Infiniti M56: Big Band of Power

Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman all swung like angels from the Big Band era as they sang out of the Infiniti M56’s Bose audio system. Luxury is not just about showing off with an old-world brand. There’s also exquisiteness in style, technology, and timeless orchestration.

Graceful curves and upscale attire tell friends that this car plans to find a ballroom and dance the night away. Long, flowing front fenders and hood; fastback coupe-like roof; and a sculpted high tail give it proportions that no front-drive poseur can match.

Beefy fenders are filled with 18-inch wheels and low-profile sport tires. Infiniti’s big chrome grille is neatly tucked into the front facia, giving it visual identity and a flash of brilliance as the car arrives under a portico or in some creeper’s rearview mirror to scare them back into the right-hand lane.

Proving the M56 is a real talent, able to play with the best sedans, its rear deck increases downforce at speed, enables zero lift front and rear, and slips through the wind with an impressive 0.27 coefficient of drag. Swiveling projector beams up front look brilliant at night while twin chrome exhaust tips leave one last glimpse of excellence as the M56 motors away.

Spaceship Command Center

A step inside will take you to a world of delight. Japanese White Ash wood on the center console, dash, and doors looks like it was drenched with moonbeams, but the glimmering is actually from real silver dust.

Supple semi-aniline leather in the darkest of chocolate on the heated/cooled seats (front), French stitching on the dash and door coverings, and deep carpets dress the cabin like a gentleman’s parlor.

Despite the aquatic spaceship command center of the dash, large analog gauges in fluted housings, voice controls, and machined metal knobs for the audio system make the car beautiful to use.

Listening to the 40s station on XM Satellite Radio, made even better by the Bose 5.1 16-speaker audio system, brings Big Band to life.

Technology is laid in like “A String of Pearls,” even if Glenn Miller didn’t create it. Active noise control electronically silences the cabin, Bluetooth connects phones, and a USB port connects iPods to the car’s controls. Navigation, audio, and the Zagat restaurant guide can all be accessed by voice. Rain-sensing wipers and mirrors that tip down in reverse are thoughtful touches.

In case of an accident, after any of the dual front, front-side, or side-curtain airbags deploy, you may begin humming Dorsey’s “I’m Glad There Is You.” Praise all Pennies from Heaven that our test car came sans Infiniti’s too-smart-for-its-own-good blind spot, forward warning, and intervention systems that are cool in their use of sensors and cameras, but drive you batty in city traffic.

‘In the Mood’ for Driving

When you’re “In the Mood” for driving, you’ll want the 5.6-liter V8 in this Infiniti. The engine’s 420 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque give you a wide band of power that starts off the line and continues until you can’t take any more. Soft thunder from the exhaust system just encourages more lunacy.

A 7-speed automatic transmission with automatic shift mode and Automatic Rev Matching hits all the right notes, but you’ll know you bought tickets at Carnegie Hall when you lay it out for 16/23 mpg city/highway. Listen to Glenn Miller’s performance there in 1939 and you’ll know it’s worth it.

Given Goodman’s reputation as the “King of Swing,” he might prefer to dwell on the M56’s chassis. In sync with the torque-shifting all-wheel-drive system, the four-wheel independent suspension absorbs city streets and articulates 18-inch alloy wheels over sweeping back roads with grace. Quick steering communicates the car’s behavior, but is never rude.

Electronic stability control, brake-force distribution, and four-wheel disc brakes are standard. A dial on the center console lets drivers adjust the throttle and transmission mapping for four different driving conditions including snow and sport.

Although our car was not so equipped, rear-drive models can be selected with a Sport Package that includes 4-wheel Active Steer, a tighter suspension, and 20-inch wheels. One thing for certain, no matter how you equip the M56, it will not replay any verse of Jitterbug.

Available colors like Black Obsidian, Moonlight White, and Harbor Blue sound like names for an orchestra piece, but I prefer the color on our car that glimmered like Dorsey’s “Blue Champagne.” Expect to pay $66,925 for a compilation that trains the Mercedes E550, Lexus GS460, and Cadillac CTS-V.