Infiniti of Willow Grove

Join Infiniti of Willow Grove for a private preview of the all-new 2011 Infiniti M at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Completely redesigned for the 2011 model year, the new Infiniti M features evocative new styling with a low front end and deeply sculpted wings.

You will have an opportunity to view the exciting new features of the M, including the industry-first Side Collision Prevention system. The Side Collision Prevention system is designed to alert the driver if another vehicle is detected during an intended lane change and helps prevent potential collisions by moving the vehicle toward the center of the original lane of travel.

Enjoy martinis, mingling and music as Infiniti of Willow Grove partners with the Philadelphia Art Alliance to introduce the redesigned 2011 Infiniti M. Preview the most advanced vehicle in its class Thursday, March 25^th from 6-8pm at the Philadelphia Art Alliance at Rittenhouse Row. Please RSVP to attend this event by calling Rittenhouse Row at 215-972-0101 or email at events@rittenhouserow.com. The Philadelphia Art Alliance is located at 251 South 18th Street in Philadelphia.

Infiniti's FX50 S AWD has a model moniker that reads like the serial number on your clothes dryer. But don't be lulled into thinking this midsize crossover SUV is some tedious automotive appliance.

Far from it. This stylish, 390-horsepower luxomobile mixes the handling and acceleration of a sports sedan with the roominess of a crossover. In other words, it gives you both the room and the vroom.

Indeed, the FX50 tester represented the most on-road fun I've had in an SUV. The car is very agile in quick corners. And despite weighing in at almost 4,700 pounds, it can still get from 0 to 60 in under six seconds, thanks to the big, lusty, 5-liter V-8 that Infiniti has shoehorned into the engine bay.

It's the kind of car that makes driving to the soiree at the Cadwaladers' Main Line estate more fun than attending it.

The enjoyment of the FX50 begins with just looking at it. The styling is fresh, clean, and quite out of the ordinary. It manages to utilize flowing, organic sculpting without eschewing an SUV's requisite macho posturing.

And it has more than its share of unique touches. The black chrome grille's three wavy horizontal bars look as if they are about to melt. The chrome fender vents behind the front wheels catch your eye, as do the front light enclosures that knife back into the fender to a point above the center of the wheel. Huge, 21-inch Enkai alloy wheels also demand attention.

Inside, the exterior's sportiness gives way to good old upmarket elegance. The tester's seats were upholstered in black leather with quilted, perforated inserts. There were a generous use of maple veneer trim and what Infiniti calls its "signature analog clock." (Funny, I thought that classy, center-mounted dash clock with the chrome bezel was Jaguar's idea.)

In addition to being quite luxurious, the FX50 tester was loaded with enough techy bits to permit a voyage to the space station. Uttering the names of all the standard and optional technology in the FX50 would leave you hoarse. In addition to all the usual luxo-tech goodies, the FX50 test vehicle contained stuff like lane-departure warning and prevention, intelligent cruise control, intelligent brake assist with forward collision warning, distance-control assist, rearview monitor, front and rear parking sonar, and adaptive, auto-leveling, high-intensity discharge, bifunctional xenon headlights. (And yes, there will be a quiz later on those headlight attributes.)

Powerful, athletic, comfortable, and elegant, the FX50 provides little in the way of negative news.

Its chief minus is its fuel consumption. Heavy and high-powered, it has EPA mileage ratings of 14 city and 20 highway - and requires premium fuel.

The FX50 also rides a bit harder than your average luxury crossover, thanks to the sporty suspension tuning and the low-aspect performance tires. (Aspect refers to the relationship between the height of the tire's sidewall and the width of its tread. The FX50's tire dimensions are expressed as 265/45R21, which tells us that the sidewall height is only 45 percent of the tire's 265-millimeter tread. That low, 45 aspect minimizes sidewall distortion during aggressive cornering maneuvers but also provides less ride-cushioning than a higher-aspect tire would.)

Available in only one flavor, an all-wheel-drive model equipped with a slick, seven-speed automatic transmission, the five-passenger FX50 strikes me as a luxurious, practical funster for a couple or small family that doesn't expect to carpool or haul the soccer team. There are 25 cubic feet of storage behind the second row of seats, and 62 with those seats folded down. The vehicle will tow 3,500 pounds, which would allow a number of recreational uses.

As is usually the case in our puritanical society, fun and hedonism come with a steep price tag. The FX50 starts at $58,400*. With the options and shipping, the tester weighed in at $65,625*.

The FX50 has not yet been rated for crashworthiness. It is guaranteed bumper to bumper for four years or 60,000 miles.

2010 Infiniti FX50 S AWD - Excellent

Base price: $58,400*.

As tested: $65,625*.

Standard equipment: The whole nine yards of luxury car amenities and safety gear.

Options: Additional safety technology, like lane- departure warning and auto-leveling headlights, and sporty stuff like rear active steer and magnesium paddle shifters.

Fuel economy: 14 m.p.g. city, 20 highway.

Engine performance: Exciting.

Handling: Excellent.

Styling: Imaginative.

Warranty: Four years/60,000 miles.

The Ben Key: Four Bens, excellent; Three Bens, good; Two Bens, fair; One Ben, poor.

*Estimated price plus tax, tag and title.  

Source: [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Sometimes to get the refinement and performance of an Audi and Infiniti, you've got to get a little crazy.

This March, as the madness of college hoops spreads, at Audi Willow Grove and Infiniti of Willow Grove you can take your pick of a new 2010 Audi Q5 or new 2010 Infiniti FX35 for just $439 a month*.

Only at Audi Willow Grove and Infiniti of Willow Grove, where great things happen!

*Lease payment on Audi Q5 or Infiniti FX35 with $5,000 down for 39 months, 10k miles per year with approved credit. Excludes tax, tag and title. Includes lease loyalty and all available incentives. Extra charges may apply at lease end.

Maintaining a regular schedule for rotating your tires helps to ensure even tire wear and helps your tires last longer. Rotating your tires involves changing their position on the vehicle from one wheel location to another. All tire manufacturers recommend rotating your tires regularly. In fact, failing to do so could void the manufacturer's warranty. Rotate tires at the vehicle manufacturers' recommended intervals or at 5,000 to 7,000 miles if not specified. 

There are two different schools of thought on how often you should rotate your tires on front wheel drive vehicles. The front tires on these vehicles tend to wear quicker than those on the rear of the vehicle. By rotating the tires front to rear and side to side the wear patterns between the wheel locations spread the wear out more evenly, allowing you to extend the life of all four of your tires.

Others argue it makes more sense to replace the front tires on a front wheel vehicle as they wear out, but to leave the back tires alone. This plan is especially effective if you do a lot of driving or plan to keep the vehicle a long time. It is estimated that the back tires will last as long as two sets of front tires.

To find out what rotation pattern would be best for your vehicle and tires, consult one of our highly trained Service Advisors in the Infiniti of Willow Grove Service Department.