In January 2001, at a presentation in Detroit, Nissan introduced an unusually large SUV. This model, named the Infiniti FX45, was released the following year in North America as an exclusive Infiniti Channel model.
The FX45 combined the power of a sports car with the practicality and functionality of an SUV. This combination gave birth to the concept of the “Incredibly Strong Cheetah” (Bionic Cheetah), embodied in the GT-R SUV.
The size of the car was simply enormous: 4.8 meters in length and over 1.8 meters in width.
Brief description of the Infiniti FX45
The base was the same as that of the Skyline Fairlady Z – the FM platform. The engine corresponded to it: a 4.5-liter V8, and the power and torque of 345 hp / 450.8 Nm were achieved thanks to the same Attesa E-TS system as the GT-R.
In addition, the “cheetah” had all-wheel drive and 20-inch wheels. The exterior of the car also could not be ignored. Being an SUV, it looked very original and sporty, representing the perfect combination of power and high class.
The interior was quite comfortable, but still not like that of SUVs, and from the inside, the size of the body was not felt at all.
On the road, the car developed incredible dynamics, and its torque allowed you to forget that the body weighed a whole two tons. The surprisingly accurate steering provided fast cornering.
Infiniti did not stand out for its particularly smooth ride, although it was an SUV, but this was compensated for by its aggressiveness. A FX35 model with a VQ35DE 3.5-liter V6 engine was also released.
