Around View Monitor: four cameras, birds-eye view
The Around View Monitor embeds cameras front and rear, plus one in each side mirror facing down. The rear helps in backing up, but it's the side mirror cameras that are magical. The image from the four is distortion-corrected and stitched into images that frame a top view of the EX35 (the center of the image being a silhouette of the car, not a live view). For people who never get the hang of backing down a long driveway, this helps you center the EX35 as you back. Shrubs, sprinkler heads, mailboxes, and fire hydrants are finally safe. If you think a rear view camera with trajectory lines is good, Around View Monitor takes backing to the next level of convenience. Even the front camera is useful on its own, mostly when you're cresting a rise and can't see over the sloping hood. This is for low speeds only, not something to save Thelma and Louise from zooming over a cliff in the final reel.

Lane Departure Prevention (half the time)
Nissan's Lane Departure Prevention takes lane departure warning to the next step. Your garden variety lane departure warning (LDW) watches the pavement markings via a camera in the rear view mirror and if you stray over the markings, the system alerts you. Infiniti goes one step further and uses the stability control and brakes to drag the brakes slightly on one side of the car, turning the EX35 in that direction. (Stick a canoe paddle in the water, hold it, and your canoe turns in the direction of the paddle.) It's great, when it works, which is about half the time, based on a series of informal tests. On unoccupied stretches of road, I let the car drift left or right some two dozen times. An annoying lane departure warning beep sounded each time and roughly every second time the brakes nudged the car back into lane but never so forcefully easily overcome it by turning the steering wheel; the other times, the car continued over into the next lane or toward the shoulder until I tugged on the steering wheel. I was mixed on the experience. First, beeps are the wrong way to go because then everyone in the car knows you screwed up; a vibration on the steering wheel or a pulsed light seen only by the driver is the right way. Second, the lane departure prevention part - steering you back into lane -shouldn't be a 50-50 proposition, perhaps not even 80-20.

Active Cruise Control in tech package
Infiniti bundles the Around View Monitor, lane departure prevention, and active cruise control (Intelligent Cruise Control to Infiniti) as a $2,150 technology package, which is a good deal because ACC alone on many other high-end cars runs $2,000-plus. Active cruise control temporarly slows you from your present speed if the vehicle ahead slows. Infiniti's ACC works down to 20 mph, which isn't as helpful, complex, or costly as stop-and-go ACC that uses an additional radar sensor in the front bumper and takes the car all the way to 0 mph, then back up to speed. With Infiniti's ACC, when deliberately testing its limits, such as changing lanes to lose or pick up a car in an adjacent lane, I found it occasionally slow to track or un-track the vehicle ahead. I didn't feel unsafe, but my sense was other ACC systems were a bit quicker. In everyday driving where I wasn't testing the limits, Infiniti's ACC was fine.

I do wish all ACC systems, including Infiniti's, had an option that kept the automatic braking part of ACC active once you tapped the brakes. (It's okay that the cruise control part deactivate.) I find some drivers using ACC in dense freeway traffic hover over and tap the brakes, don't realize it, and then when the car ahead slows suddenly, you're waiting for help from the ACC braking system and it's not there.

Excellent navigation system and display
Infiniti uses the Xanavi navigation system, a joint venture of Nissan (Infiniti's parent) and Hitachi. It's quite good, so much so that Ford adopted Xanavi navigation for some 2009 models. The $2,150 navigation package includes the navigation system, touchscreen display, voice recognition (for navigation, audio, and climate control), XM NavTrafic with real time traffic information, a 9.3-GB hard drive for navigation data and MP3s, a single-disc CD player replacing the superfluous six-disc changer, and the rear view camera.

Infiniti thoughtfully integrates the audio, navigation, and climate control information onto a single display screen. Adjust the temperature and the two digits displaying the temperature momentarily double in size. The same goes when you change tracks in the audio system. In addition, there's a blended view useful when you're traveling long distances that shows a lot of audio information (artist, track, title) plus climate control settings plus a big arrow showing the next turn and a countdown - 50 miles, 25, 10, whatever - which is useful when you don't need to see a moving map.

A high-mounted shelf, which requires a bit of arm travel, has a big controller button that, like BMW's iDrive, takes some getting used to. But there are dedicated buttons for audio, climate control, and the like, and there are dedicated buttons for shifting from day mode to night mode (or you can automatically shift over) and brighter/darker rocker buttons. Unfortunately, that's also where the emergency flasher button is, and more than a few times when I adjusted the audio or display settings and rested my fingers on the panel, I set off the four-ways.

