FINAL VERDICT: 2006 Infiniti M-series
The good:
Awesome value for the money, attractive design, super power/performance, best layout of all the cars in the 'center stack' area, great night lighting on controls/gadgets, interior that feels roomier than the competitors in the front and rear seat areas, best entry and exit ease of all of its peers, backup camera is fantastic and makes us wonder why ALL the cars don't offer it standard, radar cruise is killer, Japanese reliabilty a given.
The bad: Interior quality (leather, switchgear, etc.) is above average but gets embarrassed by the GS's quality and refinement.
The ugly: Maybe it was just our testers but I HATED the extremely hyper fast, twitchy throttle and the super glue reaction when you BARELY touch the brakes. I just couldn't adjust my driving style to compensate for the deficiency. Someone tell me they own the car and I'm wrong and I just got two bad ones!
FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars