At one time, Infiniti built a slab-sided hot rod based on the Japanese-market Nissan Gloria. Called the Infiniti M45, it was long and had sides as flat as a rack of ribs. Powered by a Q45-sourced V8, it was a stoplight rocket in the tradition of American muscle cars: Slightly sinister by way of its plain, non-descript looks that went unnoticed until the light turned green.

Move ahead a few years, and the car has grown up. In the process, though, as it has matured, it has gotten better overall. A technological flagship for the high-end line from Nissan, the M45 takes the place once occupied by Infiniti’s former Q-ship, the Q45.

What is it?
A luxury sedan in the vein of a flagship, the M45 is the showcase vehicle to display what the techies and designers at Infiniti have been up to. Capable of seating five, it is a comfortable cross country tourer that keeps everyone relaxed upon arrival, as we found on a recent excursion in a 2009 M45 to Orlando, Florida.

What’s it up against?
Competitors squaring off against the M45 include the Audi A6 4.2, BMW 550i, Mercedes-Benz E550 (we’ll be driving the redesigned model shortly), Volvo S80 V8 and Lexus GS 460.

The M is also available with Infiniti’s 3.5-liter V6 in the M35, which competes with six-cylinder versions of the German and Japanese defaults, as well as the Cadillac CTS.

It’s a crowded field of worthy warriors.

Any breakthroughs?
Several. Infiniti’s Lane Departure Warning (LDW) let you know that you are swerving into an adjacent lane by a gong sound that hopefully will cause you to correct yourself. If that doesn’t happen, look for the Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) to apply the brakes on the side opposite of the lane drift, which will cause the car to correct its direction of travel.

While LDW and LDP prevent sideways incursions, Intelligent Cruise Control takes over when your speed causes you to approach a car too quickly while in cruise mode. Taking over from the cruise control program, a sonar sensor in the grille of the M45 causes the throttle to back off, and also applies the brakes to prevent an unnatural meeting of the bumpers, if not the minds. These features were revolutionary at the M’s 2006 launch.

Rear Active Steering, included in the optional Sport Package, is designed to aid handling. The car’s sensors send information to the CPU, which cause electronic motors to change vehicle dynamics by moving the rear suspension lower links. The result is a vehicle that feels like it sucks to the ground instead of wallowing its way around a curve.

Finally, add Scratch and Sniff, er, Scratch Shield self-healing clearcoat to prevent minor scratches and scrapes that occur from the average errant shopping cart. The paint will “melt” until it fills in the minor scratch. We were tempted to aim a few shopping carts at the M45, but in the interest of returning our graciously provided press fleet vehicle to Infiniti in roughly the same shape (minus some tire tread) it arrived in, we only tried light key and fingernail scratches. It works!

How does it look?
Well, the anonycar look prevalent in the first generation M45 is gone, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The current M is a more luxurious-looking boulevardier capable of transporting its occupants in luxury – with a mildly sporty touch here and there.

Starting up front, the now-familiar chrome Infiniti grille leads the way, with the Xenon HID headlights offering illumination. Below the grille is the main front intake which houses a sensor used by the intelligent cruise control. Our test vehicle was in one of the many shades of gray currently offered and it was tastefully accented by thin chrome trim bits.

A minor application of ground-effects along the side sill helps to give the M a more athletic stance. The fastback roofline flows rearward to a rear fascia that is complete down to the aerodynamic underside splitter that contains the four chrome exhaust finishers. LED taillights finish things at the rear while unique 10-spoke brushed chrome wheels provide a nice accent to the subtle shade of paint.

And inside?
Since this is the M45S, as Sport Package cars are badged, the interior keeps with that sporting theme. The customary wood trim that appears in the standard model is replaced with swathes of brushed aluminum accents across the dash, and a technical-looking panel with grid dots as trim around the shift surround and audio controls.

The climate, audio, navigation and telephone controls reside in the now-familiar control shelf that seems to be making its way through the entire Infiniti line. Using the central command dial, it is possible to control pretty much every function of the vehicle.

