The 2009 Infiniti M45x stopping in western Long Island for the first leg of the trip.
Flying across the country to attend a wedding can be a trying task at times. Hotels, rentals cars, and the chance that you don’t really want to spend hours with people you don’t know. This wedding was taking place in Long Island and my wife and I have family and friends spread throughout New England so we decided to turn it into a week long road trip. The hotels were lined up, and we really like the people whose wedding we were attending so all that was left was transportation. Enter the 2009 Infiniti M45x as our chariot of choice. Hotels check, good friends and family check, and a comfortable cruiser checkmate?
The first thing that stands out about the M45x waiting for me at the parking lot, is the styling that is clearly all Infiniti. However, it is done in a more mature way compared to the G37 coupe or sedan or the FX. The curvaceous body is there, but it is far more subtle. The M45x sits at a nice height that adds a touch of aggressiveness, but the overall affect is a car that looks both sporty and luxurious at the same time.
I put our luggage in the trunk with room to spare, and my wife and I slide into the comfortable leather seats. There is plenty of room and I don’t even need to move my seat all the way back, which is now cooling my back thanks to the climate controlled driver and passenger seats.
The first part of our journey finds us spending a night in Manhattan. Driving in both Boston and Los Angeles has prepared me for 95% of all possible traffic and road conditions. I have experienced blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and stop & go traffic at 2 am on a Sunday morning for no reason. Driving in downtown New York City helped me add another 4% to the aforementioned figure. After getting flipped off and screamed at by an old lady for letting her merge, we arrived at a parking garage and said goodbye to the car for the evening.
The next morning we woke up and it was time to get out of the city and head to Long Island for a few days. Leaving the city allowed me to stretch the legs on the 4.5L V8 sitting under the hood. The 2009 Infiniti M45x produces 325 hp and 336 lb-ft of torque. I could get the car up to speed quickly and comfortably with ease regardless of whether the five-speed automatic was in normal mode or Drive Sport (DS) mode. The power was great, but it was the sound coming from the exhaust that really surprised me. I have become accustomed to the metallic wail that a lot of Nissan and Infiniti cars produce. The sound I heard here was the 32-valve DOHC V8 working its magic. The M45x is quiet and subdued at slow speeds, but a sharp stab of my right foot and the car comes alive with a growl as I am pushed a little back into my seat. The noise can be addicting and I found myself sneaking away to take the car for another spin around the highway, just to hear it.
I mentioned before that the front seats are climate controlled, but I didn’t say that they are also 10-way power adjustable. The steering wheel is also power adjustable up and down as well as forward and back. If you can’t get comfortable in this car you are either A) used to driving in Rolls-Royce Phantoms or B) Shaq. Though if you are B, you are also most likely option A as well.
The M45x is enjoying the view at an eastern Long Island vineyard before heading to the ferry.
The wedding was fun, but it was time to continue on our journey. The next stop was southern Rhode Island and the most convenient way to get there was by taking the Cross Sound Ferry. This means we had to take the M45x to the far end of Long Island. The journey didn’t feel very long, because the wife and I were singing Bon Jovi, and songs by other relevant artists at the top of our lungs. This car was equipped with the Advanced Technology Package ($2,800 option), which includes an upgraded Bose 5.1 Surround Sound system with 14 speakers and an iPod connection, amongst a few other techno goodies. The audio sounds magnificent though I do have to say my wife and I sounded quite good ourselves during Don’t Stop Believing by Journey.
The scenery in eastern Long Island is beautiful, but our ferry was waiting. As much as the M45x has been a pleasure so far, it was nice to park the car on a large boat and take in some ocean views. The boat is pretty remarkable in its own right. The whole nose of the ship rises up and the vehicles drive on. The vessel fits 675 passengers and up to 85 vehicles. The ride takes about an hour and twenty minutes, and the ship serves food and drinks if you so wish. There is also a bar, but it was stuck on the YES network, and the boat was crawling with Yankees fans - the one sour part of the ride.
Taking in the sights at a Connecticut boatyard.
The rest of the trip was a blur, but my wife and I visited with her family in southern Rhode Island then loaded up the Infiniti M45x with our luggage and hit the road for Boston. The M45x gobbled up miles and miles of East Coast highways, back roads, rural areas, major metropolitan centers, and even took a ride on a boat. During this time, the car drove wonderfully, was very comfortable, and stands out from a design standpoint compared to a 5-series BMW and an E-Class Mercedes-Benz.
Looking for something to eat in Boston? You have a few options.
The car was the perfect fit for our road trip and we didn’t even have to use the AWD system, because the weather was great. The 2009 Infiniti M45x is not a car you see often because the crowd tends to move towards BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi when shopping in this segment. However, I think this car more than holds its own in this segment. The base price of the M45x is $54,650 and our car came loaded with two technology packages which drove the price to $62,915.00, which is right in the same range as the rest of this mid-size AWD luxury sedan category.
Last stop on the trip with the 2009 Infiniti M45x is a rainy night in the great city of Boston.
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