The 2003 Infiniti FX Was A Genius Idea, And I'm Still Mad More Automakers Haven't Copied It

These days, the Infiniti lineup consists of a fancied-up Nissan Pathfinder, a more coupe-like version of that fancied-up Pathfinder, and a Nissan Armada in a tux. That's it. That's the entire new Infiniti lineup. And if you remember the Infinitis you could buy 20 years ago, that's a real shame, because Infiniti used to be cool. The original G35 was a performance bargain, and for the 2003 model year, Infiniti introduced my favorite, the FX. It looked incredible, drove great, and most importantly, it was one of the smartest things Infiniti has ever done. To the point that I'm surprised and a little mad more automakers didn't copy the idea. 

Infiniti didn't just build a sporty, rear-wheel-drive crossover with the same VQ engine you got in the Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35. It used a stretched version of the same Nissan FM platform that underpinned the Z, allowing Infiniti to ride the excitement that the 2003 Nissan 350Z created and pitch it as the Z-car of crossovers. Was a four-door crossover ever going to handle exactly like a sports car, even if they shared a platform? Of course not, but it was still a powerful story that got people into showrooms and gave them a real reason to consider buying from a brand they may not have previously considered. Infiniti also gave it an optional V8, offering both V6 FX35 and eight-cylinder FX45 models.

Developing the new Z was also incredibly expensive, so it made sense that Infiniti would offer a more luxurious version to give it two models recouping those development costs instead of just one. But the G35 was still just a nicer version of the Z with different bodywork. Adding the FX to the lineup gave Infiniti a third model to help recoup those development costs, while also attracting a different buyer wouldn't necessarily be interested in a sports car or its more luxurious alternative.

In the years that followed, it's not like other automakers haven't built sporty, rear-wheel-drive crossovers of their own. But I'm still surprised we haven't see more brands use their sports car platforms to develop crossovers they could pitch as more practical versions of their admittedly impractical coupes. Sure, we eventually got the Ford Mustang Mach-E, but that's an EV built on a separate platform that, mechanically speaking, has more in common with the Bronco Sport than the Mustang. It's not the same.

Imagine if Ford had looked at the FX's success and decided to do the same thing with the Mustang. Not as a replacement for the coupe but as an additional, Mustang-based option for those who needed or wanted the space. Tell me you wouldn't have grabbed your attention. Of course, the development timeline would have had it going on sale only a year or two before the wealthy collapsed the global economy, so there's a good chance it would have been a sales disaster, but they didn't know that would happen at the time. (Or did they?)

Having met a lot of product people in the industry, I can tell you the vast majority of them are pretty darn smart, so it's hard to believe no one ever suggested FX-ing the Mustang. Why Ford rejected that idea, though, will likely remain a mystery unless someone who was in the room feels like leaking it. Not that Ford's the only automaker I'm disappointed in at the moment. Chevrolet could have done the same thing with the Corvette or Camaro and chose not to. We could have had an adorable little Miata-based crossover from Mazda, but nope. 

Then again, now that Nissan's CEO is a car guy with good ideas, maybe it's only a matter of time before Infiniti brings back the Z-car of crossovers. The Z's still in production. They could do it. Emissions regulations mean they probably won't, but I'm just saying, Mr. Espinosa, it wouldn't be impossible.