2002 Infiniti I35 Review

Infiniti I35
Horsepower! Nissan's hanging its hat on it for the '02 model year, and the entry-level player in its Infiniti luxury division benefits handsomely from that policy. The midsize four-door I35 now has all of 255 horses under the right pedal, and they boot the 3342-lb car around with fair dispatch. A version of the corporate 3.5L V-6 provides responsive thrust with eerie smoothness and gives the otherwise restrained and conservative Maxima-derivative a welcome spark of spirit.

And it can use that. Since '96, the I30 has been a fine, upscale reinterpretation of Maxima fundamentals, but rather than smack luxury-car shoppers upside the head to get their attention, it's always chosen to be easy on the eye and light to the touch. A general makeover for the '02 model year to create the I35 continues that policy. The substantial jump in engine output (over 12 percent in both horsepower and torque) is accompanied by front and rear restylings with comparatively gentle visual impact. Contoured HID headlamps and a grille with faint Q45 echoes create a new face that's easy to look at, though perhaps less so to remember. (One staffer stuck his hand over the Infiniti badge in the grille and cried, "Quick. Who makes this car?" Good point. Could be almost anybody on the Pacific Rim.)

Under the sheetmetal, the new I is modern-conventional, but painstakingly developed. That sweet engine delivers power through a four-speed autobox and standard traction control. The comfy suspension is by MacPherson struts in front and a multilink beam in back, and brakes are all-disc with ABS, measuring 11.0 in. up front and 10.8 out back. The only standard 17-in. wheels and tires in this fleet do as much aesthetically as functionally, filling the I35's fenders while offering good grip and ride. An available Sport Package (which our test car had, even though we wanted to go without for this test) adds somewhat firmer damping and slightly more aggressive tires (V-rated 225/50 Bridgestone Potenza RE92s on our car instead of the standard H-rated 215/55s) on specific though same-size wheels. This setup tightened the car's feel over sharp inputs, but still allowed plenty of lower-velocity suspension stroke.

An expectedly long list of amenities and standard appointments convinces the I35 driver that this is indeed a genuine luxury automobile, from a 200-watt Bose stereo and automatic air-conditioning to a variable-height center armrest and the signature Infiniti analog clock. The leather is lovely and the wood accents, though synthetic, are beautiful. We couldn't get final pricing by press time, but we estimate the '02 I35 will base at about $32,800, and one equipped as our test car should run $36,000. It's a fair bit of lux for the bucks.