The leather seats are nicely designed with beefed-up side bolsters, lumbar support and Infiniti logo stitching just below the headrest. The Bose Premium Audio system provides a musical counterpunch to the refined exhaust note that enters the cabin. Two of the smaller speakers in the eight-speaker contingent, reside on either side of the headrest of both the driver and passenger seats. They add a totally new dimension to interior sound.

The optional navigation system gives you the option to be set to say the name of the street (“prepare to turn right on Adams Street”) or it can ring an electronic bell 50 feet before the turn. This is in addition to the split screen function, which shows you the direction of your next move with a sliding scale that gets shorter as you approach the turn.

In the back, a lower hip point leaves headroom for six-footers, and the overall length of the cabin leaves ample legroom in the backseat.

But does it go?
With a 4.5-liter DOHC V8 pumping out 325-horsepower and 336 lb-f.t of torque, the M45 tries to reclaim the mystique that existed with the previous generation. But as we have matured in life, so has the M. Pickup from the V8 is impressive as the electronically controlled Drive Shift five-speed automatic smoothly bangs through the gears. We can’t help but wonder how things would have been if a six- or a seven-speed was added as an aid to increase mileage on this lead sled; the M shows its relative age by offering just five cogs.

As it lies, the M45 achieves 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway – unexceptional, but par for the class.

For a large sedan, the M45 handled like a car weighing much less than its 3,990 curb weight would imply. Thanks to the active rear steering, the M45 could cut apex better than a car the same size without the active steering benefit. Along our South Florida test loop, it handled all the various surfaces with ease and decent sophistication, though it’s not quite as buttoned-down as the BMW 5-Series or even the Lexus GS. In the grand scheme of things, it is more of a luxo-cruiser than a car with a major sporting attitude like some of its rivals.

With suspension bits consisting of double wishbones with coil springs and a stabilizer bar up front, and an independent multi-link setup out back, the M45 was easy to toss about while on the Florida Turnpike picking off the tourists bound for the Mouse House. We saw mild understeer on the cloverleafs, where there was not enough radius in the turn to actually engage the active rear-steer. Road feel was nicely transmitted through the leather-wrapped wheel via an electrically controlled speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering.

The 19-inch split spoke superlight alloys shod with W-rated meaty 245/40 high performance Bridgestone Potenzas provided good grip through the brief rain showers we encountered in Central Florida. They also went a long way in helping to keep road noise to a minimum, especially for performance-oriented large tires. The cabin provided a nicely tuned chamber that only provided a hint of the power available under the hood when the loud pedal was pressed.

The M35 gets Infiniti’s new VQ35HR 3.5-liter V6 engine rated at 303-horsepower and 262 lb-ft. of torque, it is just 22-ponies and 74 lb-ft shy of the M45’s power rating for about six grand less. The V6 also adds a pair of cogs thanks to its seven-speed automatic transmission on rear-wheel-drive variants.

Both the M35 and M45 are available with optional all-wheel-drive that adds a bit more than $2,000 to the bottom line.

Why you would buy it:
You’d like the technology that seems to be jumbled up in some European luxury/sport machines, but would rather do it at a Pacific Rim price point.

Why you wouldn’t:
You have a craving for a 5-Series sedan equipped with iDrive.

Leftlane’s bottom line:
The Infiniti M45 is a nicely appointed five-place luxury-performance sedan that does nearly everything an owner could possibly ask of it. With a 4.5-liter V8 and a terrific exhaust note, it is a competent cruiser, but with the lines between siblings blurring, we think that we would opt for the seven-speed automatic-equipped M35.

No, it is not the most inspiring sedan on the market, but it is a capable, roomy and comfortable alternative to the seemingly default German offerings. Note that our loaded M45’s as-tested price would barely get you out of the door in a BMW 550i devoid of optional equipment.

2009 Infiniti M45 base price, $52,150. As tested, $60,765.
Advanced Technology package, $2,800; Sport package, $1,650; Technology package, $3,350; Destination, $815.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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