INFINITI KEEPS IT INTERESTING WITH REFRESHED LUXE SEDAN
Most changes in the 2018 Q50 are esthetic but accentuate the performance within
The Infiniti Q50 was refreshed in 2016, two years after its introduction, with changes focusing mostly on what was beneath the hood. It received three new, powerful turbocharged engines in addition to the returning hybrid power plant (also quite powerful). With 2018 just around the corner it seems it was time for Infinity to give the sporty sedan yet another makeover, though this time the changes are esthetic, and mostly subtle.
You’d have to look at the current and 2018 models side by side to notice the new, taller grill and redesigned bumper with reshaped fog lamp cut-outs. The changes are designed to give the Q50 a sportier, more aggressive appearance, and there are now also some subtle differences in the bumper to distinguish between the base model and the two sportier models. Headlights retain the same shape as before, but the LED lamps within are new. At the rear there are new LED tail lights and a trim panel has been added in the rear bumper to emphasize the dual tail pipes.
Some interior changes include updated trim materials. The base model, for example, gets real wood trim to replace the brushed aluminum of the previous model, while the dashboard has a simulated leather finish with contrasting stitching. The gauges are the same but sport new background colours.
There’s also a new steering wheel with moulded thumb rests, which looks and feels like it belongs in a sports car, unlike the previous one that looked rather ordinary. On Sport models, the steering wheel paddles are now mounted on the wheel instead of on the column, a much more intuitive setup, because they now follow your hands as you turn the wheel.
Infiniti has reshuffled slightly the model nomenclature for 2018. The former Premium model is now called the Luxe, and there’s the Hybrid, the Sport, and the car we’re in Tennessee to drive, the Red Sport 400. Our tester is a U.S.-spec reardrive car, but in Canada all Q50 models come only with Infiniti’s intelligent all-wheel drive — not that anyone is going to complain.
Aside from the hybrid that integrates a 3.5-litre V-6 with a 50 kW electric motor (360 horsepower combined), engines include a 2.0L, 208-hp turbocharged four, and two 3.0-L twin-turbo V-6s. One of the V-6s is tuned to produce 300 hp, the other makes 400 hp in the Red Sport 400. Barring any specialedition German cars, such as Audi’s RSs, BMW’s Ms or Mercedes AMGs, the two Infiniti V-6 engines are the most powerful in class.
The hybrid is the least popular Q50 model in Canada, with a take rate of about two per cent, while the bulk of Canadian Q50s are equipped with the 300-hp engine (about 50 per cent). All models come with a seven-speed automatic transmission.
There are six drive modes (Snow, Eco, Standard, Sport, Sport+ and Personal), each providing different settings for throttle and transmission mapping, and firmer settings for the direct adaptive steering and dynamic suspension (when so equipped). My preference for most driving would be Personal mode; I’d set the engine and steering to Sport+ for responsive throttle and steering, and the suspension to standard for a softer ride. Even in Sport+ though, the suspension isn’t harsh. It returns a firm, composed ride, allowing for almost no body lean when driving modestly fast through corners.
The direct adaptive steering, which is now standard on the Sport and Red Sport 400, has been recalibrated for 2018 (mostly software changes) and the result is very responsive, well-weighed steering when in Sport+ mode. Steering is speed sensitive, so it lightens up considerably at low speeds, but provides intuitive and engaging feedback when speeds rise and roads get twisty.
Brakes are also improved on the Sport models, with large fourpiston calipers up front and twin piston calipers in the rear, and for fashion’s sake they’re painted bright red. The Luxe is equipped with newly designed 18-inch wheels, while the hybrid now dons 19s, just like the Sport, which are also a new design. The Red Sport retains the same 19-inch wheels.
When you get on the gas hard, acceleration is amply gratifying in the Red Sport, with a smooth, bountiful forward rush pushing you into the driver’s seat and keeping you planted until you let off. Exhaust sound doesn’t change in any of the modes, though it does get delightfully melodic as the tachometer needle sweeps close to redline. Using the paddles to change gears manually is somewhat anticlimactic, as they respond slowly up or down
All of the driver aids available from Infiniti are standard on the Q50, including the now normal blind-spot alert, lane-departure warning and assist, rear cross-traffic alert, forward emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. But, there are also a few less common assists, such as distance-control assist, which maintains a preset distance to vehicles ahead without turning on the cruise control, and predictive forward-collision warning, which warns if the vehicle travelling in front of the vehicle directly ahead of you is slowing.
The distance-control system will lift the gas pedal — even if you’re pressing on it — when the distance to a vehicle ahead becomes too close, and it applies the brakes if needed and can slow the car to a stop without any intervention from the driver. This system can be very convenient in stop-and-go traffic, though if you stay off the brakes too long when stopped it will issue a warning tone and release the brakes.
Infiniti didn’t need to improve much on the current Q50 and could have left it well enough alone. But, it’s the norm to perform a makeover every couple of years to maintain consumer interest. And the Q50 is interesting. Although nimble handling, class-leading power and a high level of standard features are all redeeming qualities, the Q50 also looks great. Its sleek silhouette and flowing lines only accentuate the performance within.
Pricing for the 2018 Q50 will be announced just ahead of its arrival at dealers in August. Right now the 2017 base model starts at $39,900 and the Red Sport 400 starts at $52,600.