2014 Infiniti Q50 2.0T Review: GT, S And S Premium
What’s Hot: Crisp handling, sumptuous cabin and beautiful ride.
What’s Not: Lame ‘sound’, not quite convinced of the steer-by-wire feel.
X-FACTOR: Pound for pound, the 2.0 turbo is arguably the best of the Q50 range. It is not as rapid as the hybrid V6, but is certainly brisk, and has a substantial price advantage.
Vehicle style: Premium mid-sized saloon
Price: $50,900 to $60,500 (drive-away pricing at bottom of review)
Engine/trans: 155kW/350Nm 2.0 litre turbo | 7spd sports auto
Fuel consumption listed: 7.3 l/100km | tested: 8.4 l/100km
OVERVIEW
What does Infiniti have to do to get traction here? Does it not have enough models, or too few dealers?
Whatever, with the arrival earlier this year of the appealing Q50, it has enough of a footprint in its range to expect to be doing better.
The Q50, in particular, we like.
Sized right, and priced competitively in its premium segment, it has a lot going for it.
And now, with the arrival of the 2.0 litre turbo version, there is even more to recommend it. This is a very good engine in a sumptuously trimmed premium package.
It steers well - perhaps best of the Q50 range thanks to a little less weight in the nose - and is very comfortable on road.
Beginning at around $50k, which has it sliding under the $51,990 price of the 2.2 diesel, and, more importantly, sliding in under the Luxury Car Tax, the Infiniti Q50 2.0 litre turbo offers a lot of car for the money.
Others in the Infiniti range may seem queer vegetables - the QX70 is a good drive but has a screwy nose, and the Q70 looks too much like a sock filled with spuds - but the Q50 has appealing sporting lines and a lean, purposeful on-road stance.
It also carries a sense of quality and attention to detail that is quite satisfying from the wheel.
This drive of the new 2.0 turbo addition to the range has confirmed our view of the Q50. This is a much better car than the market currently realises.
INTERIOR | RATING: 4/5
Q50 GT
- Leather appointed seats with powered adjustment, driver’s memory settings
- Smart-key entry and push-button ignition
- Dual touchscreen displays with DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity
- Satellite navigation with traffic alerts,
- Reversing camera
- Climate control air-conditioning
- LED headlights with LED daytime lamps
- Tyre pressure monitoring
Q50 S adds:
- ‘Direct-Adaptive’ steering and paddle shifters
- electric sunroof
- Bose 14-speaker audio
- Active Lane Control
Q50 S Premium adds:
- Surround-view camera
- Radar cruise control and distance alert
- Forward collision avoidance with emergency braking,
- Lane departure alert and prevention, plus blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Active high beams
The interior of the Q50 is a ‘known quantity’. Infiniti, like Lexus, crafts a quality interior - even the entry level GT model is superbly finished.
img_0852