With the engine of the mighty Nissan 350Z, so roar
How often do you come across an Infiniti? Precisely. That’s why we invited one of them to come and do ‘rollers’ in The Hague. Can we enjoy the sound of a roaring six-cylinder from Nissan and the beautiful curves of the FX.
The story is probably well known: Infiniti acts for Nissan like Lexus for Toyota and Acura for Honda. Positioned higher in the market than the parent brand, always beautifully equipped and always powerfully motorized. When the brand was just officially presented in the Netherlands, AutoWeek ran off with a yellow FX with a 5.0 V8 petrol engine, for a comparison test with a BMW X6. Two mega-SUVs with coupé pretensions and big engines. That were the days. There is no lack of interest from other road users, something that is also partly due to the remarkable color of the FX (officially: Mojave Copper).
Infiniti did well in the US and the Emirates, from 2008 in the Netherlands
In other parts of the world, such as North America or the Middle East, offering a premium brand works quite nicely. For example, Infiniti did well in the United States and also in the Emirates. In 2008, the brand set foot in the Netherlands. The great success was not forthcoming. And let that be exactly the reason why Mark van Binsbergen chose this car.
Much more practical than its Nissan 350Z with the same engine
“I don’t like uniform sausage, I want something special. That’s why I bought this Infiniti,” says Mark, who has his own media company. “We also have a Nissan 350Z at home. I usually drive in that, my wife loves the FX. Nice high seat and much more practical.” It wasn’t that easy to get hold of this FX, as Mark had set the bar high. “I didn’t necessarily want black or gray. Well, go search! He couldn’t be too young, because I wanted to drive him for my company. Then he can go into the books as a youngtimer.” No Mojave Copper for Mark, but nice metallic blue on the 23-XK-KZ. A car from 2005, which ended up in the Netherlands in 2007. He gave it to himself in 2020 and he is still happy with that. “The FX35 is quite versatile: quite practical, with a lot of power and it is the most luxurious version available, with a Tech Package with an open roof and smart key. Everything is on and on.”
80 liter tank
It is also expensive, because with those seriously high petrol prices, 80 liters of fuel will take quite a while. Like Mark’s Nissan 350Z, his FX is in the books for 280 horsepower. Let’s see if the car makes it. Roller bench chief Ghisbert van Ginhoven is pleasantly surprised, because he has a scoop today. “I’ve never been in an Infiniti! But it’s actually a Nissan, right?” Yes, that’s absolutely right. But just a little different. It is an imposing sight, this hefty crossover of almost two tons cleanly on the hook on the rollers. The 3.5-liter six-cylinder still runs beautifully and it’s eager too. Just look at the neat score that the seventeen-year-old car has recorded. “It just doesn’t quite reach its capacity, but given its age and mileage, this luxurious Japanese gets more than sufficient from me,” says Ghisbert. The Infiniti is still running like a charm!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl