Infiniti’s first M Line saloons have arrived in the UK, with prices for the petrol-powered M37 starting at £35,150.
Infiniti is to Nissan what Lexus is to Toyota its luxury arm and the M line is the car Nissan hopes will establish the brand in the UK.
Its 3.7 litre V6 develops 316bhp, endowing the M 37 with a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph, while fuel consumption is 27.7mpg and the car emits 235g/km of CO2.
A diesel version is due in October and a hybrid next year.
Traditionally, Japanese luxury cars have stolen a march over prestige European marques by beating them on standard specification, and the M Line is fairly comprehensively equipped.
There’s seven-speed automatic transmission, bi-xenon headlights, power front seats, a reversing camera and a drive-mode selector with sport, normal, eco and snow settings.
Costing £37,650, the M 37 GT adds semi-aniline leather (aniline is an organic compound that makes leather softer and more breathable) heated and ventilated front seats, and white ash trim.
Premium versions of both the above models cost £43,000 and £45,000 and come with every feature available, including blind spot prevention which prevents the car moving into the path of another vehicle, 16-speaker Bose stereo and Forest Air, a system that apparently recreates the breeze and smells of woodland to ‘promote alertness and relieve stress’.