Looking for a powerful crossover
01-31-2018, 05:37 PM
#41
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Congrats on the sick ride man! The FX50 is EASILY the most under rated performance SUV of the last decade. I was looking high and low for one a little while back but they are rare and the price people were asking was WAY out of line. However I still love them, the front is slightly odd but they are unique and the FAT rear end and hips are so sexy. Please post a ton of pics so I can be jealous and drool over them! What color interior? Brown or black? (Iirc the FX50 only had a black interior but not sure). While on the topic of the interior, the FX has one of the highest quality interiors. Period. Soft quality materials literally everywhere. (Can you tell I’m still fantasizing over it or?) 
This particular car has 117,000 miles. I bought it sight unseen from a BMW dealership in Dallas. But it was a one owner car with meticulous full service history from Infiniti so I wasn't too concerned about it. The dealership actually listed it as a base model, but from photos, I could tell it was the Sport with the Tech package so I got the car for $15,225 which I thought was really good for this level of car.
The front has a clear bra, which I thought was a pleasant surprise.
It will need a new steering wheel and shifter but other than that (I knew about that already from the photos) and the water pump pulley is squealing (I did not know about that).
I already have a used steering wheel and shift knob coming from ebay, and an Aisin water pump and gasket from Amazon. So hopefully this weekend if the weather cooperates, I'll be able to go through the car and fix it up nicely.
02-01-2018, 01:50 AM
#42
I don't have a lot of pics yet but the interior is brown:
This particular car has 117,000 miles. I bought it sight unseen from a BMW dealership in Dallas. But it was a one owner car with meticulous full service history from Infiniti so I wasn't too concerned about it. The dealership actually listed it as a base model, but from photos, I could tell it was the Sport with the Tech package so I got the car for $15,225 which I thought was really good for this level of car.
The front has a clear bra, which I thought was a pleasant surprise.
It will need a new steering wheel and shifter but other than that (I knew about that already from the photos) and the water pump pulley is squealing (I did not know about that).
I already have a used steering wheel and shift knob coming from ebay, and an Aisin water pump and gasket from Amazon. So hopefully this weekend if the weather cooperates, I'll be able to go through the car and fix it up nicely.
This particular car has 117,000 miles. I bought it sight unseen from a BMW dealership in Dallas. But it was a one owner car with meticulous full service history from Infiniti so I wasn't too concerned about it. The dealership actually listed it as a base model, but from photos, I could tell it was the Sport with the Tech package so I got the car for $15,225 which I thought was really good for this level of car.
The front has a clear bra, which I thought was a pleasant surprise.
It will need a new steering wheel and shifter but other than that (I knew about that already from the photos) and the water pump pulley is squealing (I did not know about that).
I already have a used steering wheel and shift knob coming from ebay, and an Aisin water pump and gasket from Amazon. So hopefully this weekend if the weather cooperates, I'll be able to go through the car and fix it up nicely.
02-01-2018, 07:35 AM
#43
CTSV,TL, Audi Q7 & A5SB
I have always liked that brown interior, it's really nice..
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
02-03-2018, 07:15 PM
#44
I have always liked that brown interior, it's really nice..
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
02-05-2018, 08:39 AM
#45
CTSV,TL, Audi Q7 & A5SB
Actually what I have noticed is people who tend to use a lot of lotions and creams will have much more worn steering wheels. Lotions and creams and shit tend to be very corrosive to the leather and soft rubber in interiors causing them to wear out. Early 2004-2005 VW Touaregs had soft rubber coatings on all the buttons, it’s a very common problem to see buttons completely worn off. The determined cause was the lotions and hand creams. But on the flip side some people are just terrible with their cars and very rough.
We've had a lot of vehicles over the years, and on occasion I would see a slight scuff from my wifes rings but that's it.. She also uses moisturisers and creams and I've never had a problem with the wheel deteriorating, now granted I do clean and condition the wheel as I do with the rest of the interior so that helps.
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RDX10 (02-16-2018)
02-05-2018, 08:54 AM
#46
Ex-OEM King
I have always liked that brown interior, it's really nice..
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
I've never understood how a steering wheel gets like that. I understand that yours has 117K miles on it, but years back when I was searching for preowned cars for my middle son, the amount of cars with under 50K miles that had beat up steering wheels shocked me. I can understand scuffs and marks but do people sit in traffic and just pick or rub at the wheel??
New SUV looks awesome though! I love that brown interior, one of the best browns I've seen.
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JT4 (02-07-2018)
02-06-2018, 11:59 AM
#47
I would love to get a Macan GTS on the used market but those things don't depreciate much. People love crossovers right now. I think the Cayenne depreciate way faster than the Macan.
02-15-2018, 05:45 PM
#48
Yeah, you may have a point.. But I guess that it's just that I'm so freaking anal I just can't imagine that happening on one of my vehicles but I guess anything is possible..
