Review and photos by
Bob McHugh, CanadianDriver.com

Infiniti, the luxury division of Nissan, pulled the wraps off the 2011 edition of its flagship M series sedan earlier this year. It comes in both rear-drive and all-wheel drive versions and has been completely redesigned inside and out, with very attractive long and slinky exterior styling lines.

2011 Infiniti M37x

The M was designed around an idea called “organic body glove,” according to Ian Forsyth, director of product and corporate planning at Nissan Canada. “We wanted to build a vehicle that’s adaptive to the environment, different road types, different styles of driving and fits so well that it becomes an extension of the driver,” he said.

Since Infiniti abandoned its Q series, the M has become the flagship sedan of the luxury division. Under the hood, there’s now a choice of V6 and V8 engines; both have small increases in displacement and substantial increases in power. Yet, because of new technology advances, the new M consumes even less fuel, despite the power improvement. (more…)

Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

Over the last few years, Infiniti has been playing with its drawing pens in all the right places. Once stodgy and forgettable, the brand’s styling has morphed into strong yet organic lines. This all comes together in the redesigned 2011 M sedan, the company’s flagship line, a slippery, sinewy model that looks like it’s splitting the air when it moves.

2011 Infiniti M56x

My tester was the M56x, with a 5.6-litre V8 under its hood, and all-wheel drive powering its wheels. It’s a lovely car inside and out, but it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, trying too hard to straddle the line between sporty and sedate. It’s not thrilling enough when tossed into the corners to be a sports sedan, at least not in the sense of what Audi or BMW sends out in the segment, and its harsh ride, the result of its sportiness, really isn’t what I would have expected in a luxury car. It’s still generally nice to drive overall, but Infiniti needs to determine exactly where to position this particular model. (more…)