Scratch Shield paint
The EX35 debuts a Nissan / Infiniti self-healing paint process that Nissan calls Scratch Shield. The top, clearcoat layer is a highly elastic resin that actually reseals itself over the course of a week if the paint is lightly scratched. This I didn't test first-hand in case I got to enthusiastic, but it appears that the paint heals swirl marks from a car wash, or someone brushing against the finish with a gritty gym bag, but probably not a deep scratch, such if someone deliberately runs a key along the side. It's also a limited-time feature good for a couple years. In other words, Scratch Shield may work better closing up scratches when the car is two years old than after six or seven years.

Bluetooth, iPod adapter in $2,150 package
Bluetooth and the iPod adapter work well. To get them, you must specify the $2,150 premium package, and with Bluetooth you must take the Bose premium audio system with 11 speakers, upgraded climate control, heated outside mirrors, heated seats, rear AC vents, tilt/telescope steering wheel, and fancier seats. Similarly, steerable, self-leveling xenon headlamps are part of a $1,250 Luxe Style Package with 18-inch alloy road wheels, or a $2,150 Luxe Elite Package with more, more premium leathers on the seats, doors, and dashboard. Plus you get a coat hanger that flips out of the back of the driver's headrest - a nice feature.

On the road - driving impressions
The EX35 Journey - the full name -- is fun to drive. It's a great cruising car and the all-wheel-drive version ($1,400 more than rear-drive) would be an ideal vehicle for a couple to take to a ski house that's a half-mile down a snow-covered, but not deeply rutted, gravel lane. The technologies assets on long trips - active cruise control, lane departure prevention, navigation, audio - so long as you remember to keep a watchful eye over them. The Around View Monitor is useful for everyday situations (long driveways). I've not seen an LCD display that's better suited for integrating information on long trips. The front cupholders have a spacer that, when flipped into position, securely holds a 12-ounce soda can. Flipped up and out of the way, the openings swallow 20-ounce water bottles nearly to the neck. Short of tipping over, you can't dislodge the bottle.

I drove a loaded EX35 and appreciated the luxury touches although I thought the Luxe Elite Package's extra chestnut-colored leather (door panels, console, seat inserts) plus the mandatory wood trim option made the interior a bit intense. Teenagers fit adequately in back but they wished for more room, and we all wished for more room when loading our luggage.

In a split between highway and city driving, I averaged 20 mpg with the 297-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission (the only choices). Under hard acceleration, it took a moment for the transmission to drop down a gear and apply power. It may be time for a six- or seven-speed gearbox for this vehicle.

Should you buy?
The field of premium-priced, coupe-looking all-wheel-drive crossover vehicles stands at two: the Infiniti EX35 Journey and the BMW X6. Both handle well, are well suited for two passengers and sacrifice passenger/cargo capacity on the altar of design. The BMW is the better vehicle but the EX35 is the better deal. Fully loaded at $46,065, the EX35 comes in $7,260 cheaper and and 1,000 pounds lighter than a zero-options X6 (which can reach $73,670 just for the six-cylinder model). Also keep in mind stylish vehicles sort of like the EX35, such as the Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

If you want the EX35, let's assume you'll want the all-wheel drive version and also assume you'll want the technology package, which forces you to take an options trifecta: technology, premium, and navigation packages, total $6,250. And if you're traveling long distances at night, you'll probably want the Luxe Style Package for its adaptive xenon headlights. All in all, the EX35 you want will list for $45,215, just $850 under the max price for an EX35. You will have exclusivity on your side: Infiniti will sell about 12,000 EX35's this year. For those

Infiniti EX35
Infiniti USA
www.infiniti.com

Price: $36,315 - $46,065 (includes $865 freight)
EPA economy: 16 mpg city, 23 mph highway (AWD, premium) (16/24 rear-drive)

Pros
Useful technologies: Around View Monitor, Lane Departure Prevention. Scratch-healing paint. Superior navigation system, thoughtful LCD display layout. Awesome front cupholders.

Cons
Linked options packages raise price $6,000. So-so trunk and back seat space. Some tech features (LDP, ACC) work completely most not all the time.

Bottom line
The Infiniti EX35 is a fascinating if impractical coupe-like SUV with great tech options that deserve to be on more vehicles in the Infiniti/Nissan line. Think: BMW X6 for $10,000 less.