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'Good,' frontal offset; 'good,' rear impact
The FX's high window sills, curvaceous hood, and tiny rear window potentially make simple low-speed actions, such as parallel parking, into nerve-racking ordeals. Infiniti's answer to this is the Around View Monitor (AVM).
Using these systems, the FX35 can brake and accelerate on its own, and it can even provide small steering inputs using the brakes.
SAFETY | 8 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
'Good,' frontal offset; 'good,' rear impact
IIHS
Not yet rated
NHTSA
The FX's high window sills, curvaceous hood, and tiny rear window potentially make simple low-speed actions, such as parallel parking, into nerve-racking ordeals. Infiniti's answer to this is the Around View Monitor (AVM).
CNET
Using these systems, the FX35 can brake and accelerate on its own, and it can even provide small steering inputs using the brakes.
Consumer Reports
Safety scores aren't complete, but the Infiniti FX has some promising ratings from at least one agency's crash tests, and it doles out safety technology on par with its luxury-ute status.
As of this writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still hasn't wrecked an FX yet--for official purposes. Since it's a relatively low-volume vehicle, that's to be expected. However, the insurance industry-funded Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says the FX is worthy of a "good" rating for front and rear impacts, while it hasn't yet tested it for side impacts or roof strength.
The FX's mandatory airbags and stability control are joined by more standard safety tech, including Bluetooth and a rearview camera, which we include because of different state and pending federal rules. The FX lineup also offers Infiniti's AroundView camera system, which mounts fisheye lenses on the underside of its outside mirrors and on the nose and tail of the vehicle. The results are stitched together and displayed on the dash's LCD screen for a 360-degree scan of the surroundings. It's a feature we've used for a few months now in our Three-Month Road Test Infiniti JX, and it's exceptionally useful for parking in narrow garage and parking lot spaces. It's optional on the FX37 and standard on the FX50.
Though the camera system includes audible warnings for objects approaching when backing up, the FX doesn't offer blind-spot monitors to keep an eye on things when you're cruising.
Other safety options are bundled in packages. There's Lane Departure Prevention follows lane markings on the road, notifies the driver, and can even apply the brakes lightly, while an advanced cruise control system can bring the FX to a complete stop if traffic slows.
Visibility is an issue, of course, as you might guess given the curvy body and thick rear pillars, but it's not as bad as you might think. Since the FX isn't as high as other crossovers and SUVs, your lines of sight fall closer to street level. The pint-sized rear glass doesn't help much, though.
Conclusion
We're sold on the Infiniti FX's AroundView monitor, but we wouldn't mind more crash-test data.
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