Review
2015 Infiniti Q50S 3.5 Hybrid
In the segment of sporty luxury sedans, it is usually mainly German that dominates. We opted for something different and were accompanied by a sports enthusiast from Japan: the Infiniti Q50S. A 3.5 liter hybrid V6 with 364 hp that is also packed with luxury and comfort.
engines
In terms of engines, you can choose from a 2.2 diesel with a 6-speed manual gearbox (€34,000) or a seven-speed automatic (€36,200) each with drive on the rear wheels. The diesel has a power of 170 hp and a torque of 400 Nm. The top speed is around 230 km/h and the sprint to 100 takes 8.5 seconds with the automatic and 8.7 seconds with the manual gearbox.
If you want a petrol engine, you can opt for the 2.0 with seven-speed automatic transmission (€38,850) and rear-wheel drive. This car has a power of 211 hp and a torque of 350 Nm. You reach 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds.
At the top of the range you will find 2 direct response petrol/electric hybrids. On the one hand you have a 3.5 Hybrid V6 with seven-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive (€50,900). This 6-cylinder hybrid has a power of 364 hp and a torque of 350 Nm. The top speed is 250 km/h and It does 0-100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds.
We drove the Q50S 3.5 Hybrid V6 with a 7-speed automatic gearbox and intelligent four-wheel drive (All-Wheel drive). This sporty boy is available from €53,400 and also goes up to 250 km/h with a sprint to 100 of 5.4 sec. The power and torque, just like its brother, are 364 hp and 350 Nm respectively. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly with its 7 gears and is almost always immediately in the right gear. If you want, you can also shift gears yourself via the paddles on the steering column. Personally, we would mount the paddles on the steering wheel and not on the steering column. The Q50 is smooth on the road and can handle most roads.
Comfortable seats
It must be said that the seats of this sporty luxury sedan are among the most comfortable we have ever sat in. Infiniti’s engineers have used NASA space research to find a solution to the following problem: how do you design a seat that remains comfortable even after long journeys? Infiniti says it has found the solution in imitating the neutral position that the body adopts in an environment without gravity. Research by NASA has shown that this position places the least strain on the body. In any case, you can cruise for a few hours in the Q50 without it becoming unpleasant.
Steer-by-wire
The Q50 uses adaptive steering in which driver input is electrically transmitted to the front wheels. Here a highly responsive actuator controls the control system. The advantage of this system is that you are not bothered by vibrations in the steering wheel and that you can adjust the steering via the drive mode selector. In standard mode, the steering wheel moves smoothly and as expected. In sport mode, the steering wheel feels (too) heavy and you also steer more directly in the bends.
2 touch screens
There are two touch screens on the center console. These ensure that there are significantly fewer buttons on the dashboard. You can still operate the basic climate control and the radio with physical buttons. With the top screen you can operate the navigation, among other things. We also find the reversing camera and 360° camera here, which we are particularly pleased with. What a great invention this is. Via the bottom screen you can operate apps, but also select the drive mode. Here you can choose from Standard, Sport, Eco (not for diesels), Snow (only with automatic transmission) and Personal. These modes allow you to adjust the characteristics of the engine and transmission, as well as the steering weight and response type of the adaptive steering system.
Conclusion
We were pleasantly surprised by what the Infiniti Q50 has to offer. Not only is this car equipped with extremely comfortable seats, but the car also offers both luxury and sporty performance.
Johan De Haes
Test driver
