Hybrid Infiniti has the power
Luxury petrolelectric isn’t as accomplished as some rivals. But it’s much more interesting, says David Linklater.
Infiniti has been around as long as Lexus (both were launched in the United States in 1989), although you wouldn’t know it from the brand’s international profile.
Nissan’s luxury division has simply not achieved the sales success of its Toyota rival, possibly because it hasn’t relentlessly pursued the concept of making its cars a bit more than tarted-up Nissans. Last year, Infiniti only achieved one-third the sales volume of Lexus – although things have been picking up lately, with global volume up 15 per cent in the first half of 2017.
That’s because Infiniti (finally) has a plan. It’s been on an expansion programme, refocusing its range more towards SUVs, but also sharpening up its passengercar offerings.
None of this is as confusing to Kiwis as it is for consumers elsewhere, because Infiniti was only launched in New Zealand this year. The name might be familiar thanks to its Nissan parenthood, but the two have nothing to do with each other here. Nissan NZ is Nissan NZ, while Infiniti is distributed by the same company that handles Renault (another brand in global cahoots with Nissan but again, unconnected at Kiwi-distributor level).
Because Infiniti is kind of playing catch-up, many of its models fall into the ‘‘inspired by Lexus’’ category. Would you compare our Infiniti Q50 HEV S Premium to a Lexus IS300h or GS450h? I’d argue the latter: it’s a lot larger than an IS (120mm longer) and rides on the same wheelbase as the GS, even if it’s slightly shorter overall.
At any rate, all are executive sedans with petrol-electric hybrid power. Too specific to be coincidental, right?
In that context the Q50 is a very interesting proposition. For a start it’s over $45k less expensive (‘‘cheaper’’ doesn’t sound right) than the Lexus GS450h, it uses lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries instead of the GS450h’s older-tech nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH), it sports a V6-petrol with proper seven-speed automatic transmission and AWD (Lexus: four-pot, continuously variable, RWD) and it has a world-first technology called Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS).
DAS is unique because there’s no physical connection between the steering wheel and the front axles. It’s ‘‘steer by wire’’, so your inputs are communicated to an electric motor that turns the wheels.
What’s the point of that, then? Well, it completely isolates the steering wheel from the corrupting effects of broken road surfaces, so it adds to the luxury experience. And it allows you to tailor both weight and response through a massive range via touch-screen menus. If you think that sounds like calibrating a video-game wheel... well, it is.
Know what you’re thinking and yes, there is a fail-safe mechanical system that locks into place in the event of an electronic hissy-fit. That negates the potential weightsaving of the DAS system of course, but think of it as being a little compromise on a hi-tech road to... somewhere. It took Infiniti 15 years to get DAS to market and the company reckons it represents the future. It certainly has potential for autonomous vehicles.
In any case, DAS makes more sense on the Q50 than its Q60 coupe-counterpart, because it’s an AWD luxury sedan rather than a skiddy RWD machine with sporting aspirations.
If you want to dial down the complexity, there are two other non-hybrid Q50 models with a 155kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and RWD: GT and S Premium. But you can’t dial out the complexity completely: both still have DAS in the Kiwi market.
The Q50 is a weird thing to drive at first. DAS feels very artificial, but then so do a lot of electrically assisted steering systems these days, so I’m not sure that’s a dealbreaker. It’s something you really have to live with to get used to, and the ability to mix-and-match both mode and response to get the tiller just-so is intriguing. Confusing, but intriguing. Definitely a digital take on what’s usually an analogue experience.
That’s not to say the Q50 is devoid of dynamic character. The hybrid powertrain generates some big numbers, but more importantly the 3.5-litre V6 engine
serves up some proper growl when required. It’s still not particularly sporting, but the combination of a perky powertrain and the traction of the car’s adaptive AWD system do make for some entertaining moments.
A package called Infiniti Safety Shield is standard and includes forward collision warning, back-up collision intervention, blind-spot and lane-departure warning with intervention, and intelligent cruise control. That’s pretty comprehensive and all the driverassistance stuff is easy to use, although it’s some way short of being Mercedes-Benz smooth.
The Jaguar-esque exterior styling is nicely executed, but the attention to detail doesn’t carry through to the cabin. The materials are nice and the fit/finish is excellent, but the styling still hasn’t broken away from its Nissan origins. There are twin touchscreens in the centre console, but they’re slightly different sizes and obviously different in appearance. It all looks a bit ordinary.
If you hadn’t already guessed, the Q50 HEV S Premium is a blend of fascinating technology with some frustrating issues. On balance, not nearly as bespokefeeling or refined as a Lexus GS450h or even IS300h. But much more interesting.