I like cars, but not enough to have a conversation with one.

I’ve never let one drive itself, either.

Until now.

Driving Infiniti’s M45x is a little like piloting the starship U.S.S. Enterprise… without having Mr. Spock looking over your shoulder.

Sitting in the M45’s captain’s chair… I mean driver’s seat… staring at more buttons than Betsy Ross ever had in her sewing box, I know how captains Kirk and Picard felt on the Enterprise bridge.

I can’t get from Point A to Point B like they did by issuing a command – “Take us to the nearest Sheetz at Warp 3, Mr Sulu, and don’t stop for any Klingon hitchhikers!” – but I can control the audio system, program the navigation system and adjust the climate settings simply by speaking.

I can even ask the M45 to let me know how much life is remaining in the dilithium crystals in the car’s warp core. (Translation: How much gas is left in the tank.)

Of course voice recognition and control is pretty common in today’s higher-end vehicles. So are some of the other impressive high-tech features found in the 2009 Infiniti M45x that I tested. These include a 5.1 channel surround sound audio system with iPod interface, rearview camera, and intelligent cruise control that automatically adjusts to road traffic.

But Infiniti elevates the electronic gadgets to a whole new solar system. For example, many vehicles have backup cameras, and some of those show static guidance lines on their displays intended to help with parking. On the M45, those guidance lines are dynamic.

In other words, they move and bend, depicting the path that the Infiniti will follow based on its speed and how the wheels are turned. For someone like me, who can turn parallel parking into an adventure as daunting as any faced by the Enterprise crew, the backup assistance was amazingly effective.

Other drivers might be more amazed by the M45’s Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system. When activated, this system will prevent the M from accidentally straying into someone else’s lane.

That capability is a significant safety feature, according to Infiniti, which states that 55 percent of fatal auto accidents in the U.S. are caused by lane departures. Infiniti also points out that its system doesn’t wrest control of the vehicle from the driver.

So the M may not drive itself. But after experimenting with its LDP and another option, Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), I wouldn’t have been too surprised to look over and see Mr. Sulu or Chekov seated next to me.

An ICC-equipped M can automatically adjust its speed according to traffic. For example, if the cruise control is set for 70 and the car in front is doing 65, the M will automatically slow to 65 to maintain a pre-set distance.

All of that technology wouldn’t be nearly as cool if the more conventional automotive attributes of the M weren’t as impressive as they are. But the M45’s performance and luxury compare favorably with anything in its class.

The M is available with two engines and with rear- or all-wheel drive. M35 models get a new-for-2009 3.5-liter V6 that produces 303 horsepower and 262 pounds-feet of torque. Also new on front-drive M35s is a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The M45 and all-wheel drive M35s have to make do with the same five-speed automatic that has been around for the past few years, but it is one of the best around.

The M45’s ride and handling are top-rate, too. Tipping the scales at over two tons, the M45x may not be light or nimble, but Kirk couldn’t get the zippy little shuttlecraft to corner any better than this bad boy. Grip is enhanced by a very effective yet unobtrusive four-wheel drive system.

The M45’s steering precision and feedback come as close as any Japanese manufacturer has come to matching the revered feel of BMW’s driving machines. Add a supple ride, superb sound dampening, and luxurious interior accommodations to the mix and you’ve got a world-class grand touring machine.

We’re talking this world, of course, not the other planetary worlds where no man has gone before except in science fiction. But if you like your performance cars bristling with science fiction-like technology that is nevertheless alluring in its practicality, you’d be hard pressed to find a more appealing car in this class than Infiniti’s M45x.
     

NUTS AND BOLTS

 
What is it? 2009 Infiniti M45x AWD, a luxurious, fullsize sport touring sedan bristling with performance and technology.     
 
What does it cost? The M is offered as a V6-powered M35 or V8-powered M45 with rear- or all-wheel drive. Starting prices range from $45,800 for an M35 to $54,650 for an M45x AWD like the one tested. Options, destination fee and $1,300 gas guzzler tax hiked test car’s MSRP to $62,915.   
 
Who is it for? Infiniti still doesn’t have the cachet of Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz, but the M45 is proof that it’s producing vehicles in the same strata as those luxury brands. It will be very appealing to anyone who is more interested in the vehicle than its brand name.
 
What I liked best: Handling, power, refinement, techno-features.

What I disliked: So-so fuel economy and gas guzzler tax.
 
Important numbers: 4.5-liter, 32-valve V8 with continuously variable valve timing produces 325 horsepower, 336 lb-ft of torque. 5-speed automatic. 4,004 pounds. 114.2-inch wheelbase. 14.9 cu-ft. trunk. 0-60 in 5.5 seconds (stopwatch). 14 city/24 highway mpg (EPA).

About the Author

Scott Wasser is the managing editor for the Times Leader. Reach him at (570) 970-7162 or swasser@timesleader.com.

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