Text and photos by Corey Herscu
Lately, in terms of car reviews, it seems like when you drive one car (brand irrelevant), you've driven them all. Don't scoff, friends; unless we're talking engine performance, there isn't a lot a car company can do to really to innovate the in-car experience without forcing the consumer into spending top dollar. Of course, there are the anomalies to this rule (see the inside of the Tesla Model S), but that's a whole other conversation entirely.
Such is the case with my most recent car review, the 2013 Infiniti FX37 Crossover. While I was immiediately blown away by the driving experience of this 3.7-litre V6 engined monster (and, of course, all its elegantly layed out, easy-to-use controls), I was also taken aback by how poorly the Bluetooth system interacted with my phone (I was/am using the Google-edition HTC One running Android 4.3) for both calls and multi-media streaming.
In terms of driving experience, the FX37 was an absolute gem. While gas mileage wasn't the greatest (mind you, I was blasting AC during one of our Toronto heat-waves), the FX37 handled turns with ease, offered assitance in every possible way in terms of incoming potential dangers. It also ensured I stayed alert during long distance drives (subtle beeps if the car sensed lane-drifting).
When I say "assitance" I don't mean just front and back cameras to make sure I didn't 'accidentally' bump something during a moment of distraction, I mean next-level Grand Theft Auto-esque visuals (see below).
The onboard display was absolutely stunning, which only added to the experience; I actually came to the point where I enjoyed switching into a gear, because I didn't need to physically move my body to see my surroundings - everything was right in front of me, on screen, in clear line of sight.
Now onto the negative: using Bluetooth for, well, anything in the FX37:
It started when I was sitting in the car, at Nissan head offices in Mississauga, getting my walk-around tutorial. Being the eager beaver that I am, the first thing I did was pair my phone to see how easy the experience would be; needless to say, things started on a positive note.
With my phone paired, we began to talk about all the hidden options that I would have at my disposal. My guide was very thorough and I was beginning to be more and more enthused about the next week with the car - then it happened; my phone rang. Of course, we answered, and I immediately let the caller know they were on speaker, to which they responded "Sorry, Corey, I can't hear you! You sound distant, hollow and distorted... would you mind taking off speaker or calling back?"
Ouch. Not the best way for a communications rep to start a review period with a journalist. Alas, assuming it was a bad connection or an anomalous imperfection in the technology (they happen all the time), we shrugged it off and finished the tutorial.
I began driving home and eagerly switched the sound output to Bluetooth, to get my RDIO on, when again: choppiness ensued.
The sound was crackling and a bit distorted, it wasn't the regular RDIO high-def quality I was used to, so I begrudgingly changed the station back to XM Shade 45 and went on with my drive.
What I found over the course of the week, was that the Bluetooth technology embedded in the FX37 just didn't want to play nice with my HTC One and the Android 4.3 platform powering it.
While I didn't connect any other phone to it for comparison, I was left a bit disappointed and thus formed a negative bias to the feature in general. When I asked my contact at Nissan, he stated (paraphrased) "we can only comment on the technology that DOES work with our cars, not technology that doesn't."
Hmm. Okay.
Anyway, luckily I had a blast driving the car otherwise and - based on the fact that my issues aren't what a majority of people would face - would totally recommend the FX37 to anyone looking for a luxurious cost-effective crossover.