In any category of car there’s always those obvious top-name picks that everybody seems to gravitate toward. Maybe it’s me-too-ism, or maybe it’s just people’s faith in certain apparently “sure-thing” brands. Whatever the underlying reasons for this phenomenon, in the world of luxury cars, the big names are evergreens BMW and Mercedes, along with more recent fave Lexus.

And then there’s Infiniti. Introduced at approximately the same time as Lexus, the nameplate hasn’t made nearly the impression that its biggest rival Japanese luxury brand has. And that’s a shame. This upscale Nissan division has offered its share of sophisticated machinery to rival Lexus and other luxury marques. And, in many cases, Infinitis have a livelier, sportier feel than those more-popular competitors.

But while the brand’s relative obscurity might be a bad thing for Infiniti, it’s certainly not a bad thing for Infiniti owners. Not those willing to forgo image projection in favor of real, satisfying automotive substance anyway. For such folks looking to get a top-notch midsize luxury car that won’t get lost in a sea of BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Classes, and Lexus GSs, the all-new Infiniti M45 fits the bill beautifully.

And even if you don’t care about being a nonconformist, the new Infiniti M is a terrific car. It’s worth considering strictly on its merits alone.

This all-new M was introduced in Spring 2005 as a 2006 model. It’s offered as the M35 with a 280-hp 3.5-liter V6 and as the M45 with a 335-hp 4.5-liter V8. The M45 can also be had in a Sport version, which has 19- instead of 18-inch wheels, upgraded suspension, and a unique automatic rear-wheel steering system. It’s this hottest version of the M that we were lucky enough to get for our test session. Read the rest of this entry »