2010 Infiniti FX

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Safety - What the Auto Press Says

The FX has not undergone federal government crash-testing -- and visibility isn't great -- but its dizzying number of safety aids is reassuring. On the plus side, the insurance industry gives the 2010 FX top scores of "Good" in frontal offset and rear crash protection tests (side impact tests have not been conducted).

Standard safety features include Infiniti's Advanced Air Bag System, driver and front-passenger side impact supplemental air bags, roof-mounted curtain side impact supplemental air bags, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Assist, Anti-Lock Brakes, Vehicle Dynamic Control and a Traction Control System. A plus for families is Snug KidsTM, an industry-first program that provides installation tips and a Child Safety Seat Fit Guide to assist parents in selecting a child restraint that fits their vehicle.

A variety of other hi-tech systems are available with the Technology Package, a $2,900 option. Though it may seem pricey, it could be worth it. Note, however, that some reviewers find the lane departure warning system on the FX more annoying than useful. The package comes with Intelligent Brake Assist with Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Prevention and Lane Departure Warning systems, Pre-Crash Seat Belts, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist and rain-sensing front wipers.

• "To the rear, the canopy pillars, minimal glass and rear headrests conspire against you, although the rear wiper clears most of the glass you can see. Infiniti has a fix for this called Around View: With the rear camera view display on the left side of the dash screen, the right side presents an aerial image of the car and its surroundings on the right screen digitized from the side, front and rear camera input. It's a better setup than the self-parking Lexus." -- New Car Test Drive
• "While carving apexes, the Lane Departure Prevention system quickly becomes annoying with its disapproving beeps. But the system is easily silenced by an on/off button, permitting the driver to focus on the next set of curves." -- MSN
• "...Distance Control Assist would be a huge advantage in stop-and-go commuting. How often have you been stuck in mind-numbing traffic and let your attention wane just for a second, only to snap to attention and realize you're about to rear-end the car ahead of you?" -- New York Times
• "The backup camera has an amazing feature that gives the driver a 360-degree view, as if a camera were mounted on the roof. In fact, cameras in front, back and in the bottom of each rearview mirror combine images for the circular perspective. This function is tremendously handy when backing out of a driveway or seeing if anyone or anything is alongside the vehicle." -- Kansas City Star
• "This [lane departure] feature was fun to play with, but the beeping actually became quite annoying after a while as I drove a few hours along an interstate highway. I ended up using the pushbutton switch on the dash to the left of the steering wheel to turn it off, but each time I got out of the car, then re-entered and started the engine again, it defaulted back to the 'on' position." -- Forth Worth Star-Telegram