Cars : 2014 Infiniti Q50
Cars : 2014 Infiniti Q50
George Orwell’s epic 1984 must have rotated through Infiniti’s book club this year. Where else could Infiniti have picked up such an appreciation for what Orwell calls “doublethink”—a propagandist’s ability to dream up a new version of history, and then actually believe what they just invented as truth. “Infiniti’s entry-level sports sedan is the Q50. There is no G37. Infiniti’s entry-level sports sedan has always been the Q50.”
For Infiniti’s intents and purposes, if ever the two could be separated, the rear-drive Q50 is the fifth-generation G. Loads of components carry over, including the 3.7-liter V-6, but quite a bit is new: bulbous sheet metal, creature comforts, authoritarian safety systems, and a hybrid version.
Double Arches for the Land of the Golden Arches
Shiro Nakamura’s design team has, in essence, styled the Q50 like a smaller version of the sedan formerly known as the M. For all the fuss Lexus has made over the grille design of its latest models—going so far as to trademark “spindle” and patent its design—the grille on the Q50 and rest of the Infiniti lineup is remarkably similar. Infiniti calls it a “double arch” grille, as accurate a name as BMW’s use of kidney to describe two squares
lsewhere, Infiniti has improved ingress and egress, thinned pillars to improve visibility, and, of course, installed LED headlights. The company should, at the minimum, get credit for staying faithful to the styling of the Essence concept. Coefficient of drag is a low 0.26, and Infiniti boasts that there’s no front or rear lift—impressive so long as you don’t have access to the press release for the 2003 G35, where you’d read that car was equally road hugging.
Significant upgrades have come to the interior, though, which adopts some of the Q60-nee-M’s wavy leather seams and general funkiness. Like the first G, the Q50’s center stack is asymmetrical—that car even left the radio knobs on the far side of the console, a remnant from right-hand-drive Japan—but now houses two touch screens. They display a new infotainment system called InTouch, which assures that at the minimum, Infiniti has its own entry in the all-important NameYourSoftware wars.
THEY KILLED THE STICK?! and Other Powertrain Info
Et tu, Infiniti? America is seeing its first rise in manual-transmission popularity in decades, and in response, Infiniti has killed the six-speed stick in its mainstay sports sedan. It’s a sad sign when Buick leads Infiniti in the row-your-own department by a score of 2-0. The Japanese brand’s management would reply that few G37 buyers opted for manuals in the past several years, and the cost of deploying one again isn’t worthwhile. Nissan generally has moved away from sticks as of late, killing the option in the Altima and the Maxima altogether, and offering them only in the most basic trims of Sentra and Versa.
A seven-speed automatic gearbox is fitted to the standard Q50’s V-6. As before, it makes 328 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque, giving it a towering advantage over competitors’ entry-level products, like the Audi A4 2.0T. At present, Infiniti isn’t talking about a lower-output engine for the Q50—at least in the U.S.—as a successor to the G25. We can’t imagine Infiniti installing that car’s engine in the Q50, being rather old and unimpressive on fuel consumption.
For those willing to spend more green to save more gas, there will be a Q50 hybrid, which essentially borrows the hybrid powertrain from the larger M35h/Q60. It joins a 296-hp V-6 to a 67-hp electric motor, with net power at 354. (Why this differs from the M’s 360-hp total, we cannot say.) It too uses a seven-speed automatic transmission—a welcome respite from the CVTs of so many hybrids.
The Q50’s front suspension appears to be all-but unchanged from the G37’s, with double wishbones, but the multilink rear has been “revised,” increasing camber stiffness and ride. A sport-tuned suspension will be offered optionally, but Infiniti hasn’t yet said more about it. All-wheel drive will be available with either powertrain, which will make the Q50 an early adopter to the all-wheel-drive-hybrid-sedan party.
Steer-By-Wire and Drives-By-Itself
On its own, electric power steering is cause enough for tears, having neutered the steering feel of once-proud sports sedans like the BMW 5-series. The Q50’s new setup, however, goes quite a bit farther than offering a menu of how-sporty-do-you-want-it? settings. Infiniti Direct Adaptive Steering is actual steer-by-wire, turning the wheels based on its read of driver input on the steering wheel. Infiniti says the system reacts faster than a mechanical setup, a truth that doesn’t make it any less disconcerting. A mechanical backup system is installed to placate technophobes and NHTSA.
Active Lane Control is the true HAL technology, though. It’s worth reading Infiniti’s description directly:
The system not only reads the road ahead (the camera is located above the rearview mirror) for unintended lane drift but also makes small steering-input-angle adjustments if the Q50 undergoes minor direction changes due to road-surface changes or crosswinds (as detected by the lane-marker-detection system). By reducing the need for steering input for the driver, the driver's effort may be reduced.
We’d rather not necessarily reduce our effort as drivers—even if F1 star Sebastian Vettel is said to have had some input during the Q50’s development—and are glad that for now these systems are just options. Similarly, Q50 buyers can exercise their own discretion with respect to adaptive cruise control, backup-collision intervention, forward-collision warning, forward emergency braking, and blind-spot intervention.
Pricing and Availability
Sales begin this summer, with the rest of the world getting Q50s soon thereafter. It’s possible that’s when we’ll hear about a smaller engine for an entry-level version. Europeans will be offered a diesel four—it’s literally the only way to sell luxury cars in this segment there—but a Nissan exec recently told us that diesel is a “non-starter” for the company in the U.S.
