(Wed 10 Jun 09)

Infiniti, the luxury and high-performance brand from Nissan, will be launched in the UK from September with the introduction of the FX.

The first of five models due to come this way, the FX is a five-seat, four-wheel drive crossover available in three versions. The FX37 GT uses Nissan's 316bhp 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine which, driving through a seven-speed automatic gearbox, pushes it from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 145mph; official combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions are 23.4mpg and 282g/km respectively.

Standard equipment on the GT includes electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats, six airbags, speed-sensitive power steering, stability control, cruise control, bi-xenon adaptive cornering headlights, rear privacy glass, Scratch Shield self-repairing paint, automatic headlights and wipers, a dimming interior mirror and an electric glass sunroof, along with the Connectiviti package which consists of front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, a 2GB Music Box (capable of storing as much as 60 CDs), a CD/MP3/WMA player, an iPod/USB connection, Bluetooth connectivity, steering wheel controls, voice recognition an a 7" colour information display screen.

The GT costs £42,600 on-the-road. For an extra £2000 you can have the FX37S, which has 265/45 tyres on 21" six-spoke Enkei alloy wheels, continuous damping control, sports front seats, 14-way adjustment of the driver's seat (it's 10-way in the case of the GT) and dark chrome exterior trim.

The high-doh version is the FX50S. This one has a 385bhp five-litre V8 petrol engine which brings the 0-62mph down by a second to 5.8 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph, and according to the official EU test combined fuel economy is 21.7mpg and the CO2 rating is 310g/km.

Needless to say, this is substantially the most expensive FX at £53,800, but it's not just the engine that adds to the price. There is also more standard equipment in the form of rear active steering, "intelligent" cruise control and Brake Assist, an around-view monitor and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The FX50S also gets an enhanced version of the Connectiviti package; it's called Connectiviti+ and has a much larger Music Box (10GB this time, equating to 300 CDs), an eleven-speaker Bose audio system, an 8" touchscreen 3D monitor and a navigations system with route calculation, warnings of speed and red light cameras and Michelin Guide-supplied points of interest and restaurant/hotel information.

So where can you buy one? Well, the first Infiniti Centre is already under construction on the outskirts of Reading, close to Junction 11 of the M4, and it is due to open in September. Like the next two confirmed sites, in west and north London, it will be operated by Rymco UK, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rasamny Younis Motor Company, Infiniti's importer in the Lebanon.

Infiniti plans to increase the number of Centres to 12 within the next two years, all of them in "key metropolitan areas".

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