Driving the FX45 turned out to be a battle of genders. Having driven it through a blizzard-like snowstorm (4 inches of snow fell during my two-hour commute home), I became very enamored of the FX45’s sure footing, nimble acceleration and easy handling. My teenage son thought the car looked cool, had plenty of space and was very comfortable. My 10-year-old was so comfortable he fell asleep in the backseat.
My wife was less impressed with the FX45’s looks. “It can’t decide if it wants to be a car or an SUV,” she scoffed, referring to it as “The Roller Skate.” I asked my tweener daughter if she’d want to be seen getting out of it at the junior high school, and she replied: “No, it’s too weird.”
Of course, it’s often what’s on the inside that matters, and on thatfront virtually everyone agreed. The FX45 has very comfortable leatherseats with strong support, and like a lot of other Nissan cars I’vedriven lately, the driver’s seat moves back when you’re getting in andout of the car, and the steering wheel backs out of the way. It’s asmall thing, I know, but I find it very helpful, given my large frame.My wife was particularly happy with the layout of the controls. Thenavigation system, while almost the same as the system I encountered inthe Nissan Quest, is better because it uses a wheel and button toselect numbers and letters for an address, rather than the Quest’srather bulky joystick.
The backseat was roomy for the kids, although the middle “seat” is lessthan comfortable. Lucky for me, I never had more than two kids backthere at a time. The biggest drawback for me was the lack of space inthe cargo area for groceries and stuff you might pick up from Target orCostco. There’s just not much “there” there.
What impressed me most about the FX45 was its handling in thatsnowstorm. In addition to all of the snow, it was brutally cold, somuch so that the snow wasn’t melting, making traveling even moretreacherous. The FX45 handled it all well, and the car only slid once,on a poorly plowed side street near my house. I was able to get sometime in the FX45 when it wasn’t snowing, and that was a joy. Getting upto freeway speeds was easy, and although the ride could get bumpy fromthe tight suspension, it was always sure-footed. The FX45 comes withlane departure warning for when you’re traveling 45 mph or faster, butafter two days I had to turn it off. It began mistaking salt-coveredstrips of asphalt as lane lines, and the beeping nearly drove me overthe edge.
Would we buy this as our second car? Well, I would, but my wife’sstrong feelings about “The Roller Skate” look means it’ll have to bejust a distant, pleasant memory for me.
We wonder if the automakers wouldn't have such a hard time getting help, wouldn't be on the receiving end of 
