2015 Infiniti Q50 | new car review

Looks

While the Infiniti G sedan was based more on delicate curves, the Q50 is the complete opposite. Its sharp edges, aggressive design and intimidating stance waste no time in indicating that the Japanese sedan is one to be taken seriously. Up front, it’s a combination of angular headlamps, a sculpted hood with prominent creases funneling down to the large mesh grilles, and piano black trim around the fog lamp housings. At the other end of the 4,790mm long sedan, resides taillamps that wrap around the sides, two large chrome-tipped exhausts and a wrinkle along the boot deck lid that doubles up as a spoiler.

Feels

Though Infiniti has managed to get its quality right, the styling is still on the conservative side. Once within the confined boundaries of the cabin, it is evident that you’re sitting in an Infiniti. Large paddle shifters, aluminium pedals, and an instrument cluster that tops out at 9,000 RPM and 280 km/h connotes the Q50’s sporting pretensions. However, the real attraction lies in the touch screen located in the centre of the dashboard. Navigate emails, stream music, catch up on social media posts and much more, should you so desire.

Engineering

Developed over ten years of research, the 2015 Infiniti Q50 is the first vehicle in the brand’s line-up to feature Direct Adaptive Steering. Utilizing electronic systems that digitally enhance steering connection, the Direct Adaptive Steering system makes subtle and constant changes to enhance the feeling of stability. In turn, this filters out unwanted vibration and leaves the driver with a steering wheel that is virtually unaffected by uneven patches on the road.

What’s on offer?

Going down the standard Q50 route, you can expect to find a 2.0 litre turbo 4-cylinder under the hood that generates 208 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. Alternatively a 3.7 litre V6 engine chucking out 326 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 361 Nm of torque at 5,200 RPM is also on the shelves. Both engines get mated to a smooth 7 speed automatic transmission with Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) and send power to the rear wheels.

Summing it…

Now that you know what the car has to offer, it is time to wrap up this review. With a price tag of AED 125,000, the 2015 Infiniti Q50 is in line with its American and German rivals, the Cadillac ATS and BMW 3-Series. But while it may be silly for some to pay this kind of money for a Japanese sedan, the Q50 is well worth its asking price. It’s provocative, innovative and most of all, reliable.

Specifications