BEAUTY GETS A BIT MORE BITE
The automaker’s poetic descriptions are fitting for such an elegant coupe, although it may fall short if you’re expecting a lean, mean driving machine,
About a year ago I attended a secret reveal of the Q60 coupe at Infiniti’s design studio in San Diego. Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s executive design director, hovered over a production-ready mock-up, describing the car in a flurry of poetic sound bites.
“The machine is not cold, the machine has a story. We want you to feel the hand print of the artist … it will be a little bit warm from the hand. The body must be muscular and tense, but the muscles are not overexerted.”
No question: this third-generation Infiniti coupe is a visual seductress — bold, unique and striking from every angle. But now, as I’m back in San Diego for the Q60’s global launch, it’s time to see if beauty is as beauty does.
Arriving in showrooms now, base 2017 Infiniti Q60 gets a 208-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 258 pound-feet of torque (courtesy of Mercedes-Benz). The two upper trims run with Nissan’s new VR30 twin-turbo 3.0-L V6 that replaces the venerable 3.5-L and 3.7-L naturally aspirated VQ V6s. This lighter engine brags integrated exhaust manifolds and water-cooled intercoolers, and is offered in two states of tune: 300 hp with 295 lb-ft, or 400 hp with 350 lb-ft in the Red Sport version. All are hooked to a seven-speed autobox and all Canadian 2017 Q60s get all-wheel drive and roll on 19-inch alloy wheels.
Pricing starts at $45,990 for the Q60 2.0t AWD, which comes with moonroof, LED headlights, eight-way bolstered sport seats trimmed in faux leather, rearview monitor, contrast-stitched dash and door panels, and Bluetooth. Six-cylinder models open with the 300-hp Q60 3.0t AWD at $52,990, which adds navigation and a 13-speaker Bose system.
We are driving only the $64,190 top-dog 3.0t Red Sport 400 AWD Technology. Infiniti hopes the Red Sport will land a few hurtin’ blows on its techy blue-chip German rivals: the Audi S5, BMW 435i xDrive and Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Coupe — none of which six-cylinder turbo Teutons make the Q60’s 400 horsepower.
As for the cabin, I’ve always liked Infiniti interiors for their artful attention to detail. Our testers, resplendent in white leather and striking “silver thread” trim are a blessed antidote to the de rigueur coal-bin black. Seats are terrific, driving position is good and the low beltline makes for fine forward visibility.
The centre stack houses two high-res touch screens. The eight-inch upper display shows navi info (if equipped) and the lower tablet-style seven-inch unit gives access to car settings, driver-assist systems, infotainment, climate and in-car connectivity. Infiniti also includes a suite of well integrated physical buttons for HVAC and audio control. But there’s no support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
We soon escape the confines of sprawling San Diego and hit the warren of smooth and twisting inland roads. Foremost, the 2017 Q60 400 Red Sport is a competent luxury conveyance; “smooth” describes just about every aspect of its on-road signature. The new-for-2017 adaptive damping (Dynamic Digital Suspension) takes any sting out of the ride and standard noise cancellation keeps the cabin serene. Power delivery is equally silken, with nary a hint of turbo lag, and the seven-speed automatic blends shifts into seamless progress.
Select Sport or Sport Plus with the console-mounted drive-mode toggle, put your foot in it and the 400 Red Sport goes on an unholy tear, blurring the scenery with the best of them.
The Q60 400 proves to be a fine-handling coupe that cuts a poised path, and the all-wheeldrive system lends an extra helping of security. But playful it is not. The shift paddles are slow to respond, and that turbo V6 exhaust sound is politely mute, lacking the gurgles and pops that rivals are so happy to provide.
With the launch of the 2014 Q50 sedan, Infiniti wedged an elephant into the room with the introduction of its Direct Adaptive Steering, the first automotive application of fully drive-by-wire steering. Thumbs were mostly pointed southward, thanks to DAS’s artificial video-game feel. Infiniti has been working furiously on its steering, and I’m happy to report the second-gen DAS, standard with the 400 Red Sport, is greatly improved. There’s still not much feedback, but load builds naturally when cornering and there are no dead or uneven spots. In Sport Mode the ratio quickens by four per cent, and by 12 per cent in Sport Plus.
Infiniti also offers a more traditional rack-based electric steering in the 400 that I didn’t get to try.
The Red Sport 400 AWD Technology gets a raft of driver’s aids, including active lane-keeping assist, collision mitigation and an adaptive cruise control that reads the road two cars ahead, giving early warning for emergency braking. All this integrates to provide brief flurries of autonomous progress if the conditions allow.
The purchase of a premium performance coupe is undoubtedly a right-brain process, and Infiniti hits many high notes here with the Q60, whacking our senses with haute-style, comfort and unfettered high-speed progress. Some may want more edge or more driver involvement, and to those I say look to the Germans.
Yes, this Japanese premium coupe marches to its own Kodo drummer. And if you’re wondering about Infiniti’s double-arch grille, Albaisa paints this picture: “The top arch represents a bridge over a smooth flowing river, and the bottom arch is its reflection.” Ahhhh.