Quality time behind the wheel

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Earlier this year I drove the petrol-engined Infiniti Q50 and though I was generally impressed withe car, I couldn’t get to grips with the disconnection to the road I felt with the addition of the direct adaptive steering.

Without goi ng i nto t o o many d e t a i l s , i t ba s i c a l l y means that instead of a metal shaft running from the steering wheel to the front suspension, the Q50 uses electronics to relay steering wheel input to the tyres.

But this time around, after almost two weeks with the 2.2litre diesel I’ve had a wholly different experience and I can’t quite put my finger on why.

The only conclusion I’ve been able to draw is that, by having the car for a longer period than usual, I’ve come to appreciate the benefits of the more comfortable ride it affords and the effortless way it drives. I take it all back!

Pl e nty of posi t i ve c omments have been directed the Q50’s way.

The i mposing grille and sweeping lights give it a bold pre s e nce a nd t he s har pl y sculptured si des help i t to stand out from other, and more ubiquitous, luxury saloons on the road.

The interior is smart and the many functions are controlled by apps on a touchs c re e n . A s w i th a l l suc h technology it takes a while to get to grips with everything it does, but once mastered it works a treat - the Bluetooth connection to the music li - brary on my iPhone particularly welcome.

The Q50 has an unbelievable package of safety aids. There are so many collision sensors and warning bells and whistles, you’d be very unlucky to have an accident.

If it detects you’re about to do something foolish and collide with a stationary object it brings you up short.

There’s a l s o bl i nd s pot wa r n i n g , l a n e d e pa r tu re warning and even lane departure prevention which first warns you and then applies the brakes if you stray over the line.

The 168bhp 2.2 litre diesel engine is willing enough but a few extra horsepower would have made it an even better drive as it occasionally struggled to negotiate a steep hill.

However, I had no such reservations about the seven-speed automatic gearbox which kept pace with the engine and changes were car- ried out when expected with no straining.

Prices for the Q50 start at £28,650 and peak at £47,240 with a range of options avail- able. Our test car i n Sport Tech mode has an on-the-road price of £39,870 with metallic paint and glass sunroof adding £1,540.