i was hoping they would improve the interior room. if it's the same size...then, i dunno.

 

hehehe you just answered your own question

 

drawings look hot.

This gonna be one hell of a car

I tested both current vehicles and FX45 was much slower then FX35.

I sure hope that FX50 will be much faster then FX37

 

??? Did you get that backwards? The 45 is definitely faster than the 35. I easily pull on 35's on the freeway, its not even close. Off the line is even worse. I snuck up into the 4th lane at a highway light once, merging into 3, and saw an MDX and FX35 ready to go at it. I flew by both of them. The 45 is easily a full second faster 0-60, and probably the same in the 1/4. Go back and take both on the freeway and get up to about 80 and gun it, the 45 jumps to 100 like its nothing while you can feel the 35 straining...

Also, I just got back from a 1500 mile round trip (Santa Barbara to Southern Oregon) and we averaged 21mpg on the freeway in the 45!

 

Sounds like a fun road trip, the FXs are great cruiser vehicles.

 

Definitely. Our friends gave me a hard time for doing 85-90 through the mountains on the way up, but I let them each drive for a couple hours on the way back and they were doing the same. The speed is addictive.

Unfortunately I also got my first speeding ticket in about 6 years during the trip. Speed trap. The damn cop was sitting off the side of the road in a passing lane on a 2-lane road. Of course I was speeding officer, I was trying to pass, hence being in the passing lane. Doh! Luckily he only wrote me up for 70 in a 55 when I was easily doing 85...

 

You need to differentiate between 35 AWD and RWD. Also, you need to factor in whether the 35 has the sport package. A FX35 RWD w/Sport may very well be faster than a FX45, especially if the 35 has any performance modifications.

 

There's no way a stock 35 is faster than the 45. And how exactly would the sport package make the 35 faster?? It doesn't add any power, if anything it may be slower with the 35 because of the added weight of the larger rims. Here in SoCal FX35's are very very rarely AWD, I'd say 80-90% on the road are RWD, and still slower than the FX45. Its nearly impossible to find either a AWD 35 or FX45 here in Santa Barbara. The 45 is just faster, hands down, I mean, I can't believe we are even debating this. 40 more hp with another 100 pounds or so of weight = faster, otherwise why would they even bother making the FX45???

Yes, a modded FX35 can definitely be faster than a stock FX45, but the original post I responded to talked about test driving them, so I assumed he was referring to stock vehicles.

 

You sir are absolutely correct. The 45 is about a second quicker than the 35 RWD to 60 and through the 1/4 mile. 35 RWDs check in around 4150 lbs., 35 AWDs around 4300 lbs. and 45s around 4500 lbs. Believe me when I say that the 45s V8 definitely makes up for the 350 lbs. or so of additional mass it has over a 35 RWD. And as much as the extra 45hp helps the 45 up top, it's the extra 67 ft-lbs (335 ft-lbs @ 4000 rpm) of torque (which peaks 800 rpms earlier in the 45 than the 268 ft-lbs @ 4800 rpm in the 35) that enables the 45 to outgun it's little brother. The 45 is in all respects the quicker car to 60 and through the traps without a doubt.

And let's not even bring up the 35 AWD. An extra 150 or so lbs. combined with the same output as it's RWD sibling will obviously yield slower acceleration figures.

However, what IS debatable is which version of the FX is the better handler. IMO the 35 RWD is more neutral as it's a bit lighter and slightly more tossable than the 45 which is a bit more nose heavy due to its V8 and mandatory AWD which add weight to the front of the vehicle. While both the 35 AWD and 45 feel more surefooted (obviously as both have AWD systems), and as much as I prefer the 45s added grunt, the 35 RWD is the better handler by a slim margin IMO.

In the end, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the 45 for it's added punch and it's killer exhaust note. Then again, you've got to pay to play. And when you consider that a base 45 is about 8 grand more than a 35 RWD Sport (11 grand more if you go for a base 35 RWD non-Sport), it's obvious why some folks who might have wanted a 45 end up going with a 35. For many, 8k for a 1 second difference in acceleration times isn't worth it, especially when you consider the aftermarket possibilities out there for the 35s with their VQ motor. That VK sure does sound good though.

 

Well, I got a sweet deal on mine so I didn't have to make that choice. When I bought mine in January all the '06 35's were sold out, but they had a couple 45's that were heavily discounted. So I got mine, fully loaded with tech package for around 11 grand below MSRP, less than they were asking for a similarly-equipped RWD 35. I love not having to compromise!

You may be right about the handling, but coming from the G35 coupe the FX35 just didn't have enough power for me. I've also been very happy with how the 45 handles. I actually feel it handles better at highway speeds than my coupe did, though of course around town there's no way it can keep up. I have to admit sometimes I do miss that powerslide...

 

I agree 100%. As much as I love my '07 Sedan 6M/T, the FX45 is just a bad ***. It especially looks good putting the smack down on a Cayenne S.

As for the deal you got, 11k under MSRP? I would have called BS until I noticed that you traded in your G35 via your sig.

 

I drove both 35 and 45 and 35 was taking off was faster, had better transmission response, faster acceleration. Overall was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better.

45 looks like it was designed for tow and not the speed.

Don't know But I liked 35 way better.

By the way.......I was driving used and 45 was 04 and had lots of miles on it, 35 was 07 wit only 6k miles on it. So that could be the case.

 

I like it!

 

Back on topic guys, this isn't a thread comparing the FX35 and FX45 in a race.

Anyways, thanks for sharing Alex. I myself hope that the FX doesn't grow too much in size, if at all. To me the FX has been the sportiest SUV on the market the last few years, and nothing compares to it in the looks department. If Infiniti stretches it and adds 3rd row seating, I think it will lose a little of it's sportiness. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Infiniti keeps the new FX the same size.

 

My predictions:

The FX may grow an inch or two with M-like amenities. A new people mover will come out in the next couple of years to slot in between the QX and FX.