We've had a lot of vehicles over the years, and on occasion I would see a slight scuff from my wifes rings but that's it.. She also uses moisturisers and creams and I've never had a problem with the wheel deteriorating, now granted I do clean and condition the wheel as I do with the rest of the interior so that helps.
We've had a lot of vehicles over the years, and on occasion I would see a slight scuff from my wifes rings but that's it.. She also uses moisturisers and creams and I've never had a problem with the wheel deteriorating, now granted I do clean and condition the wheel as I do with the rest of the interior so that helps.
I’ve noticed that compact luxury crossovers typically hold their value better than their mid size alternatives. I expect the Macan to hold much better than the Cayenne, just like the Q5 does compared to the Q7. But moreso when a model is super popular it just holds up better regardless. The Q5 is just incredibly popular and I expect the Macan will be too.
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JT4 (02-16-2018)
02-16-2018, 12:56 AM
#49
I drive a Subata.
iTrader: (1)
Congrats! Those cars are tanks.
As for the steering wheel wear, that's not a normal wear. Previous owner did some shenanigans. I've been doing interior upholstery for almost 2 years now. I've seen some crazy beat up steering wheels which are from pretty much brand new cars too. Some people are just extra extra. haha
As for the steering wheel wear, that's not a normal wear. Previous owner did some shenanigans. I've been doing interior upholstery for almost 2 years now. I've seen some crazy beat up steering wheels which are from pretty much brand new cars too. Some people are just extra extra. haha
06-22-2018, 02:14 PM
#50
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Finally a review of the FX50S
Here's a little update on the FX50S
First off, I have fixed almost all of the issues with it. When it came, it had a squealing water pump pulley, a worn out serpentine belt, an underside rattle, hard shifting, and the worn steering wheel and shifter.
The shifter and steering wheel were replaced in short order with used parts from ebay. The underside rattle was from corroded heatshields around the primary cats. I fixed those with some hose clamps from Home Depot.
The Serpentine belt had actually been replaced a year ago by the dealer according to records but they just fixed a symptom instead of the underlying problem. The underlying problem was a wobbly water pump pulley that was wearing out and fraying the serpentine belt. I changed water pumps, (and did a coolant flush while at it), and switched to a Gatorback belt and all of that noise went away.
There was a rough idle. I changed spark plugs and cleaned out the throttle body and that made the idle better, but not perfect. Cleaning the two MAFs with electronic cleaner spray ended up fixing the problem entirely.
Finally, I was having rough shifting. Sometimes it felt like the transmission was in a gear too high or too low. These are classic symptoms of a Nissan transmission with low fluid but I was waiting for my garage lift before I tackled this problem so I actually let the car sit for about a month. The transmission pan was in bad shape corrosion wise, and the overflow/fill plug was so badly corroded that I couldn't get it off with a hex. I could have probably gotten it off in other ways, but I decided to just change the whole pan, which comes with a new fill and drain plug.
I used Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic ATF (less than half the cost of factory fluid) for the transmission and transfer case, and Mobil 1 synthetic for the front and rear diffs.
That fixed all of the remaining roughness I was having with the car and so I've been driving it daily since the beginning of this month.
First off, I have to say this vehicle is absolutely brilliant. It has become by favorite vehicle to drive. I'll break things down into two categories- performance and utility.
As far as performance is concerned, the FX50 impresses. Power delivery is strong throughout the range (it's Nissan's second engine with VVEL, which was touted in the 370Z). I've ridden in my friend's 2015 5.0 Mustang GT and they pull very similarly. It doesn't pull like a truck engine but like a performance oriented V8.
The AWD is good. I don't get wheel spin on launches, even with the mediocre Bridgestone HL 400 that are currently on there (all-season highway touring tires). I gave a E92 M3 a good run the other day. He had been driving like a prick. We were lined up at a light and he was in the middle lane wanting to cut in front of me to take a left turn. He came off the light hard but probably not max. He would have won at max accel. The FX is quick but not that quick. I came off the light at full throttle. It caught him unprepared and even though he did drop the hammer, it was too late and had to brake hard to cut in behind me to take his turn (the little pleasures in life
).
The suspension has two settings, sport and normal. Normal is pretty good but more on the sport/bouncy side than a comparable SUV like an RX350. The sport mode does make the car ride quite bouncy, but then body roll is very well controlled. Taking corners in normal can be a bit scary, but perfectly fine in sport so there is a big difference and the system is definitely doing something. For aggressive street driving, I think the sport setting is perfect. It would be too soft for a track though.
The transmission is the weakest part of the car. Even after the fluid flush, shifts are still pretty slow and the transmission likes to get into higher gears aggressively. It has paddle shifters but there's room for improvement in shift speed and response. I don't remember the 370Z 7AT being so bad, but I think because of the significantly added weight of the FX, you have to be in the right gear or there is noticeable bogging.
Now as far as utility, you have to view the FX as basically a high profile sedan. With the rear seats folded down, you get quite a bit of space to fit something bulky, but with the rear seats up, trunk space is limited. It does fit small (asian) people comfortably in the back, but bigger people might not be so happy.
