Four decades is a long time for a car nameplate. The Cedric burst on the scene in 1960 and ten generations later, in mid-1999, the last iteration of this venerable model was launched. We’ve seen pretty much every Cedric (sometimes in Gloria form, as the two were 99% identical from the early ‘70s onwards) generation on CC, save for this one – the last of a long line. Its time has finally come.
That’s not to say that we’ve not seen something that looks like this car before, as these were sold as the Infiniti M45 in certain markets, notably North America, from mid-2002 to late 2004. But the M45 was a little different from this Cedric. For one, it was based on the Gloria, so the grille was not the same. For another, it was given a V8 that the JDM versions never got.
And there are a myriad little details you can expect to spot, if your mental picture of the Y34 platform is of the Infiniti-branded variant. Like stand-up hood ornaments – they were still a thing on these, odd though it may seem. Both the Cedric and Gloria had them, though not on every trim level, of course.
Of course, the Internet gods decided that my search for halfway usable Cedric Y34 brochures would come up empty, so we’ll have to make do with this less-than-ideal Gloria excerpt. There were sportier-looking ones, conservatively-dressed ones and everything in between. We’re talking 17 different trim, engine and drivetrain variations here, by the middle of the year 2000. The range was reorganized and somewhat rationalized down to 12 variants by the late 2001 refresh, but it was still pretty plethoric, as per JDM tradition.
Our feature car is a “Premium Limited”, which is kind of an oxymoron, depending on what your definition of “limited” is. I think it means this one was pretty fully-loaded, but there is no clue as to what is under the hood. And therein lies a slight difference.
Four engines could be located under this ornamented bonnet: the top of the line turbocharged 3-litre V6 (280hp), the same without the turbo (240hp), the 2.5 litre V6 (210hp) or the 2.5 litre “RB” straight-6 turbo, good for 260hp. This last one would signify that the drivetrain is AWD, rather than plain old RWD. Transmission was either CVT (only on the 3-litre engine) or 4-speed auto. This is all pretty far from the Infiniti M45’s 340hp 4.5 litre V8, but in Japan that engine was reserved for the absolute top of the Nissan range, not the rather more pedestrian Cedric / Gloria.
Pedestrian though it may be, the Y34 could still be defined as a luxury saloon. Certainly, this “Premium Limited” edition was aimed at the well-heeled customer with delusions of Jaguar. Minus the leather of course – nobody likes leather here.
The deepest, shaggiest carpet in the world will not make up for the limited amount of rear seat space in this car. But then, the rear seats were never meant to be all that important. This hardtop saloon was marketed as a driver’s car, given the rest of the Cedric / Gloria range. Bear in mind that the Y34 hit the dealerships in June 1999, back when there was still a dated boxy pillared saloon and a positively ancient live axle wagon to be had in the same forecourt.
Upon its launch in 1999, the Y34 was not the only Cedric in the range. Other Cedrics at the time included the venerable Y31 saloon, which also served as the Nissan taxi, as well as the very last Y30 wagons, whose production was now ended but were still on sale for a few months. This is the context one should view the Y34 in, as well as the downward spiral that Nissan were stuck into at the time. The year 1999 was a tough one for Japan’s number two carmaker.
Hence when Nissan forced a V8 into this car and tried peddling it as a BMW Series 5 rival in the US and Canadian markets (anywhere else?) four years later, Infiniti customers didn’t really know what to make of it. Less than 9000 units were sold in North America over a couple of model years.
Japanese sales were a little healthier, with 64,000 units over five years. But again, context is everything: the Y33 (1995-99) sold about 145,000 and the generation before that garnered a quarter million sales, so the finale was not exactly a grand one. The Cedric / Gloria was clearly not doing well and times had changed in the C-suite, now that the Renault people had taken over. The decision was taken quite early on in the Y34’s production run that this would be the final Cedric hardtop, so when the axe fell in October 2004, nobody was really surprised. This caused the immediate death of the Gloria nameplate, but the Y31 Cedric taxi carried on for another decade.
The Y34 Cedric / Gloria was replaced by the Y50 Fuga (a.k.a Infiniti M35 / M45), which did away with the whole hardtop schtick and was designed as more of a global luxury car than a JDM-specific oddity. It did mean a loss of character for Nissan’s domestic range, but probably made a lot of financial sense. The traditional Cedric / Gloria was now Ghosn with the wind, but it sure was a wild 40-plus year ride.
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Curbside Outtake: 2003 Infiniti M45 – Easy To Mistake For An American Four Door Hardtop, by PN
Handsome car, grandpa’s GTR. Turbo inline six and 4×4 traction, great.
Good-looking car. The C-Pillar and rear flanks are very attractive. And perhaps, its best angle.
I’ve always liked the Infiniti since they came out with the Q45 and even the M45 that was like this car.
