New cars: 2011 Infiniti M

Automobile

Infiniti’s new M37 and M56 offer “more dramatic styling,” larger-displacement engines with increased power, and one of the easiest-to-use in-dash control systems around. Despite improvements, the M37’s 3.7-liter V6 engine is beginning to show its age. The 5.6-liter V8-equipped M56, however, is a “top performer among a rarefied set of highly capable competitors.”

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“M stands for ‘more’” in the new M37 and M56 models, which both offer four driving modes and seven-speed automatic transmission with optional four-wheel active steering. A longer, lower look gives the revamped models “a sleeker, more elegantly muscular appearance.” While both versions deliver “enthusiastic” performance, on the M56 you can really “feel the added punch of the larger, more powerful V8.”

Car and Driver

The M37 may not have the “athleticism” of the M56, but upgrades have made its V6 perform as well as some V8s. Ride and handling on both models also have been improved, but “obstinate transmission programming” and an intrusive driver-control system too often intervene “to prevent fun from breaking out.”