Infiniti EX: the crossover that first offered a bird’s-eye camera

The Infiniti EX was a compact luxury crossover built on Nissan’s FM platform from 2007. It is remembered as the first production car with a surround-view camera and one of the first with self-healing clearcoat paint, and in 2013 it changed its name to QX50.

Infiniti EX at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Infiniti QX50, where the EX is described as the first generation.

History of the Infiniti EX

The EX started as a concept at the 2007 New York Auto Show. The show car already carried the equipment that made the production version unusual: a surround-view camera marketed as Around View Monitor, a lane departure system, a V6 engine, a five-speed automatic, all-wheel drive, the double-arch grille, large L-shaped headlights with adaptive front lighting, integrated fog lights, LED tail lights and an “arch” profile.

The production EX35 was presented at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and went on sale in North America in December 2007 as a 2008 model, in rear- or all-wheel drive on the Nissan FM platform. Its 3.5-litre V6 produced 297 hp. The Korean market followed on 24 January 2008. In Europe the car debuted in late 2008 as the EX37, and in Japan it was badged as the Nissan Skyline Crossover.

In 2013 the EX35 was rebadged as the EX37 with a 3.7-litre V6 of 325 hp, and for the 2014 model year Infiniti renamed the car QX50 as part of its new Q and QX nomenclature. Europe also received the EX30d, whose 3.0-litre V6 diesel with 235 hp at 3,750 rpm and 550 N·m at 1,750 rpm was the first diesel in the brand’s twenty-year history. A smaller EX25 with a 2.5-litre V6 of 218 hp and a seven-speed automatic was launched at the 2010 Beijing show and sold in China, Malaysia, Russia and Ukraine.

Design and features

• Around View Monitor: cameras front, back and on both sides fed an image-processing unit that built a top-down view of the car and its surroundings — the first such system on a production car.
• Scratch Shield paint: an elastic-resin clearcoat that repaired fine scratches such as fingernail marks under the door handles, taking from a day to a week depending on temperature.
• Lane Departure Prevention: the EX was the second Infiniti, after the 2008 M, to brake individual wheels gently to nudge the car back into its lane.
• All-wheel drive: ATTESA E-TS was standard in Canada and Europe and optional in the United States, where rear-wheel drive was also offered.

Infiniti EX versions

• EX35 (2007–2013): 3.5-litre V6, rear- or all-wheel drive.
• EX37 (from 2008 in Europe, 2013 in North America): 3.7-litre V6 of 325 hp.
• EX30d (2010): the European diesel, 3.0-litre V6 with 235 hp.
• EX25 (2010): 2.5-litre V6 for China, Malaysia, Russia and Ukraine.
• QX50 (2014): the same car under Infiniti’s new naming.

The EX shared its platform with the Infiniti FX, and its replacement in the range came with the Q50 generation of names. More cars are in the Infiniti collection.

Video: 2013 Infiniti EX37 Vs BMW X1 xDrive35i

Video by UNFILTERED MOOSAKA on YouTube.

Sources

• Infiniti QX50, English Wikipedia: EX history, engines, equipment