Review: Infiniti S51 FX (2012-13)

Overview

Released in August 2012, the Infiniti S51 FX was a large, five-seat SUV. Manufactured in Tochigi, Japan, the FX was available with three engines: a 3.7-litre petrol V6 (the FX37 variant), a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel (FX30d) or a 5.0-litre petrol V8 (FX50). All engines, however, were mated to seven-speed automatic transmissions with adaptive shifting and downshift rev matching. Beyond the variants, the FX range included GT, S and S Premium editions.

The FX was fitted with Nissan’s ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system. As such, drive to the rear wheels was constant, but drive to the front wheels was managed by a transfer case with a multi-row chain driving a multi-plate wet clutch pack. When slip was detected on one of the rear wheels (i.e. a rear wheel turn of five per cent or more than the front wheels), torque was directed to the front wheels and up to 50 per cent of the engine’s torque could be directed to the front wheels. In contrast to ‘all or nothing’ part-time all-wheel drive systems, the ATTESA E-TS system could apportion different torque ratios to the front wheels according to the conditions.

The FX was fitted with double wishbone front suspension and independent, multi-link rear suspension. The FX was 4859 mm long, 2029 mm wide, 1651 mm tall and had a 2885 mm long wheelbase.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment included dual front airbags, front side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, active front seat head restraints and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

The S Premium editions were also fitted with the following systems:

• Forward Collision Warning (FCW) with Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA): laser sensors calculated the distance to the vehicle ahead and, if approaching too fast, would warn the driver. If the driver did not apply the brakes in time, IBA would automatically brake the vehicle;
• Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC): enabled the driver to specify the desired speed and distance to the vehicle ahead. If the vehicle ahead slows, ICC would automatically brake the vehicle to maintain the distance and resume the desired cruising speed as the vehicle ahead accelerated;
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Lane Departure Prevention (LDP): a camera mounted near the rear view mirror would detect lane markers and whether the vehicle was drifting into another lane without indicating. A warning tone would initially sound, followed by autonomous braking of the wheels on the opposing side of the vehicle if the vehicle continued to drift; and,
• Low Speed Following (LSF): operating between 5 km/h and 40 km/h, LSF would autonomously accelerate and brake the vehicle when driving in traffic.

Brakes

The FX had 355 mm ventilated front disc brakes with four-piston calipers and 350 mm rear ventilated discs with two-piston calipers.

Euro NCAP testing

In Euro NCAP testing , a 2009 FX37 GT received a five star safety rating which included an 86 per cent adult occupant protection rating and a 77 per cent child occupant protection rating. In the offset crash test, structures in the dashboard presented a risk of injury to both front occupants. As such, protection for the driver’s chest, legs and feet was rated as adequate, while protection for the driver’s knees and chest was rated as adequate. In the side impact test, maximum points were awarded; in the more severe side impact test, chest protection for the driver was rated as adequate. Under ANCAP’s methodology , this testing resulted in a five star adult occupant protection rating with a score of 33.48 out of 37.

Features

Standard features for the FX GT included 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with 265/20 V-rated tyres, an eleven speaker Bose sound system with a 10 GB hard-drive and USB port, satellite navigation with an eight-inch colour display, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, cruise control, a ten-way power adjustable driver’s seat, an eight-way power adjustable front passenger seat, ventilated front seats, leather seat trim, bi-xenon headlights with adaptive lighting, front fog lights, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, push-button start, 60/40 split and folding rear seats, remote central locking, power windows and heated mirrors, power folding mirrors with automatic tilt when reversing, power adjustable steering wheel (for tilt and reach), driver memory settings (steering wheel, mirrors and seat position), a sunroof, tinted windows and rear privacy glass, power-operated rear tailgate, 12 volt power outlets, an electrochromatic rear view mirror and immobiliser.

The FX S was further equipped with 21-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with 265/45 R21 W-rated tyres, fourteen-way power adjustable driver’s seat and contoured front sports seats. Furthermore, the S and S Premium editions were also fitted with:

• Active Damping Control (ADC) which provided continuously variable damping with selectable automatic and sports modes; and,
• With the exception of the FX37, Rear Active Steering (RAS) which adjusted the direction of the rear wheels in relation to steering input and vehicle speed.

The range-topping FX S Premium was distinguished by its Around View Monitor (AVM) which displayed a virtual bird’s eye view of the vehicle and surroundings to assist parking.

Related links

• Specifications: Infiniti S51 FX (August 2012)
• Wikipedia.org: Infiniti S51 QX70