Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 2016 review

As a brand, Infiniti occupies a rather unique position in the automotive world. because it is owned by the Nissan-Renault Alliance, it has access to both Nissan's impressive engineering prowess and Renault's European styling.

However, Infiniti still needs to be able to create its own identity in the marketplace, and despite being around for almost 20 years, Infiniti is still a small fish in a big pond.

Now, however, his big bosses are giving Infiniti every chance to climb the ranks with an influx of dynamically designed new products that should make the most of its heritage.

And while its Q50 sedan has been around for a few years, Infiniti believes a serious dose of attitude is just what will invigorate the brand, with two engines that can trace their lineage back to a stunning twin-turbo V6. under the hood of a Nissan GT-R.

Unfortunately, however, there are a couple of elements that are not quite right yet.

Design

While this is ostensibly a 2016 update for the Q50, there are no changes inside or outside of the four-door midsize sedan.

Regardless, the dashingly chiselled Q50 still has its place in a fleet that includes cars like the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, as well as the Lexus IS lineup.

practicality

The five-seater Q50 is reasonably well equipped throughout the range. We tested the new top-of-the-line Q50 Red Sport, which combines elements of the previous top-of-the-line Sport Premium line with higher performance.

The rear seats are full for outside passengers, and the center position is less comfortable.

The front seats are wide but comfortable, and the driver's seat has adjustable lateral support. Both heat up as well, with power movement for both sides.

The rear seats are full for outside passengers, and the center position is less comfortable. A retractable armrest hides a pair of cupholders, while rear-facing vents and ISOFIX child seat mounts.

Two more cup holders are in front, and large bottles can be hidden in the front doors. However, there is no storage space in the tailgate cards.

Magnesium-alloy paddles complement the traditional seven-speed auto-closing automatic transmission, but the foot-operated parking brake is a throwback to its American roots and feels out of place in a modern car.

The dual media screen system is also a confusing hybrid of two interfaces that isn't particularly user-friendly, and the requirement to turn on all safety warning systems to activate cruise control is also confusing.

Boot capacity is 500 liters, according to Infiniti, although the lack of a button on the tailgate is disappointing if you don't have your keys in your pocket.

Price and features

Infiniti has added two models to the Q50 lineup with a new twin-turbocharged V6 engine in varying degrees of tuning. The Sport Premium will cost $69,900 excluding travel expenses, while the Red Sport will sell for $79,900, making it one of the best deals in the express delivery space.

Infiniti has virtually the same specs across the entire Q50 lineup, meaning the Sport Premium V6 and Red Sport offer leather seats, power and heated front seats, 60/40 split/fold rear seats, rear air vents, power steering column and hatch.

Both are fitted with 19-inch wheels and Dunlop 245/40 RF19 run-flat tires.

Engines and transmissions

The Sport Premium is powered by a 224kW version of Infiniti's new 400L twin-turbo V30 VR3.0 with 6Nm of torque that omits a couple of internal engine tweaks, including electrical valve timing controllers and a turbo speed sensor.

The 30kW VR298 twin-turbo is a powerful, powerful engine with amazing mid-range thrust that just throws you into the far horizon.

The Red Sport, meanwhile, has a more refined and better-equipped version of the same engine that produces 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful midsize sedans on the market for less than $80,000.

Jatco's seven-speed "traditional" automatic transmission supports both engines, but crucially, the Q50 doesn't have a limited-slip rear differential.

Driving

Anything that's rear-wheel drive and boasts a solid amount of power has to be a little cool to drive, right? Well… the Q50 Red Sport is a pretty compromised device in my opinion.

The 30kW VR298 twin-turbo is a powerful, powerful engine with amazing mid-range thrust that just throws you into the far horizon.

Therefore, it is important that power output and torque are properly managed. And in the case of Red Sport, everything is far from perfect.

First of all, these are the poor performance of the tires. Run-flat tires tend to be heavier and stiffer than their regular counterparts and don't transfer power and traction as well. And if this road is wet, then all bets are off.

The stock Dunlop Maxx Sport tires were just at sea during the wet portion of our test drive, with little to no grip and certainly no confidence in the offering either front or rear of the car.

The Q50 boasts a new set of adaptive dampers that supposedly help manage all that firepower, as well as a radically redesigned version of its groundbreaking electronic steering system that is now very good.

The rear wheels struggled for traction in the first three gears despite the traction and stability control systems being on, and reducing power out of corners was a sketchy suggestion at best, as the Q50 wore out very quickly.

The Q50 boasts a new set of adaptive dampers that supposedly help harness all that firepower, as well as a radically redesigned version of its groundbreaking electronic steering system that is now very good, the only element of the car that actually worked well in wet conditions.

The damper setting in our test car didn't seem to differ between Normal and Sport, and both settings were far from ideal on the undulating, rolling pavement that is common throughout Australia.

The Q50 refused to settle down at any moment, creating an unsettling and uncomfortable ride throughout our test.

The situation improved when the weather dried up, but sections of the wet road sent hearts to the mouth more than once.

A short drive in the 224kW Sport Premium gave us a glimpse of what a more properly balanced Q50 sports sedan could be like, with the power rating reduced to give the tires some much-needed breathing room, and the normal damper setting in this test car felt a lot nicer. and more sedentary.

We contacted Infiniti and asked their engineers to recheck our Red Sport test car for a manufacturing defect in its damping system that affected its handling.

Overall, though, there's a difference between a powerful car with little attitude - we're looking at you, the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe - and a powerful car that isn't a complete package, and Red Sport is sadly the latter.

Fuel consumption

The 1784-pound Q50 Sport Premium V6 is rated at 9.2 l/100 km on the combined fuel economy cycle, while the Red Sport of the same weight is rated at 9.3.

CO2 emissions are estimated at 212 and 214 grams of CO2 per kilometer, respectively, and both vehicles consume 80 liters of Premium unleaded fuel.

safety

The Q50 comes standard with seven airbags, and ANCAP rates them a maximum of five stars.

Both are also equipped with a full array of active and passive safety features, including radar cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning and intervention system, lane departure avoidance, forward collision prediction and a 360-degree monitor.

Property

Infiniti offers a four-year unlimited mileage warranty on the Q50 and offers a service interval of 15,000 km or one year.

It offers a scheduled maintenance policy, pricing will be confirmed at the time of writing.

When seated, it's hard to recommend the Q50 Red Sport due to its poor performance in wet conditions. We suspect that the situation will noticeably improve with a different set of tires.

The lower power consumption Premium Sport V6 might be the better choice based on our short trip, with a much more measured and balanced power delivery.

Will the Q50 be your prestige sedan or would you prefer the IS? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Click here for more pricing and specifications for the 2016 Infiniti Q50.