Its ATTESSA E-TS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split) all-wheel drive system (now that's an acronym) is standard on both V6 and V8 models. It automatically transfers the optimal amount of torque to each wheel depending on road surfaces and driving conditions. It distributes the torque between front and rear from 0:100 right up to 50:50, a wide spread that starts with complete rear-wheel drive and ends with evenly balanced all-wheel drive. While no low gear is offered, making the FX unsuitable for extreme off-road conditions, its 193 mm (7.6 in) ground clearance is fairly decent besting the X5's by 127 mm (5 in).

Like the BMW the Infiniti's ride has been tuned for those with a taste for European cars, thus pavement irregularities are immediately noticeable, a good thing when at the limit of adhesion with the obvious negative effects while just cruising around town. Still its firm but compliant suspension hardly offended my backside.

That may have something to do with the vehicle's superb leather clad front seats, among the most comfortable and supportive in the premium SUV class. Like the G35 their power controls sit atop the inside lower bolster beside the thigh, making adjustments extremely easy. Between the seats a cool silver metallic surface area is refreshingly sparse, housing only a lidded dual cupholder bin, the shift lever, two dual-mode heated seat switches, a hazard button, ashtray and a classic oval analogue clock, an Infiniti trademark. Its attractive center stack houses a dual-zone climate control system, straight forward and easy to operate. Just above, an awesome 11-speaker (with 2 subwoofers) 300-watt Bose audio system with AM/FM and cassette plus a 6-disc in-dash CD player won't disappoint - the BMW doesn't have a multiple disc dash-mounted CD player by the way.