An Affinity for Infiniti
The Infiniti Q60 is a newgeneration coupe, with plenty of the best DNA from the old one, Daween Maan shares
For some in the motoring world, the words ‘Infiniti’ and ‘coupe’ bring back happy memories of powerful machines with Japan-made reliability. The G35 and G37 still have a cult following, leaving the Infiniti Q60 with big shoes to fill. The successor to the G-series is clearly designed for a driver with an eye for beauty, but a more rugged kind with less subtlety, which in the case for this car, may well be the right way to go. The Q60 goes straight into the market competing against the German giants with price point and all, and underplaying its strengths may well be a death-knell. So it struts proudly, showing off everything itt has for all to see, hear, touch and feel. Available in five colours, the Q60’s imposing front end is offset by the slimmer and sexier rear-end; so apart from pedestrians turning their heads, expect some ogling from the drivers behind you, and certainly don’t feel ashamed by it—it is a sexy car. And at over four-and-a-half metres long, with a wheelbase of 2,850mm, the car is
The Infiniti Q60 is unashamedly stretched, and nd sits low enough, to inform driver and passers-by that “Yes! This is a sports car”
unashamedly stretched, and sits low enough, to inform driver and passers-by that “Yes! This is a sports car.” As beautiful as it may be on the outside, you’re going to spend most of your time on the inside, pushing the Q60 to its limits— because this coupe is built for it. The Q60’s predecessors, the G35 and G37 were known for being performance powerhouses, and the streak continues. The words four-cylinder, turbocharged, two-litre, direct-injection gasoline engine all translate to a maximum 211 horsepower being delivered to the rear 19-inch wheels via its seven-speed transmission. That makes it to be a really fast car that eagerly responds to your thirst for speed. The Q60 is made for the driver who genuinely appreciates top-of-the-line engineering; and that may be to its favour considering how ‘normal’ its German competition has become. Currently, the 2.0 rear-wheel drive is the only spec available locally, but with lots of torque and a fuel efficiency of under 10-litres
per 100km, what more do you need? The variant of the Q60 available allows you to adjust the handling and transmission via three in-house options: Standard, Sport and Snow, (yes, this beauty comes straight from Japan, where it does snow) and an option to personalise your own settings. If you own this car, you may want to personalise it, but putting it in ‘Sport’ and flying down the highway—legally—delivered a comfortable, smooth and never-out-ofcontrol ride. It’s worth mentioning that the Q60 is a heavy car with a curb weight of 1,719kg and when you first get into it and start rolling out, its weight feels apparent. But it doesn’t take very long before you find yourself swerving in and out of traffic like a featherweight, and taking turns and bends confidently without any steering concerns. The electric-powered steering system is responsive but also solid, which is comforting when you’re hitting high speeds, and you don’t feel like you have to hold on the wheel for dear life—although you always should. The 360-degree sensors might annoy in traffic, but can be turned off, while the swerve sensors are a safety feature that should become a standard in all vehicles. You know what you’re getting yourself into when you buy a car like the Q60. It isn’t a family transporter. It isn’t a baby transporter, even if the rear seats have childseat anchors. This is a swanky, sporty coupe! That said, the Q60 is relatively
You know what you’re getting yourself into when you buy a car like the Q60. It isn’t a family transporter, even if the rear seats have child-seat anchors. This is a swanky, sporty coupe!
comfortable. Although if you happen to be taller than six-feet two-inches, the headroom may get claustrophobic. But the front seats have been redesigned to offer more support, including what Infiniti calls ‘spinal support,’ which is a must for driving long distances. And even the rear seats offer a respectable amount of legroom. Finally, the Q60 is incredibly loud from the outside courtesy of the turbocharger, yet you wouldn’t know that from the cockpit, thanks to the noise-cancelling features that filter out a significant amount of sound. Also, the Q60’s dashboard gets a cool upgrade, featuring two touchscreen displays where the upper one predominantly shows the navigation system, while the lower operates most of everything else. But the knobs and buttons haven’t been done away with, just yet, although with consumers more used to touchscreens, and technology improving so rapidly, they may become redundant soon enough. The GPS works with pre-loaded maps on an SD card, and operates considerably well in and around Kuala Lumpur, although with more drivers turning to mobile phone apps for navigation, this too may phase out soon. The entertainment system can be described by one four-letter word: BOSE. The masters of sound have fitted the Q60 with its all-new 13-speaker performance series sound system that amplified the experience of driving this beauty. Overall, Infiniti’s Q60 is a worthy successor to the G-series. While it may have created a new mould for this new-generation coupe, the DNA of the old is definitely here. Its focus on performance makes it a joy for the driver, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling that the Q60 is built for a very specific type, and that is by no means a downside. Priced competitively, the Q60 may look like its trying to take a bite out of the German corner of the market, but it really isn’t, because it has its own corner secured.