New Car Review of the 2004 Infinit M45 Mid-Size Sedan.

Description: Mid-Size Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $43,250
Invoice Price Range: Not Available.

Infiniti's mid-size luxury sedan stands at the top of its class for pure muscular power. It easily beats all of the mid-size luxury sedan competitors typically equipped with six-cylinder engines, but also out-powers pricy V8 rivals.

Combine the V8 power with favorable price points and you end up with a luxury bargain. Actually, the M45 amounts to an abbreviated version of the Q45 flagship sedan. It packs the powertrain and transmission of Q45, similar mechanical hardware including a four-wheel independent suspension system, even the same configuration for a luxury-laced passenger compartment.

Differences between the two cars only become apparent with rulers and scales, as the Q runs about three inches longer and wider and it's an inch taller. With more mass, it weighs more by perhaps a hundred pound or so. Those extra inches of space show up primarily in the rear seat of Q45 as additional legroom, while the weight difference favors M45 because it translates into even quicker acceleration and performance numbers. In the plush cabin standard equipment includes a Bose premium audio system with seven speakers, sport bolstered bucket seats clad in luxurious Sojourner leather plus frontal and side-impact air bags as well as curtain-style side air bags.

New gear for 2004 editions ranges from a standard tire pressure monitor system to a six-disc CD changer mounted in the dash and an optional package combining Infiniti's DVD-based navigation system with a voice recognition system.