For a daily driver, it is a great alternative to a sporty sedan. It is more comfortable, it won't scrape on every speed bump and pothole, and it has a lot of power and fun. The two minuses to being a daily are expensive tires (they will end up costing more than my 911 tires), and a huge gasoline appetite. My fill-ups are around $65 (22 gallons of premium at $2.90) and gets me about 400 miles.
Right now the only mod I have is a GTR start button. In the near future, I want a Borla exhaust and a Hippopotamus decal for the back window. I'm also going to change the tires to 275 Michelin Latitude Sport (factory tires are 265). I do feel a little lateral movement in the tires when taking corners.
I will keep the thread updated periodically.
First off, I have fixed almost all of the issues with it. When it came, it had a squealing water pump pulley, a worn out serpentine belt, an underside rattle, hard shifting, and the worn steering wheel and shifter.
The shifter and steering wheel were replaced in short order with used parts from ebay. The underside rattle was from corroded heatshields around the primary cats. I fixed those with some hose clamps from Home Depot.
The Serpentine belt had actually been replaced a year ago by the dealer according to records but they just fixed a symptom instead of the underlying problem. The underlying problem was a wobbly water pump pulley that was wearing out and fraying the serpentine belt. I changed water pumps, (and did a coolant flush while at it), and switched to a Gatorback belt and all of that noise went away.
There was a rough idle. I changed spark plugs and cleaned out the throttle body and that made the idle better, but not perfect. Cleaning the two MAFs with electronic cleaner spray ended up fixing the problem entirely.
Finally, I was having rough shifting. Sometimes it felt like the transmission was in a gear too high or too low. These are classic symptoms of a Nissan transmission with low fluid but I was waiting for my garage lift before I tackled this problem so I actually let the car sit for about a month. The transmission pan was in bad shape corrosion wise, and the overflow/fill plug was so badly corroded that I couldn't get it off with a hex. I could have probably gotten it off in other ways, but I decided to just change the whole pan, which comes with a new fill and drain plug.
I used Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic ATF (less than half the cost of factory fluid) for the transmission and transfer case, and Mobil 1 synthetic for the front and rear diffs.
That fixed all of the remaining roughness I was having with the car and so I've been driving it daily since the beginning of this month.
First off, I have to say this vehicle is absolutely brilliant. It has become by favorite vehicle to drive. I'll break things down into two categories- performance and utility.
As far as performance is concerned, the FX50 impresses. Power delivery is strong throughout the range (it's Nissan's second engine with VVEL, which was touted in the 370Z). I've ridden in my friend's 2015 5.0 Mustang GT and they pull very similarly. It doesn't pull like a truck engine but like a performance oriented V8.
The AWD is good. I don't get wheel spin on launches, even with the mediocre Bridgestone HL 400 that are currently on there (all-season highway touring tires). I gave a E92 M3 a good run the other day. He had been driving like a prick. We were lined up at a light and he was in the middle lane wanting to cut in front of me to take a left turn. He came off the light hard but probably not max. He would have won at max accel. The FX is quick but not that quick. I came off the light at full throttle. It caught him unprepared and even though he did drop the hammer, it was too late and had to brake hard to cut in behind me to take his turn (the little pleasures in life
).The suspension has two settings, sport and normal. Normal is pretty good but more on the sport/bouncy side than a comparable SUV like an RX350. The sport mode does make the car ride quite bouncy, but then body roll is very well controlled. Taking corners in normal can be a bit scary, but perfectly fine in sport so there is a big difference and the system is definitely doing something. For aggressive street driving, I think the sport setting is perfect. It would be too soft for a track though.
The transmission is the weakest part of the car. Even after the fluid flush, shifts are still pretty slow and the transmission likes to get into higher gears aggressively. It has paddle shifters but there's room for improvement in shift speed and response. I don't remember the 370Z 7AT being so bad, but I think because of the significantly added weight of the FX, you have to be in the right gear or there is noticeable bogging.
Now as far as utility, you have to view the FX as basically a high profile sedan. With the rear seats folded down, you get quite a bit of space to fit something bulky, but with the rear seats up, trunk space is limited. It does fit small (asian) people comfortably in the back, but bigger people might not be so happy.
For a daily driver, it is a great alternative to a sporty sedan. It is more comfortable, it won't scrape on every speed bump and pothole, and it has a lot of power and fun. The two minuses to being a daily are expensive tires (they will end up costing more than my 911 tires), and a huge gasoline appetite. My fill-ups are around $65 (22 gallons of premium at $2.90) and gets me about 400 miles.
Right now the only mod I have is a GTR start button. In the near future, I want a Borla exhaust and a Hippopotamus decal for the back window. I'm also going to change the tires to 275 Michelin Latitude Sport (factory tires are 265). I do feel a little lateral movement in the tires when taking corners.
I will keep the thread updated periodically.
