicle does the same. Even at its most opulent, the FX50 all-wheel driver (AWD) carries but 53 percent of its approximately 4,500 pounds on the front end – not a lot by sport-utility standards. A balanced chassis plus all-independent suspension and lively powertrains, all tuned for stability and response rather than quiet comfort, make for a fine-handling car, never mind it’s a sport-utility vehicle. The new 325-horsepower V6 is plenty capable and the 390-hosepower 5.0 V8 feels downright fast. The 7-speed automatic has an effective manual-shift mode than includes a nice throttle blip on downshifts. With over seven inches of ground clearance you can certainly get to the trailhead, though you may not want to carry on into the rocks and creek beds.

You step up, as with any SUV, to enter the Infiniti FX, but once inside, it feels more like a swoopy sports sedan. Though not as daringly styled as the exterior, the FX cabin is still quite unusual among SUVs, whose cabins are generally laid out for utility and functionality first. In the FX, a driver-centric cockpit with a pronounced center-stack design confirms the message that this thing is for driving first, and although the folding rear seatbacks add flexibility for hauling cargo, the reality is rear-seat and load-deck space is just not very generous.

The Infiniti FX’s look has softened some over the years but you still won’t confuse it with your cousin’s Nissan Rogue. The sheetmetal below the beltline is barely able to contain the wheel-and-tire package (especially with the 20- or 21-inch wheels) while topside the greenhouse looks slightly undersized relative to the rest of the SUV’s expanse. Fenders bulge not so subtly, there are aero-look details front and rear, and the headlight and taillight treatments (new last year) are distinctive. The sleek shape squeezes cargo and passenger space in back, but that’s the FX proposition.

3.7-LITER DOHC V6
Nissan’s all-aluminum, 4-valve-per-cylinder V6 has long been a sweetheart of an engine. The larger 3.7-liter version (already used in the Infiniti G, Nissan Z and others) carries on the tradition, with even more power and efficiency to go with its smooth, free-revving character.

IN-YOUR-FACE SHEETMETAL
Rarely does a big car company embrace a love-it-or-leave-it exterior design, but Infiniti went all in with the original styling of the FX. Some restraint – and with it, more elegance – has crept in with the intervening facelifts, but the 2013 Infiniti FX is still a powerful aesthetic statement.

Befitting the category and Infiniti’s pack-it-with-value mantra, both the FX37 and the FX50 benefit from a wide array of standard features. This includes High Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlights, a power moonroof, power rear liftgate and privacy glass. Inside there’s even more, beginning with dual-zone automatic temperature control, rear-seat heating and cooling vents, leather-appointed seating, 10-way-power driver’s seat, 8-way-power passenger’s seat, black lacquer interior trim and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The FX50 moves up a few notches with quilted-leather upholstery, advanced climate control and entry/exit assist on the driver’s seat and steering wheel.

Most FX options are bundled into packages. The Premium Package includes navigation, XM NavTraffic and NavWeather, 8-inch WVGA color touch-screen display and Streaming Audio via Bluetooth. The Deluxe Touring Package (FX37 only) has 20-inch alloy wheels, maple interior accents, climate-controlled front seats and quilted leather-appointed seating. The Technology Package includes Intelligent Cruise Control, Intelligent Brake Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Distance Control Assist. The Sport Package ups the ante for FX50 drivers with Continuous Damping Control, Rear Active Steer and other sporting upgrades.

For 2013, the FX’s V6 engine grows from 3.5 liters to 3.7, and benefits from Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) technology to optimize power, efficiency and emissions. With 325 horsepower, it’s all the FX really needs. Status and speed will lure many to the more expensive 5.0-liter V8. Rated at 390 horsepower, the V8 provides a significant increase in power over the V6 without a huge penalty in fuel economy. Both engines are connected to a 7-speed automatic transmission with both manual-shift mode and Adaptive Shift Control. The FX37 is available as a rear-driver (RWD) or with all-wheel drive (AWD); the FX50 is AWD only.

3.7-liter V6
325 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm
267 lb-ft of torque @ 5,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/24 mpg (RWD), 16/22 mpg (AWD)

5.0-liter V8
390 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
369 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 14/20 mpg