But I can’t let this one pass. The advertisement you show with “The Lineup of Distinction” and one model is the “STD”?? Really? haha. I think I’d pass on that one.
Infiniti must be on the JDM as we get them here used, I was at a used import yard yesterday to test fly a Golf GTI for a mate also ex JDM but already registered so kept at the back of the lot so I had to wade past the sea of fresh arrivals to see it and there were several WTF is that I walked past and several old Fugas, there are plenty of those on the road here popular for being RWD and have burnout capable powertrains but not actually very fast,
The Golf was entertaining though my bro will love it he lives 40 twisty kilometers from town and the little turbo VW went as well as the turbo C4 I had as a loaner, both suck petrol at an alarming rate when the throttle is opened@ $13-14 per gallon but it had a ESP system off switch which will help with handling
In my view this is an impossibly handsome saloon. I can forgive it the iffy panel gap between the rear lamp and the rear wing. The rest of it is perfect. The interior is comfortable and inviting and I am sure that the perceived quality aces the E-class. I´ve only seen this car once in the metal. It stopped me in my tracks. The sweep of the roof down to the boot is gorgeous and contrasts beautifully with the angle of the windscreen. This could have been a Lancia: austere, graceful, low-key.
I am happy to discover the Cedric Brougham as it looks like a reasonable alternative to the Toyota Crown De Luxe taxi. Super square. Wonderful.
It would have made an extremely stylish coupe, though perhaps it would have needed a more elegant frontal treatment.
Fully agree. Potentially beautiful design, if the hood, headlights, and grille had a lower, and cleaner appearance. Grille in particular, was too tall. Perhaps aiming for a MB appearance. A simpler more discreet and lower profile grille, would have simultaneously improved its looks, and increased its image of sophistication.
Sportier-looking, less serious wheels would help this one.
A very handsome car, more of a four door coupe than a sedan. I saw an Infiniti M45 just yesterday, driving in my neighborhood. It’s funny but it was Mercedes that was the most successful with the four door coupe concept, I see lots of CLS models running around the area. I loved the inverted banana style of the original, plus the cozy plush interior, but I’ve had my fill of used Euro cars.
At first I thought these were impossibly bland, but the close-up photos show it is really quite a subtle and thoughtful design. I especially like the way the almost-flat bodysides gradually swell out around the wheel arches: much more elegant than just a simple flare.
Except for the rear seat accomodation. It looks to be a bit large for a 2+2.
It seems like it’s taking advantage of committing to being in the pricier 3-number tax bracket. A lot of bigger Japanese cars are compromised by the determination to offer a narrow-fender, under-2-liter version, so the pricier versions have flared wheelhouses. Not having a cheaper tax-beater grade meant the designers could indulge a bit more.
Richard’s comment was very apposite – this would have made a lovely Lancia and demonstrates how dumpy was the Kappa.
It chimes with my first reaction to the photo of the Y31 STD (ugh!) car – was that a FIAT Croma proposal that got away? Improved by the longer rear end.
The fussy Y30 was the last of the Big Nissans over here and so we missed out on the nicer ones.
Not that they’d have ever sold – M-B can make a car that looks like a banana and they’ll sell becuz… Nissan could only manage a Cherry successfully, becuz not German.
Big Nissans didn’t seem to do that well when they were exported, anywhere. I had thought the 430 was the last generation sold in Australia but I was corrected – we’d been sent the Y30 but somehow I’d never even noticed! Just when they got them looking interesting – so sorry, not for export. Like the R32 Skyline.
Nick: do you mean Kappa or Thesis? The Kappa managed the unusual trick of being styled in a really low-key way but remaining identifiable from a long distance with great ease. You can´t get away from it´s FWD proportions but it´s still an admirable car which I managed to test drive in coupé and saloon formats. I found both of them agreable and I really wish I´d been able to own the coupé. The Thesis is more comparable to the M45 in size. It´s about 2% too tall. The Nissan here is more succesfully proportioned. And if Lancia made a large car it ought to have looked like this (except for that rear bumper-to-wing panel gap which is rather gawky). I´ve had this screen open on my computer for two days now. I find this car compelling, much like the Toyota Crown of the same period. This was a high.water mark for saloon design. Either are preferable to most of the competitors in size and price (at least for me as I like the JDM combination of materials and form-giving). What were Ford offering at this time? The 500. Goodness, what a contrast.
Still quite a few of these left here, always nice to see them around. Although they’re bland at first glance, a lingering look reveals a very nice looking car with some lovely detailing. Great interior too – very well built and comfy, and the integration of the satnav/infotainment screen is better than a lot of new cars. The seats in the photographed car look to be slid well back as the rear leg room is generally very reasonable.
The Y34 featured a couple of great optional extras. One was electric multi-adjusting rear seats, with individual controls on each door. There was even a button to make the front passenger seat slide forward and out of the way. Another unexpected option was rear view mirrors on the fenders instead of the doors.