Reactionary

Well, on Friday I saw a new Infiniti M45 on the fwy in pearl white. I drove all around it and noticed that, like some people in here said, the taillights look a little strange with the inner white portions. They look a little strange even in person. The body panels look pleasant, strong, and stately, but do not contain the complex subtle surface detail of the Lexus GS. The front grille seems unusually staid instead of elegantly simple as it looks on the Infiniti G35 coupe and FX.

So I immediately go to the nearest Infiniti dealer to check the M out more closely. The rear door cutline is too angular and lacks a smooth looking flow. This cutline does not contain the entire rear window; a small portion of the rear side glass doesn't move out with the door frame. This is a variation on the Audi A6 rear door frame, but it's done much better on the Audi. The interior is very very nice. Wow. The first Infiniti or Nissan for that matter with an acceptable interior. Everythng is in contrast with the Lexus GS interior (that I described in another thread) and is more similar to the Acura RL interior. The A pillar stays out and wide at the base and as it tapers up to the roofline. I had reported that the GS A pillar starts too inward and tapers up and even more inward as it reaches the roofline, causing my eyes to sense that I'm too close and about to hit it. The interior materials are just as good as the GS's. I can't believe it. None of the ergonomic problems as in the GS, which has a center vertical stack and dashboard that are just way way too tall and deeply deeply inward sweeping door panels that force you to twist your wrist awkwardly to hit some of the door panel buttons and switches. The interior feels very spacious and airy and comfortable, unlike in the Lexus GS.

Afterward, went straight to the Acura dealership to compare the RL. Similar interior except for the vertical center stack, of course. I simply can not say that the RL has a better interior, not in looks, not in ergonomics, and not in material quality. Well except possibly one thing. Isn't that real wood veneer in the RL? The M has fake wood veneer but it is tastefully done and better than the fake wood in the Lexus GS. The RL and M's interiors are both great and are both better than the Lexus GS interior, which has that typical Lexus luxury flash but, as stated before, is ergonomically highly flawed.

It's painful but I have to concede that the Lexus GS has the most impressive exterior of the 3. All those complex horizontal crease lines on the exterior look much better in person than in the magazines. Beautiful rear end with the best looking taillights of the 3 cars (even if the rear end silhouette is borrowed from the Nissan Maxima). I've seen a couple of Acura RL's on the road and even from a somwhat short distance, you'd think it was any other cheapo car. It does not look that distinctive or high class from a short distance. It also looks small, which is part of the problem, especially from the rear with that shortened tapering trunk combined with the nondescript and overused "parallelogram" taillights. Only when you drive right up close to the RL do you notice the more intricate details. You notice the details of the Lexus GS even from a distance. You also notice the Infiniti M from a distance but it's more of a "what's that lumbering awkward looking car?" sort of reaction. It's not smooth and curvaceous like the Lexus. It's more staid and workmanlike but somehow passes as acceptable. I would rate the Lexus exterior 1st, Acura exterior 2nd, and the M exterior a close 3rd. The Acura exterior should have been farther ahead of the M except for the odd angular looks on the front and tail that do not lend strength to or assist the already smallish proportions of the car.