2017 Infiniti Q50 3.0t Red Sport Review | The Promise Of High Performance With A High-Tech Addiction
Infiniti claims its Q50 Red Sport is among the very best driver’s cars in the compact luxury class, boasting a power output in excess of the BMW 340i and Mercedes-AMG C 43 - two lofty targets to take aim at.
Even the Red Sport tag is evocative, calling to mind connotations of Italian thoroughbred supercars, the ‘red mist’ that takes control of human senses at the most emotionally pivotal moments, and a tip of the hat to Infiniti’s Nissan GT-R powered Eau Rouge concept from 2014.
But the Q50 Red Sport isn’t quite that car. Nor is it the equal of the BMW and Mercedes-Benz models that it hopes to latch onto and earn it some kind of cachet as the newcomer in the premium sedan market.
Vehicle Style: Prestige medium sedan
Price: $79,900 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 298kW/475Nm 3.0 litre 6cyl turbo petrol | 7sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 9.2 l/100km | Tested: 9.8 l/100km
OVERVIEW
As the new flagship of the Q50 range, the recently introduced Red Sport certainly possesses the numbers required to tackle some of Europe’s finest sports sedans.
A 3.0 litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine spins out a prodigious 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque, and coupled to a seven-speed automatic with rear wheel drive it offers the performance pedigree to go into battle against the luxury sedan competition.