Marque of forcefulness

It's too risky. What is? The fact that car companies have to introduce new models every once in a while without the slightest clue as to how the market is going to react to the new designs.

Sure, you can hire professionals to analyse stuff and tell you if it's likely to be a success or not, but hey, we all know that in the real world, no one is really bothered if you've invested millions in the design and hired the best design team in the world to create the model that that is termed 'world-class'. The only thing any car buyer would be bothered about is if appeals to him/her. Otherwise, they would just go "Nah" or "Nope". And that is scary.

If I were to be a car design engineer there's no way I would spend all that money on designing a car with so much competition around. But on second thoughts… why not?

On the one hand, if my car looked really cool and simple just like all the models by competitors out there, it would become boring in no time. On the other, if I were to really be daring and give my car a look that would intimidate people the first time and then woo them into loving it the next minute due to its sheer driving pleasure and performance, it would be a winning combination.

The car could be the winner the market was looking for all this time. It's true that there is no way to predict if the design is going to be a success, but then when all else is equal, the intimidating looks may be the motivating force.

This, in my opinion, could be what Infiniti set out to do with their new FX series. The older models did look a little unconventional for their time, but tide and things change, and so did the FX series. The aggressive front grille and frowning-eyebrow headlight look portray quite a bit of what lies beneath the hood. The 2009 FX 50S comes with a 5.0-litre V8 engine that churns out a good 390 hp and this is capable of catapulting this crossover SUV from 0 to 100 km /h in around 5.5 seconds.

I know it's not that impressive compared to what's available these days, but for this price bracket, I think it's pretty cool.
The FX 50S seats five people in comfort and can carry a couple of briefcases in the trunk. That's the utility side of things, but that's not why people buy this car. The FX isn't utility oriented at all. Instead, this is a powerful, low-riding, great-handling and aggressive-looking SUV with really classy interiors.

It's not really targeted at the casual SUV buyer. It is a little difficult to try and figure out who the target audience for this product is. Team it with the fact that it isn't cheap either and what do you get? That fact that you need to really fall in love with this car and the combination of features it offers.

Handling on this car is pretty impressive. Cornering and steering control for a car that is this tall and bulky is rare and is usually only available at higher segments, but the FX 50S gives you all that you need in a comparatively reasonable pricing bracket. Highway driving tends to get a little boring with the really quiet cabin and adaptive suspension which makes you feel you are doing 40 km/h when you're actually doing 120.

With the 21" Enkel alloy wheels and the low-profile tyres, there's no way this car is ever going to do any serious off-roading but again, that's not what it was meant to do in the first place. This is a high speed street cruiser in the shape of
an SUV.

The interiors are exceptionally high quality and well laid out. Main highlights include a 11-speaker Bose sound system, and Infiniti Intelligent key, Intelligent Cruise Control and an Around View Monitor system. The interiors are driver oriented just the way I like it and the controls are just great. The FX's Advanced Climate Control system removes or neutralises interior airborne contaminants.

There is a 9" flip-down rear console-monitor, two wireless headphones and a remote controller for the rear passengers. Both front and rear console monitors can display DVD content; however, the front DVD player functions only while parked. I don't really fancy in-car entertainment so much and probably wouldn't use any of it, but it's good to know that it's there if you need it. Safety features are in abundance and
all in place as can be expected.

Headlights are High Intensity Discharge bi-xenon projector type and adapt instantaneously while you corner and get back onto the straight line. The LED tail lights and dual exhaust chrome finished outlets really add to the premium looks of the car.

Traction Control System (TCS) and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) systems come as standard and help keep the car on track and can be cancelled to play around and test the power sliding capabilities a little. The suspension uses Continuous Damping Control (CDC) with special electronically controlled shock absorbers and the settings are driver selectable. The FX 50S is also available with a Rear Active Steer system which can turn the rear wheels up to 1 degree to enhance the low-speed response and high-speed stability.
That's a lot of features to list.

In fact, there are so many features and gadgets built into this SUV that it kind of takes away the focus from the intimidating external looks. With a starting price of Dh247,000 and internal gadgetry and looks that could put the Batmobile to shame, this crossover SUV is probably set to capture a large segment of the market. If it's power and the SUV feel combined with reliability and quality that you're looking for, and if you really don't care for anything but tarmac, then this is probably what you should get.

Philip Shane is a Dubai-based motoring enthusiast.