Infiniti’s mid-size sedan, the M, has been around for quite some time, but it’s still one of our favorite luxury sport sedans. We lived with an M45 for a full year, and not once did it require repairs. Even those in the office who didn’t initially understand the M45’s place in the automotive world came away from the test in awe of how good this Japanese BMW-fighter really is.
For 2009, the M is available in four trim levels, as detailed below.
The M35
The M35 is the entry-level M, and it comes with a V-6 engine and rear-wheel drive. Last year’s 275-hp VQ35 V-6 engine has been replaced with the HR (high-revving) version of the VQ. Displacing the same 3.5 liters, the VQ35HR produces 303 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission (up from last year’s five-speed), so the M35 now feels as fast as its V-8-powered big brother. In fact, it only produces 22 less hp, and with the benefits of two additional gears in its transmission, it might even be quicker than the M45. The additional power comes at no extra fuel cost; in fact, thanks to the extra gears in the transmission, EPA fuel economy improves from 16/23 to 17/25.
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