From the Passenger’s seat: The Infiniti FX is an Über tarmac predator

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Few manufacturers of the beloved automobile are turning to high-performance SUVs to raise pulses. Rather, they are slowing them down with high gas mileage numbers from Eco-minded penalty boxes.

Infiniti shatters that ideal with the FX.

Sporting 303 or 390 horsepower; the FX gains momentum with levels of speed ranging from serious gusto to neck-snapping punishment. Infiniti's luxury fighter jet wears a graceful tuxedo that’s in sync with Infiniti's new design language.

From the passenger seat, the FX seems every bit as brash and bold as the exterior suggests. The interior shows off luxury as much as any fancy Lexus or Mercedes, and it really feels the part. Materials are soft and squishy, and exude a high-quality demeanor. Infiniti FX tfl 2

The exterior parking cameras aid those of you who can't park in between lines, as well as everybody who needs to see out of the FX's tiny porthole of a rear window.

The seat heaters get toasty rather quickly, creating near-burning temperatures in less than five minutes. The trunk is shallow and narrow. The FX's rivals offer much more space.

Back seats are tight and head room isn't plentiful, although the FX musters enough room to squeeze in five space-skeptical passengers and make them content to the FX's tradeoffs in space for unabashed sportiness.

The ride isn't as compromised like one might expect, due to the fact that the masterminds at infiniti found a way to tune the suspension precise enough to provide a good balance of ride and handling- handling being how us passengers feel around corners and through twisties in the racy FX.

The navigation works relatively intuitively, providing 2D, 3D or bird's eye views of the road. There's even a separate active display to show just how far ahead each and every road is, but that feature sometimes distracts with its ever-changing graphics and colors.

As expected, both engines find joy in unmercifully thrusting passengers into their pillow-soft couches with a relentless growl. The 5.0-Liter V8, however, finds joy in drop-kicking passengers into their heavily bolstered seats. The V6 really needs more torque to even come close to mimicking the V8's grunt.

As it is, it feels merely peppy. Infiniti crafted the FX to be stable and controlled, with supressed body lean and virtually no tire squeal. Although the FX has a setting for snow driving, it's never a vehicle to tackle any off-road courses. It's low-slung and muscular, with a wide and angry face that would hate nothing more than to be put through the rough stuff. Infiniti FX tfl 3

Overall, the new Infiniti FX is a real predator for other glitzy and sporty über-SUVs trying to claim the crown as top dog. If you can stand a harsher ride and a tight cabin for an SUV that knows its way around a corner as good as a sport sedan and can speed away from one at a stoplight, the Infiniti FX just might be the SUV for you.

About the Author: Colin Chambers, age 13, has been writing car reviews since a very young age. He has been invited to many different car crash test facilities and has a strong passion for cars, sparked by his mom and dad.

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