Infiniti’s Q50 sedan was launched in Singapore last year and we found it to be a good continuation of the brand’s values laid down in before: Something very much in the vein of Japanese luxury in terms of comfort but with a slight nudging towards the sporty side of things, all wrapped up in a very unique-looking package.
The Q50, a rival to the Lexus IS, BMW 3 Series and the like, showed that Infiniti really upped its game, the only problem being Mercedes also launched its new C-Class in 2014 too. Arguably that’s a problem for the whole segment (except for Mercedes of course), but the Infiniti pulls one over its German rival by having C 250 power for much less cost.
Now, Infiniti’s launched a new version of the Q50, the Sport, which packs additional equipment and features over the standard Premium variant. Cosmetically it’s modest with very handsome 19-inch wheels and a more pointed front lip spoiler plus blacked out fog-light surrounds.
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The interior’s very much the same, with the textured Kacchu aluminium trim (nothing to do with Pokemon), high grade leather all done in Infiniti’s uniquely curvy style. The car packs the same Intouch infotainment system which has dual screens – the top one being for functions to use while driving (read SMS, change audio) and the bottom one for more complex things ranging from navigation to driving dynamics displays. Over the Premium’s already generous equipment list, the Sport packs a 14-speaker Bose sound system – so you can blast Tchaikovsky and pretend to conduct – plus navigation and sunroof.
Other stand-out features include the all-round panoramic camera and lane-keeping assistant, Active Trace Control (using the ESP system to help the car corner better, as seen on the Nissan Qashqai).
The Sport variant packs tuned suspension (plus the larger rims) which you can feel from the start – it’s definitely on the taut side of things, rather than the plush, and outrightly sporty. The Q50 Sport handles most surfaces well, it’s not crashy or uncomfortable, but over bigger bumps the rear does deflect noticeably and this does add some slight noise to the otherwise serene refinement of the cabin. On the upside, this helps you corner flat and the Q50 is quite quick in the bendy bits, with plenty of grip and chassis control (more on that later).
With Renault-Nissan (Infiniti’s parent company) and its links to Daimler (Mercedes’ parent company), the Q50 packs the same 2.0-litre 208bhp turbo inline four, and the same seven-speed automatic transmission.
This drivetrain is one of the key plus points of the car – in addition to the unique design (YMMV of course) and aesthetics – since it’s strong, very smooth and if driven right, efficient too. The gearbox doesn’t downshift super-cleanly, but it’s fine in all othe respects and for day-to-day driving.
Which brings us to the last, biggest difference: Direct Adaptive Steering. That’s Nissan/Infiniti’s drive-by-wire system, the first of its kind in the car world (see box).
As befitting something so cutting edge, it feels extremely bizarre. Because there’s no physical connection, you literally can’t feel anything from the road. The good thing is, bumps and the like never make it to your hands – Infiniti says this makes driving less tiring.
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You can tune the settings to your liking, within reason: Heavy, medium, light with quick, normal or slow ratios, although the final lock-to-lock turns are still just over two, and you can’t set it at quick and light, for example.
In its lightest setting, you hardly feel as if you’re driving – it’s more like playing a simulator, and as you can imagine, some will love it, while others will loathe it, an opinion we think depends on how invested you are in the driving process. On one hand it adds to the refinement, on the other it does subtract from the tactile, involved processes of steering the vehicle.
One byproduct of this is that the car becomes easier for certain parties to drive fast which again, is both good and bad. Rally legend Rauno Aaltonen once mentioned that the first Mini was tuned for less feedback – he felt that too much of it was bad for normal drivers who literally wouldn’t know what to do with it all.
The Q50 is the total opposite of that. If you take a leap of faith and push the car, it actually responds quite transparently, but for experienced drivers it will take some getting used to. Our best advice is that the Q50 still represents good value for money, but with something as personal as steering, it’s best for you to experience it for yourself before anything else.
BOX:
Bird On A Wire
Infiniti’s Drive-By-Wire explained
Conventional cars of yesteryear, and modern budget cars, use hydraulic steering systems.
The rack-and-pinion mechanism does the actual transfer of forces from your hands to the steering then through the steering shaft which turns a gear which turns another gear which turns the car’s front wheels. That movement is assisted by a hydraulic pump which multiplies force. The drawback of this is that pumps need power, add weight and it being a direct link, can transmit forces back to your hands – if you’ve ever driven a go-kart and felt tired, that’s exactly why. In fact some forces can be so violent the wheel can be jogged out of your hands, which is why racing drivers keep their hands off the wheel when they crash.
The vast majority of cars nowadays use electric steering systems, where an electric motor replaces the hydraulic pump. The earliest versions had the motor in the steering wheel itself, at the driver’s end, which resulted in horrible lack of feedback. Modern systems are much better and allow a huge range of tuning and control through computer control units (like ECUs). Electric steering can absorb some but not all of the kickback forces since there is still a physical connection from wheel to steering wheel.
Infiniti’s DAS still retains a conventional rack and pinion but when the DAS system is activated, a clutch decouples so there is no physical connection between the steering wheel and front wheel. As you turn the steering, sensors or potentiometers detect the input and translate it to the motor which turns the wheels. Infiniti says the system has triple redundancy in addition to the clutch
which re-engages if anything fails.
The benefits of drive-by-wire are manifold: System automation is easier for things like ALC and crosswind correction, and in future, features like auto parking or safety avoidance systems and increased autonomous driving can easily be added.
Infiniti Q50 Sport
NEED TO KNOW
Engine 1,998cc, 16V, inline 4, turbocharged
Power 208bhp at 5500rpm
Torque 350Nm at 1250-3500rpm
Gearbox 7-speed automatic
Top Speed 245km/h
0-100km/h 11.7 seconds
Fuel efficiency 4.2L/100km
CO2 110g/km
Price $200,999 with COE
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