Skip advert
Advertisement

Infiniti FX Vettel

Our verdict on the Infiniti FX Vettel, which gets sporty tweaks and input from the F1 world champion

Overall Auto Express rating

2.0

How we review cars
Find your Infiniti QX70
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

As a standard FX50 costs £58,280, you pay a £47,000 premium (if you include the spoiler) for the ‘Vettel’ kudos. You get tweaked styling and exclusivity (only 200 will be sold), but a £62,000 Porsche Cayenne GTS offers similar pace and better handling. So while there’s a market for sporty SUVs, the only sporty part of the FX Vettel is the name.

Advertisement - Article continues below

When Infiniti announced it was launching a Sebastian Vettel edition of the FX SUV, it sounded like an idea from the marketing department. But when we heard the double F1 world champion was involved in the development process, our ears pricked up.

Apparently, Vettel already has an FX50 as his personal car (Infiniti is Red Bull Racing’s principal sponsor), so he knew precisely what he wanted. Top priority was binning the 155mph limiter, so he could stretch its legs on the Autobahn. And Infiniti was confident a 186mph top speed was possible.

Firstly, a new bodykit was developed to reduce drag, then the V8’s ECU was tweaked, which, with a freer-flowing exhaust, helps produce an extra 29bhp. Finally, plenty of carbon bodywork was added, which includes an all-new front grille, a very swoopy front apron, extended sills and a rear diffuser, complete with an F1-style central foglight. Oddly, the two-piece roof spoiler is not standard and costs £4,800 extra.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Yaris Hybrid

2024 Toyota

Yaris Hybrid

23,788 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £16,875
View Yaris Hybrid
Sorento

2019 Kia

Sorento

45,119 milesManualDiesel2.2L

Cash £18,229
View Sorento
T-Roc

2022 Volkswagen

T-Roc

27,890 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £21,299
View T-Roc
Juke

2018 Nissan

Juke

34,750 milesManualDiesel1.5L

Cash £7,300
View Juke

Other changes include new wheels (still 21-inch, but 3.5kg lighter) and the removal of the roof rails. The overall effect is that the white-only Vettel edition is imposing rather than beautiful, but then the standard car was never pretty in the first place.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Inside, you get re-trimmed leather and Alcantara upholstery, finished off with purple stitching (Infiniti’s signature colour), as well as neat-looking matt carbon fibre panels for the doors and centre console.

Fire up the beefy 414bhp V8 and a rumble erupts from the bespoke exhaust system. An overly sensitive throttle doesn’t make smooth progress very easy, but the ride is reasonable. The Vettel also has the same adaptive dampers as the regular FX50, but the springs are 20mm lower.

On the motorway, the engine soon whips round to the red line, just below 7,000rpm, but the resulting punch doesn’t feel as strong as we hoped it would, especially given the top speed claim. After a while we pulled on to some quiet rural roads, hoping the FX Vettel would shine.

You can leave the seven-speed gearbox in auto, or select Sport, or choose full manual mode (operated via paddles behind the steering wheel). We found Sport mode suits the car best; it adds a well judged throttle blip on downshifts as well as speeding up the shifts themselves.

But no matter how hard we pushed, we struggled to find the Vettel’s sportier edge. The steering feels vague on turn-in and doesn’t inspire confidence. Push the car hard, and it isn’t long before the brake pedal goes soft as the pads overheat.

After a day with the Vettel, we came away feeling a lot of effort has gone into creating something not all that different from the standard car. The spec sheet reveals that the tyres, wheel size, brakes and suspension stiffness are all identical.

The only real improvement, apart from the sound, is top speed, but even that isn’t as high as Infiniti hoped. With no limiter, the car didn’t go much quicker and, although homologation isn’t complete, Infiniti reckons the top speed will be closer to 170mph.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £19,785Avg. savings £3,331 off RRP*Used from £9,600
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,848 off RRP*Used from £7,649
MG MG4

MG MG4

RRP £26,995Avg. savings £8,094 off RRP*Used from £13,199
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025