Almost a full two years has passed since I spent a couple of months living with an FX35 in The Garage and was sadly unimpressed with the utility offered for a family. It looked great, sounded great and drove great, but with just two hockey bags in the back, I couldn’t see out the aft portal.

When the EX35 I was expecting to review last week pulled a no show, I was handed the keys to the revamped 2009 FX50 instead. Given that it is hockey season here in The Garage, I wondered if I’d be able to fulfill my weekly duties at the rink while driving the FX, or if I’d have to steal Mamma G’s ride. I needn’t have worried.

The new FX50 has retained the muscular good looks of the previous model, while receiving a ton of tweaks. Most media attention seems to be focused on the techno goodies that have found their way into Infiniti’s crossover rocket and there certainly are lots of toys. Perhaps the most innovative are the Around View Monitor and Infiniti’s self healing paint. That’s right, self healing paint! Truthfully, there are too many features to touch on all of them in one review, so we’ll stick with the ones that had the most effect for us.

I hadn’t actually read too much about Around View before sliding behind the wheel, so I was somewhat shocked the first time I backed into a parking spot. The LCD monitor on the dash suddenly displayed the full view around the vehicle, complete with alerts to show where each corner of the vehicle was going, in crystal clear real time. Once one gets used to it, one could easily forget about shoulder checks and mirrors. It really is that good. Don’t try this at home kids, a safe driver still keeps an eye on the real road.

Self healing paint. The theory here is that the paint actually remains in a state of liquidity thanks to a special elastic resin base. Thankfully, we did not test this feature, but it should become a standard coating for any family vehicle. What a great idea.

There are a whole host of proximity type driver aids on board too. Distance Control Assist. Intelligent Brake Assist with Front Collision Warning. Intelligent Cruise Control. Lane Departure Warning. One would really have to be oblivious to crash into something while driving the FX. Even still one can be almost certain that a few owners will succeed in bending that beautiful sheet metal.

Out on the road, the FX50 lives up to the aggressive styling. The 390 horsepower 5 liter V8 gets the power to all 4 wheels through a 7 speed automatic. While it can be fun to change gears with the paddles, the tranny is programmed for super sharp, quick shifts in auto mode. When playing in the twisties, it actually downshifts on hard deceleration and always seems to be in the right gear. Oh yes, did you noticed I mentioned twisties? While the FX is quite a large beastie, this thing handles. In fact, the limits of adhesion are so high that one would be mentally deficient to explore them on public roads! This is no doubt aided by the monsterous 265/45R21 tires wrapped around stunning Enkei wheels. Yes, 21’s. Bling Bling! Take a peek behind those wheels and you’ll notice massive 4 piston alloy calipers up front and 2 pots in back. No wonder the FX stops as well as it goes.

So it looks great, handles great, stops great and goes like stink. Does the new FX50 make the grade where the last generation failed: everyday utility?

Thankfully, we have a resounding YES on that one!

Inside, Infiniti has taken the sport sedan concept to a whole new level. Like a leather wrapped fighter, the FX feels warm yet purposeful. Fit and finish are beyond any other car we’ve tested possibly excluding the $100,000 Lexus LS460. That’s pretty good company. Again, there are so many features that it would be futile to list all of them in one review. Suffice it to say that the technophile, audiphile, interior designer, driver and even the kids will all find things to tweak their interest.

It seems that I wasn’t the only one to complain about the lack of cargo space in the previous model, so designers went to work carving out a bigger cargo hold. Unlike before, the FX swallowed 3 full hockey bags with ease and I could still see the traffic to the rear. 3 Hockey Bag Test: PASS.

Loaded up as it was, our tester comes in at a tick over 68 grand here in Canada. While that can hardly be considered cheap, there really is an absolute ton of features on board. Family friendly utility that meets the needs of an enthusiastic driver, while technology protects the inept and excites the inner geek. The exterior style is aggressive yet elegant enough to arrive at whatever red carpet event you might find yourself at.