THE PONCHATOULA TIMES,DECEMBER 13, 2012, PAGE 6
p!
At $54,070, complete, the
First the standard equip-
ment, if the word "standard"
can be spoken with a straight
face.
The JX35 comes equipped
with a 3.5 liter V6 engine ca-
pable of 265 horsepower and
248 lb-ft torque, with front
wheel drive, and driver's choice
of drive mode: sport, snow, or
Eco. There was no snow and In-
finiti picked up the gas tab, so I
stayed mostly in sport mode.
A continuously variable
transmission handled the gear
changes automatically, which
together with the front and rear
stabilizer bars, and indepen-
dent strut front and multi-link
rear transmission, made for a
smooth ride despite the large
size of this vehicle.
Helping keep the ride smooth
are the 18 inch 6-spoke alumi-
num alloy wheels clad in all-
season tires.
Keep in mind that we are still
talking about "standard" equip-
ment, such as the leather seats
(heated 8-way for the driver and
heated 6-way for the front pas-
senger), a "multi-mode" 60/40
split folding second row seat af-
fording easy access to the third
row of seating - so, yes, this
could be either your Super Bowl
transportation, or your family's
ideal land yacht.
Tri-zone automatic tempera-
ture control brings heat or air to
the entire vehicle through vents
with rear independent controls.
Trim is a stylish Kasane Washi
throughout the interior.
In terms of high-technology,
standard equipment includes a
power open-close liftgate which
came in most handy on my
Winn-Dixie run Saturday morn-
ing, power tilt and telescoping
steering wheel;power heated
and folding rear view mirrors,
7-inch color dashboard screen.
Our test drive model had one
of those "intelligent" keys that
you don't put in a keyhole, just
keep it nearby. An illuminated
power button gets you started
(it senses the key). The phone
system is Bluetooth and hands-
free. "Standard" sound comes
courtesy of a AM/FM/CD with
MP3 playback capability, Sirius
XM satellite radio, with auxilia-
ry power jacks and USB connec-
tions for any other device you
might want to bring along.
The kiddies have a LATCH
system in the second row for
tethering their car seats, and
the JZ35's braking system is
ABS on all four wheels with
electronic brake distribution,
vehicle dynamic control (VDC),
and a tire pressure monitoring
system with a tire inflation in-
dicator.
Standard equipment in-
cludes security system and a
vehicle immobilizer system to
thwart the bad guys. All stan-
dard equipment before the
$950 "destination charge" cost
$40,450. But now we add on
even more goodies enjoyed dur-
ing the test drive.
For a total price of $54,070
including the ubiquitous des-
By McMAHO]
Times On Wheels Columnist
Infiniti JX35 is expected to be a luxurious vehicle, and it does not disappoint.
tination charge, our test drive
came with $370 .roof rails, a
$3,100 Technology Package
that includes a back-up colli-
sion intervention system, heat-
ed steering wheel, remote con-
trol engine start (I think of my
Michigan fishing buddies Dan
and Laura Nebel pre-heating
their JX35 before setting out
for an ice-fishing trip, thereby
putting off the deep freeze at
least for awhile). The package
includes intelligent brake assist
with forward collision warning,
blind spot warning and inter-
vention, lane departure warn-
ing and prevention, intelligent
cruise control, distance control
assist, and more high-tech de-
vices.
Dr. Bobbe Ballin would like to
disconnect the beeps and buzz-
ers in her Subaru and would be
driven mad by all those in this
vehicle. I would have to drive
it for a while to distinguish be-
tween all those warnings sig-
nals, or cower in the driver's
seat in abject fear of the motor-
ing world around me.
Then there is the $1,700 The-
ater Package that includes dual
7-inch color monitors, two wire-
less headphones with their own
remote, rear headphone jacks
and volume control.
Infiniti next added a $2,550
Deluxe Touring Package which
upgrades the super wheels
to 20-inch aluminum alloy, a
BOSE "Cabin Surround" sound
system instead of the standard
BOSE premium system, an ad-
vanced climate control system,
including front seats and heat-
ed second row seats, rain sens-
ing windshield wipers, maple
interior accents and, get this,
second and third row moonroof
with powe~7~-~shade. I mean,~
sell your house and move into
this land yacht.
But wait, as they say in the
TV sales offers, there's more.
The $4,950 Premium Pack-
age includes a hard drive
navigation system with voice
recognition, NavTraffic and
NavWeather which breaks into
programming to alert you of
trouble, 8-inch VGA color touch-
screen display, a Zagat Survey
Restaurant Guide, power lum-
bar for the driver's seat, Blu-
etooth streaming audio;
The Around View monitor
with moving object detection
is definitely spaceship. I love
to back in when I'm parking
because on my busy street be-
cause that way I can get ready
for easy entry into traffic when
I set off again. This feature
takes your backup camera to a
whole new dimension, showing
me when I am about to crush
my front picket fence, with not
only a backup view but an over-
head view of the vehicle closing
on the fence. Move over Com-
mander Kirk.
As you might imagine, this
big vehicle is somewhat thirsty,
rated a combined 21 miles per
gallon (24 highway, 18 city) at
an estimated annual fuel cost of
$2,700.
985-386-32 2
I I[llllll
2013 Infiniti JX35
This all-white version of our test drive would be great for
our hot summers, but the Midnight Garnet deep burgundy
paint job we enjoyed is well worth considering. (Stock Pho-
to)
Still, for the right family, or
for those who travel with a par-
tying posse, a vehicle does not
come more complete than the
2013 Infiniti JX35.
Gasoline prices
going down
Special to The Times
Average retail gasoline pric-
es in Louisiana have fallen 4.3
cents per gallon in the past
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week, averaging $3.12/g yes-
terday. This compares with the
national average that has fallen
4.8 cents per gallon in the last
week to $3.34/g, according to
gasoline price website Louisi-
anaGasPrices.com.
CKSON-VAUGHAN AGENCY INC.
rating 90 years of service to Tangipahou Parish
121 West Pine - Ponchatoula
985.386.3511
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Including the change in gas
prices in Louisiana during the
past week, prices yesterday
were 3.3 cents per gallon higher
than the same day one year ago
and are 11.0 cents per gallon
lower than a month ago. The
national average has decreased
12.2 cents per gallon during
the last month and stands
5.5 cents per gallon higher
than this day one year ago.
"The national average has con-
tinued to see a steady decline
over the last week, and that
trend will likely continue.
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