2009 Infiniti FX35 AWD First Drive

You can be excused if you missed the introduction of the all-new Infiniti FX late last year -- the exterior styling changes were hardly dramatic. Infiniti saved the most impressive changes for its latest take on the sporty crossover for underneath the skin. With modified FM architecture and the use of lightweight aluminum components in the body and suspension, the new car weighs in at just 80 lb more than the 2008 version. Factor in gains in torsional rigidity and a host of technological improvements, and Infiniti was left with a sports crossover that was just begging for more power.

And more power is exactly what the FX got. For 2009, the top-end Infiniti FX50 found a new 5.0L V-8 crammed into its engine bay, pushing 390 hp and 369 lb-ft to all four wheels. With its newfound muscle, the Infiniti FX50 rocketed from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.2 sec in our instrumented testing. In case you weren't aware, that's fast. Especially given the FX50's 4600-lb curb weight. Still, while the FX50 gave us cause to shoot musclecar drivers dirty looks on more than one stint behind the wheel, it did have its disadvantages. With aggressive throttle tip-in, a heavy nose, and a stiff ride with its standard 21-in. rolling stock, the FX50 felt a bit blunt and, dare we say it, even overpowered to some testers.

And so it was that an Infiniti FX35 AWD showed up in the garage at Motor Trend Towers. With the same new sharknosed style as its bigger brother, the same new underpinnings and construction, the same seven-speed automatic transmission, and the same ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system, the biggest difference between the siblings is under the hood. Instead of a fire-breathing V-8, the volume-leading FX35 gets a 304-hp, 262 lb-ft 3.5L V-6.