Infiniti had an ambitious launch in 1989, revamped by its youthful mid-2000s success driven by the G35. These days, it only offers SUVS, and sales figures have shown Nissan's luxury division has lagged well behind its Japanese competition lately. The brand has had no shortage of ups and downs during its more than 35 years of existence, yet Infiniti has rolled out some memorable vehicles over the years
, including wild concept cars and enthusiast favorites.As a luxury brand both founded and owned
by Nissan, Infiniti itself has never developed or manufactured its own engines in the way a standalone carmaker does. Some Infiniti models have been virtually identical to Nissans, with the same frame and engine under the hood, with many even being badged as Nissans outside of the United States. Other Infiniti vehicles did have unique versions of standard Nissan engines, while some Infinitis even had engines supplied by Mercedes-Benz in the 2010s.
Read more: The 10 Best And Worst Engines Made By Major Automakers
Many Infiniti And Nissan Models Have The Same Engines
When Infiniti first began sales in the United States in the fall of 1989, its flagship vehicle was the Q45 luxury sedan. Though it represented a new model from a novel brand in the U.S., the Q45 shared its platform with the well-established Nissan President, which was an attempt to beat out Toyota in the luxury market in Japan. Like the President, the Q45 was powered by Nissan's VH45DE V8 engine. Although this was a Nissan engine, it was not used in any other vehicle in Nissan's U.S. lineup.
As the brand's lineup continued to grow, Infiniti and Nissan models continued to share engines. The Infiniti G20, for example, was based on the Nissan Primera and was powered by the same twin-cam, four-valve Nissan SR20DE engine. The popular Infiniti G35 sedan and coupe from the early 2000s were badged as Nissan Skylines in Japan and were powered by the same VQ-series Nissan V6 found in the 350Z (and countless other Nissan models). Even the stylish Infiniti FX crossover rode on Nissan's widely used FM platform and shared its V6 and V8 engines with many other Nissan vehicles.
Some Infinitis Used To Have Mercedes-Benz Engines
As Infiniti's lineup continues to evolve, the close family ties with Nissan have remained under the hood. For example, Nissan's VC-Turbo engines, which aren't the most reliable powerplants on the market, are used in both Infiniti and Nissan vehicles. The high-performance VR30 twin-turbocharged V6 that originally debuted in the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 now powers the latest iteration of the Nissan Z. Meanwhile, the brand-new Infiniti Q80 SUV uses an engine that's very similar to the one in the closely related Nissan Armada.
The most interesting piece of trivia about Infiniti engines, however, is that some of them were once actually made by Mercedes-Benz. As part of an agreement between Nissan and Daimler, the Infiniti Q30 and QX30 of the late 2010s used a platform and engines borrowed from Mercedes. Today, though, the Mercedes engine-sharing is over, and Infiniti's relatively small, all-SUV lineup is powered by engines from the Nissan corporate family, including the Nissan VC Turbo engines in the QX50, QX55, and QX60, and the powerful VR35DTT V6 in the flagship Q80.
While Infiniti's current lineup unfortunately doesn't have much to offer for the driving enthusiast, that may be changing soon. If recent rumors are true, Infiniti may be planning a return to its old sport sedan roots with a reborn Q50. This model would be powered by the Nissan Z's engine, complete with an available manual transmission.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
