2009 Infiniti M35 DVD Studio Surround System Reviewed

A few weeks ago, I was tasked with driving my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law to every ballroom in Chicago to see if any would be suitable to host their upcoming wedding.

Of course, I didn’t want to pay for parking at all these stops, so I stayed in the car. Which meant I had to come up with something to do while I waited, flashers blinking. The first thing that came to mind was watching a movie. While I could sit with my iPhone in hand and use a set of headphones for sound, I knew there was a better option. The Infiniti M35x I was driving had the optional Bose Studio Surround sound system. This includes digital 5.1 decoding, a DVD drive, and 14 high-quality Bose speakers. When I think of the best surround-sound experience, I instantly think of the first “Matrix” movie. So, I put the DVD in the center-counsel-mounted DVD drive and we were off.

I did my best to figure out how to get the movie to play without going to the instruction manual, but when it came time to watch all I got was, “Video will resume when vehicle is stopped.” Funny thing is, the car was in Park. After endlessly fighting with the settings, I read that the parking brake had to be set, even if the engine were off. Finally I was ready to watch “The Matrix” in the M35x.

The audio quality was the most amazing experience I have ever had while watching a movie (though, granted, I haven’t tried other car systems yet). Everything from bullet flybys to the thud of a punch sounded better than any sound system I have ever heard in a home or theater. Engineers typically design these systems specifically for the car model they’ll be placed in, taking into account how the small cabin’s acoustics work. As a plus, the Bose system utilizes all the speakers using its Studio Surround technologies.

Sitting in the driver’s seat was comfortable, and the enclosed car was perfect for containing the high volume levels. I could feel the sound throughout my body. It was truly impressive.

The major limiting factor in the experience was the screen. Being that it’s usually the navigation screen, there’s no need to make it a high-quality monitor, but it would have made for a better experience. Fixing the bad contrast ratio, refresh rate and resolution could all be done at relatively low costs these days, and Infiniti should spend the money when an upgraded system is installed, especially if it touts movie playback.

Oh, and there’s one other problem: How often are you stuck in the driver’s seat of your car, with the parking brake on, with nothing to do but enjoy a DVD?

Overall, using the M35x as a theater is not the best way to watch a movie, but everyone should experience the supreme sound quality. The $2,800 technology option gets you the Bose Studio Surround sound system, a DVD player, Intelligent Cruise Control and a lane departure warning system, but you may want to think twice when adding this as an option if you’re not interested in any or all of these features. It’s an all-or-nothing package, so you can’t choose to get just the sound system without the DVD player. Even on a $48,000 sedan, $2,800 is quite a bit of money. Even though the sound blew me away, the cost seems more than prohibitive.

2009|Infiniti|M35

2009|Infiniti|M45