Figure on pricing starting in the mid-to-high $30,000-range, ballooning to nearly $50K with tech options. It’s eye watering for a sedan of this size, but that’s just where BMW has ended up with the 3-series. Credit us for making it until now without mentioning Bavaria’s favorite sports sedan, once the reference point and prime target for the original Infiniti G. Or was that the Q50?
Contact Infiniti
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Contact Car And Driver
Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Sources : 2014 Infiniti Q50 Photo | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Article | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Interior Photo | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Photo 2 | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Wheel Photo
George Orwell’s epic 1984 must have rotated through Infiniti’s book club this year. Where else could Infiniti have picked up such an appreciation for what Orwell calls “doublethink”—a propagandist’s ability to dream up a new version of history, and then actually believe what they just invented as truth. “Infiniti’s entry-level sports sedan is the Q50. There is no G37. Infiniti’s entry-level sports sedan has always been the Q50.”
For Infiniti’s intents and purposes, if ever the two could be separated, the rear-drive Q50 is the fifth-generation G. Loads of components carry over, including the 3.7-liter V-6, but quite a bit is new: bulbous sheet metal, creature comforts, authoritarian safety systems, and a hybrid version.
Double Arches for the Land of the Golden Arches
Shiro Nakamura’s design team has, in essence, styled the Q50 like a smaller version of the sedan formerly known as the M. For all the fuss Lexus has made over the grille design of its latest models—going so far as to trademark “spindle” and patent its design—the grille on the Q50 and rest of the Infiniti lineup is remarkably similar. Infiniti calls it a “double arch” grille, as accurate a name as BMW’s use of kidney to describe two squares
Significant upgrades have come to the interior, though, which adopts some of the Q60-nee-M’s wavy leather seams and general funkiness. Like the first G, the Q50’s center stack is asymmetrical—that car even left the radio knobs on the far side of the console, a remnant from right-hand-drive Japan—but now houses two touch screens. They display a new infotainment system called InTouch, which assures that at the minimum, Infiniti has its own entry in the all-important NameYourSoftware wars.
THEY KILLED THE STICK?! and Other Powertrain Info
Et tu, Infiniti? America is seeing its first rise in manual-transmission popularity in decades, and in response, Infiniti has killed the six-speed stick in its mainstay sports sedan. It’s a sad sign when Buick leads Infiniti in the row-your-own department by a score of 2-0. The Japanese brand’s management would reply that few G37 buyers opted for manuals in the past several years, and the cost of deploying one again isn’t worthwhile. Nissan generally has moved away from sticks as of late, killing the option in the Altima and the Maxima altogether, and offering them only in the most basic trims of Sentra and Versa.
A seven-speed automatic gearbox is fitted to the standard Q50’s V-6. As before, it makes 328 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque, giving it a towering advantage over competitors’ entry-level products, like the Audi A4 2.0T. At present, Infiniti isn’t talking about a lower-output engine for the Q50—at least in the U.S.—as a successor to the G25. We can’t imagine Infiniti installing that car’s engine in the Q50, being rather old and unimpressive on fuel consumption.
The Q50’s front suspension appears to be all-but unchanged from the G37’s, with double wishbones, but the multilink rear has been “revised,” increasing camber stiffness and ride. A sport-tuned suspension will be offered optionally, but Infiniti hasn’t yet said more about it. All-wheel drive will be available with either powertrain, which will make the Q50 an early adopter to the all-wheel-drive-hybrid-sedan party.
Steer-By-Wire and Drives-By-Itself
On its own, electric power steering is cause enough for tears, having neutered the steering feel of once-proud sports sedans like the BMW 5-series. The Q50’s new setup, however, goes quite a bit farther than offering a menu of how-sporty-do-you-want-it? settings. Infiniti Direct Adaptive Steering is actual steer-by-wire, turning the wheels based on its read of driver input on the steering wheel. Infiniti says the system reacts faster than a mechanical setup, a truth that doesn’t make it any less disconcerting. A mechanical backup system is installed to placate technophobes and NHTSA.
The system not only reads the road ahead (the camera is located above the rearview mirror) for unintended lane drift but also makes small steering-input-angle adjustments if the Q50 undergoes minor direction changes due to road-surface changes or crosswinds (as detected by the lane-marker-detection system). By reducing the need for steering input for the driver, the driver's effort may be reduced.
We’d rather not necessarily reduce our effort as drivers—even if F1 star Sebastian Vettel is said to have had some input during the Q50’s development—and are glad that for now these systems are just options. Similarly, Q50 buyers can exercise their own discretion with respect to adaptive cruise control, backup-collision intervention, forward-collision warning, forward emergency braking, and blind-spot intervention.
Pricing and Availability
Sales begin this summer, with the rest of the world getting Q50s soon thereafter. It’s possible that’s when we’ll hear about a smaller engine for an entry-level version. Europeans will be offered a diesel four—it’s literally the only way to sell luxury cars in this segment there—but a Nissan exec recently told us that diesel is a “non-starter” for the company in the U.S.
Figure on pricing starting in the mid-to-high $30,000-range, ballooning to nearly $50K with tech options. It’s eye watering for a sedan of this size, but that’s just where BMW has ended up with the 3-series. Credit us for making it until now without mentioning Bavaria’s favorite sports sedan, once the reference point and prime target for the original Infiniti G. Or was that the Q50?
Contact Infiniti
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Contact Car And Driver
Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Sources : 2014 Infiniti Q50 Photo | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Article | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Interior Photo | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Photo 2 | 2014 Infiniti Q50 Wheel Photo
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