High-tech Infiniti EX35 keeps driver on road

The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the nation's most spectacular drives, curving gracefully along cliffs that drop precipitously toward rocky beaches laced with the foam of thunderous breakers. Collisions are so common in the Malibu area that locals call the highway "an accident waiting to happen."

My own safety concerns were considerably eased by a new feature offered on the Infiniti EX35 called Lane Departure Prevention, an electronic system that can identify the lane you're in and apply brake pressure to keep you from straying into oncoming traffic.

The system, which actually reads the road, was introduced in the 2008 M sedan and evolved from Infiniti's "Lane Departure Warning" that chimes when you stray beyond the lines. Drivers who find such warnings intrusive can turn the system off. If you use your turn signal, the system does not intervene in changing lanes.

After cruising the coast highway and negotiating the mountain twisties of Ventura County, I came away highly impressed with the advanced technology. A second or two after the chimes sounded, the brakes were gently applied to the straying side, nudging my ride back into highway alignment.

The all-new EX35, Infiniti's crossover companion to the Nissan Rogue, is a Japanese import, bearing a body designed around the midline "wave" that curves gently along the sides from tip to tail. Offered in rear-drive or all-wheel-drive formats, the EX comes in two trim levels, base and Journey. Sales begin in December, with prices expected to start in the $35,000 to $36,000 range.

Powered by a fourth-generation 3.5- liter, 297-hp V6 harnessed to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual model, the EX35 performs admirably in all types of terrain. The power disc brakes with all the electronic backups inspire confidence on roads that seem to invite Hollywood-style lane departures into the great beyond.

But performance is simply the price of entry in this category, which includes the highly regarded Lexus RX350, Acura RDX and BMW X3. Where Infiniti ups the ante is in technology, safety and utility.

It offers not just scratch-resistant paint, but "self-healing" clearcoat, a gel-type paint sealant that closes over minor scratches. Another attention getter is the coat-hanger that emerges from the back of the front-seat headrests, providing a perch for your blue blazer.

But the technology trump card has to be the optional "Around View Monitor" a virtual out-of-autobody experience that displays a view of the vehicle from above on the 7-inch, dash-mounted monitor via four cameras, two on the sides, one in front, one in back. While the cameras look down and to the sides, the computer translates the data into a 360-degree view of the vehicle.