Infiniti M56 Review
Curvy exterior, prestige interior and supercar grunt, but no want
By Shahzad Sheikh
I absolutely detested the previous version of the Infiniti M56, it was after all meant to be the flagship of Nissan’s luxury range, but had little more charisma and style than a bloated Maxima.
They must have been listening, because for the 2011 MY they came out with this. Talk about curves, this thing is swooptastic. It’s as if straight-edged rulers were banned from the design office and stylist were warned never to draw a straight line if a curved one would do.
So the rounded front sweeps back into a bonnet that sweeps and scoops outwards and bumps towards the edges, bouncing off bulging wheel arches. And the coke-bottle used for the design of this waistline looks like it was made of plastic and had melted in the sun. It truly is a complex concoction of curves.
However, is it just me or does it seem a little cartoonish, especially with the 20-inch wheels fitted to this range-topping M56 S version.
Inside things get with comfy welcoming seats, a massive centre console, bedecked with buttons and switchgear as if a deluge of gadgetry is pouring out the middle of the dashboard. The curvy theme continues inside but it’s all superbly finished, with great tactile quality and shaded wood panelling is exquisite and even lovely to look at.
It’s interesting to note that I put a picture of the door panel on our Facebook page, and several readers thought the car might be a Jaguar or Maserati!
If there is a criticism, it’s the ergonomics, which feel compromised by the style, for example the touch screen is nice, but you need long arms like me to get to it. Rear and boot space is average.
And if you like grunt, there’s plenty of that on tap thanks to a 5.6-litre V8 producing 402bhp, giving this luxury saloon a 0-100kph time of just over 5 seconds with a limited top speed of 250kph. That is seriously quick.
But it doesn’t necessarily feel it, particularly in the normal driving mode. Put it in Sport and you get a much more urgent response, but it still errs on the side refinement. The lack of a evocative V8 sound track doesn’t help either, it’s more of a drone. In fact the car in general seems to make a strange humming noise cruising a lower speeds.
The S configuration and the massive, albeit mean-looking, wheels don’t benefit the ride much either and whilst generally fine, it falls short of what you might expect at this level.
Having said that, it’s an excellent and relentless long-distance cruiser – if you can afford the fuel bills (it seems to be positively funnelling the juice straight out of the tailpipes! Despite decent response at the helm and a tight turning circle, its largeness is apparent (it is bigger than the 5-series, E-Class and Jag XF it’s aimed at) and it’s not a car you’ll be peddling enthusiastic through corners.
Despite the beautifully finished steering-column mounted paddleshifts – which always remind me of a Klingon Bat’leth, I felt no desire to use them, leaving the delightfully short stubby lever in Drive to let the gearbox get on with its good work.
So the M is a far better car than it was, nicely appointed and a great place to travel in. Unless you appetite for V8s is overwhelming, I suspect the M37 might be a better choice, as I reckon the performance drop-off won’t be as much, it’ll be more economical and lighter.
And at a starting price of AED179,500 rising to AED220,000 for the S version, it also seems better value than the AED249,000 asked for this M56 S.
Having said that, I don’t want one. For this sort of money, you might want to check out the Mercedes E350 and the BMW 5-series, personally I’d opt for the Jaguar XF with the supercharged 3.0 V6. Great style, marvellous interior, fun drive and only slightly down on power and performance.
2013 Infiniti M56 S
Specs
Price: AED249,000 ($67,700)
Engine: 5.6-litre V8, 402bhp @ 6000rpm, 406lb ft @ 4400rpm
Performance: 0-100kph 5.2s (est), 250kph (limited)
Transmission: Seven-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Weight: 1883kg
Would you buy an M56 S? Tell us below. And if you’ve got one, send in your review!
So if someone has the money for this car, would you recommend him to buy this car? If not, which car would you suggest at the same amount or lower.
[Shahzad] Read the last paragraph, my response is there! What would you buy?