2012 Infiniti M56 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Infiniti M56 overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 M56, and includes Infiniti M56 safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Infiniti’s 2012 M sedan is offered in three versions, the most powerful of which is the M56. Available as a rear- or all-wheel-drive five-passenger sedan, the 2012 M56 caters to car buyers who want unquestionable luxury coupled with a sporty, engaging driving character.

Since the dust has hardly settled since the last year’s debut of an all-new model, the 2012 Infiniti M56 hits dealers’ lots with few changes. Among them are the addition of a unique 18-inch wheel option, the expanded availability of the Graphite interior color, and the launch of a new Sport Package that includes all the bits and pieces that had comprised last year’s Sport and Sport Touring packages.

Infiniti sells its big sedan in two flavors: rear-drive M56 and all-wheel-drive M56x. Regardless of which is selected, the list of standard equipment will include HID headlights, a power moonroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping adjustments, dual-zone climate control, real wood interior trim, electroluminescent gauges, and a push-button ignition system. The content gravy train continues with heated and ventilated front seats, a 10-speaker Bose sound system with an integrated DVD player and Bluetooth audio, a touch-screen navigation unit featuring XM’s real-time NavTraffic and NavWeather services, and a heated steering wheel.

Venture over to the options column and you’ll find a Deluxe Touring Package decked out with a 16-speaker Bose surround sound system, upgraded leather upholstery with contrast piping, White Ash trim, more upscale interior materials, and deeply bolstered seats. A Technology Package ups the ante with a host of safety items as well as adaptive front headlights and the oft-maligned, efficiency-minded Eco pedal.

Reserved for the rear-drive M56 is a Sport Package that dials in some attitude with its retuned chassis, 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, upgraded brakes, a sport steering wheel and sport seats, and Infiniti’s four-wheel active steering system.

Power for the 2012 Infiniti M56 comes from a 5.6-liter, direct-injection V8 engine that promises to paint the pavement black with the help of 420 horses and 417 pound-feet of twist. Premium-grade petrol is required to make this mill run at its best, and output is directed to either the rear or all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode and downshift rev matching. Steering wheel-mounted paddles are optional. Drivers who opt for the regular M56 can expect to average 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway; the heavier M56x drops the highway rating to 23 mpg.

Every 2012 Infiniti M56 and M56x is fitted with increasingly common safety features such as four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, stability and traction control systems, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, and six airbags. More unusual are the components included in the Technology Package, which is home to lane departure warning and prevention, intelligent cruise control, blind spot warning and intervention, and forward collision warning. Think of the M56 as the big-box store of autodom, where safety is available in bulk.

Infiniti’s everything-including-the-kitchen-sink approach to safety helped the M56 earn a spot on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s coveted Top Safety Pick list last year. Updated data had not been published as this review was originally written, but we expect the positive news to carry over to the 2012 model. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has awarded the 2012 M56 5 out of 5 Stars for its ability to protect occupants in a side-impact collision, while rollover resistance rates 4 Stars. Overall and front-impact scores had not been released at the time of this writing.

In terms of reliability, Consumer Reports predicts the M56 will perform better than average. J.D. Power and Associates had yet to release its outlook for the 2012 model year as we published this review.

We spent some quality time with the M56x after it was redesigned last year, walking away from the experience with the type of grin that raises the eyebrows of law enforcement and causes your girlfriend’s father to instinctively clench his fist. Despite its size, the Infiniti M56 impresses with its power, comfort and user-friendly, upscale interior. This one’s easy to recommend, though driving enthusiasts may want to avoid the Technology Package and its fun-strangling restraints.

By Thom Blackett