Infiniti FX50 S

The arrival of Infiniti in the UK next year is an interesting development in the premium car market. The large petrol SUV sector is tiny, so the flagship FX50 S won’t be a big seller. But its unique styling and technology-packed cabin will appeal to those who want to stand out from the crowd. The FX delivers decent performance, while the promised changes to the ride, refinement and interior quality should improve it further.

Meet the biggest car company you’ve never heard of. Infiniti is nearly 20 years old, and has the same relationship to Nissan as Lexus does to Toyota. It’s highly exclusive, too. The cars are only sold in North America and parts of the Middle East and Asia – they’re not even marketed in Japan. Infiniti

But in April 2009, Infiniti comes to the UK, and is aiming to tackle Lexus and Germany’s premium brands head-on. So what can we expect? Well, the car spearheading the European attack is this: the second-generation FX.

It will be introduced at the same time as the firm’s coupé, saloon and compact SUV. But this is the flagship of the line-up, and is claimed to be a fusion of a sports car and an SUV, with the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 and Range Rover Sport in its sights.

Two versions will be available. The V6 FX37 is likely to be the more popular choice, but topping the range is this V8-engined FX50. It’s powered by an all-new 5.0-litre unit, and its bold US-inspired styling is sure to stand out on British roads.

With the widest track in the segment and a set of enormous 21-inch alloy wheels, it looks pretty mean. So, you get the raised ride height of a big SUV, but the upper body has the short overhangs, taut swooping lines and long bonnet of a coupé.

Inside, things are a little more conventional, with the dashboard focused around the central control screen and glowing gauges. Cabin quality is good enough to rival Lexus, but rear room is adequate rather than generous, and the luggage space suffers because of the short rear overhang.

Still, Infiniti claims this car is aimed at customers who rate style and quality over practicality. With this in mind, the European version of the FX will benefit from 300 detail changes over the US-market model we drove.

Improvements to cabin materials, switchgear and trim will account for most of these alterations. But it’s not only the interior that’s being reworked for tastes on this side of the Atlantic; the ride and handling are being tuned for European roads, too.

The FX has double wishbone front suspension, while the top-spec model gets active dampers. On the road, body roll is well controlled, and despite its huge size the car is relatively nimble. But the ride is poor and refinement is spoiled by intrusive road noise.

One clever feature is the Rear Active Steer system. This employs an electric motor to turn the back wheels by up to one degree to help stability during high-speed lane changes.

Traction is good, too. When maximum grip is needed, the electronic four-wheel-drive sends up to 50 per cent of torque to the front tyres – although in normal driving, all power goes to the rear axle to help economy.

Don’t expect great fuel efficiency, though. The rumbling 5.0-litre V8 has 385bhp and 500Nm of torque, and propels the FX from 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds – so it’s safe to say that the newcomer will be costly at the pumps. But the powerplant is very refined, and UK cars will have a smoother throttle response.

The seven-speed auto box is also being retuned for Europe. That’s just as well, as the manual paddleshift mode doesn’t swap gears as quickly or smoothly as its European rivals.

Equipment is generous. In the UK, the FX50 will only be available in S trim, which brings active cruise control, a 360-degree parking camera and lane departure warning. There are also leather-trimmed, heated and cooled memory seats as standard.

Infiniti will announce a 14-strong UK dealer network soon, and bosses promise it will rival Lexus for customer service. It just remains to be seen if the company can equal the success of its arch-rival in other areas.