Infiniti’s EX35, a compact luxury crossover, remains unchanged for the most part in 2010, with the exception of some small feature and option changes. Essentially a four-door sport station wagon, the EX35 is powered by a 3.5-liter V6, producing 297 hp and attached to a five-speed manumatic transmission. Available in both RWD and AWD configurations, both of the EX35’s trims, Base and Journey, come standard with leather upholstery and a rearview camera. Dual power front bucket seats and power windows, doors, and heated power mirrors are also standard, in addition to remote keyless entry, access, and start.

Moving up to the Journey trim will get you upscale options like dual-zone automatic climate controls, a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, heated front seats, and a power sunroof. A hard drive for the entertainment system comes standard with the Journey, a 2GB unit. Some of the more unique options include Infiniti’s Around View Monitor, which provides a full view of the circumference of the vehicle during parking via four cameras – front, rear, and side – and “Scratch Shield,” a combined elastic resin and clearcoat that over time, sometimes in a matter of hours, heals shallow scratches and blemishes in the outer paint surface. The Premium Package for the Journey trim adds a memory system for the driver’s seat, mirrors, and steering wheel, upgrades the passenger seat to 8-way power, adds power to the split-folding rear seats, and includes a garage door opener, roof rails, steering-linked headlights, and reverse-tilting mirrors. The Premium Package requires the Bose and AVM Package, however.

Performance is impressive for what is essentially a station wagon, with 0-60 sprints in under 6 seconds, and a limited top speed of 144 mph. EX35s equipped with AWD have a Snow Mode that uses the locking center differential to hold a 50/50 power delivery front to rear, and those so equipped have an EPA rating of 16/23 mpg, with RWD EX35s returning 17/24. Both trims require premium-grade gasoline.

Safety features are abundant, with six standard airbags, traction control, four-wheel antilock disc brakes with brake assist, and an anti-skid system. Automatic headlights and fog lights are also standard for both trims. A rear spoiler and 17-inch alloys are also included with both trims, backing up the sport inclinations of this new-age station wagon.