Infiniti FX Vettel Edition
Infiniti FX – Vettel Edition
The Infiniti is Nissan’s premium brand and to make it even more special and exclusive, it has launched a Sebastian Vettel edition of its FX SUV. This does sound like an idea from marketing department but when news broke out that double F1 champion was involved in the development process himself the FX SUV became an exciting prospect. Vettel is rumored to have an FX50 as his personal car so he knew exactly what he wanted. Top priority was to go beyond the 155mph and Infiniti was confident a 186mph top speed was possible so that FX can run loose on the autobahn. We must also keep in mind that Infiniti also sponsors Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.
To go about the task of increasing top speed, many improvements and tweaks were made. First thing Infiniti did, it developed a new body kit to reduce drag and then the V8’s ECU was tweaked. This tweaked ECU along with a free flowing exhaust gives an extra 29bhp. To reduce wait plenty of carbon bodywork was added. This included extended sills and rear diffuser, a new front apron, an all new-front grille, complete with an F1-style central fog light. Oddly though this two-piece roof spoiler doesn’t come as standard and costs £4,800 extra.
New lighter wheels were fitted and the roof rails were removed. Overall this white-only Vettel edition is more imposing than beautiful, having said that the standard car is a not a pretty thing either. The interior has also been worked on and you get a re-trimmed leather and Alcantara upholstery. Put your feet on the mighty 414bhp V8 and a rumble will erupt from the exhaust system. The motorway is where this Vettel comes alive and it goes to the maximum at just below 7,000rpm. Infiniti has a seven-speed gearbox which can be used in auto, Sport or a full manual mode. It is operated via paddles behind the steering wheel. The Sport mode suits the car best as it becomes more responsive and speeds up the shifts.
No matter how hard you push, it is a struggle to find the Vettel’s sportier edge. If you push hard, the brake pedal goes soft after some time and the pads overheat. After spending a day with the Vettel one does feel that a lot of effort has been made for nothing as the special edition car is not that different from the standard car. It has the same wheel size, tyres brakes and suspension stiffness. It is worth mentioning that the top speed has increased from 155mph to 170mph but that isn’t as high as Infiniti hoped. The engine fitted in this FX is a 5.0 litre V8 which goes from 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds. It gives an estimated 21.6 mpg while the CO2 emissions are 307g/km. The price of this special edition is staggering, it will cost £100,800 and is available now in white only. This Infiniti Vettel is very exclusive as only 200 will be made.
