If this car looks familiar but the name doesn’t come to mind, don’t worry because you’re not alone. Q70 is the new designation

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

for the updated M series, Infiniti’s mid-size entry that has served as its flagship sedan since the Japanese luxury brand abandoned the original full-size Q45 back in 2006. In the Q70’s previous generation this particular model was the M37x (x denoting all-wheel drive), whereas it’s now referred to as the Q70 3.7 AWD. There’s a Q70 3.7 AWD Sport as well, plus a Q70 Hybrid. As for the old M56x, Infiniti has gone a step further by lengthening the wheelbase of this V8-powered model and redubbing it Q70L 5.6 AWD.

As much as I’d love to delve further into this range-topping model it will first require a test drive and that is still forthcoming, but the new regular wheelbase Q70 3.7 AWD that I just drove is certainly worthy of a deep dive all on its own. Infiniti upgraded the entire Q70 line for 2015, with a new front fascia incorporating a revised double-arch grille that boasts a sportier new wave mesh insert,

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

as well as new signature LED headlamps and LED fog lights below, while revised side mirrors with integrated LED turn signals enhance its profile, and an updated rear fascia highlighted by a new shape to the trunk lid, reworked chrome applique and revised LED combination taillights finishes off the back end. Three new colours include Asgard Grey, Hermosa Blue, and Chestnut Bronze, my tester finished in the latter, while a unique pearl finish can be had with optional Aspen Pearl paint. Additionally, like all of the other Q70 trims the new 3.7 AWD gets a new set alloy wheels, although my tester’s rims weren’t the standard 18-inch split-five-spoke design on 245/50 all-season performance tires, but rather a special set of optional tri-split Y-spoke 20s on 245/40 rubber

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

that added a purposeful stance which only went to foreshadow this car’s capability on a curving road.

It’s a gorgeous looking car, with plenty of organic shapes, flowing lines and muscular strength to the design. While assertive it has a true feminine element, yet at the same time it’s bold, strong, and aggressive with an almost overt masculinity. Like with all Infinitis the details are what set the Q70 apart. From the beautiful chrome embellishment around both upper and lower grilles and the aforementioned wavy mesh grille inserts looking darkly sporty yet following the same

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flowing patterns as the rest of the design, to the brilliant chrome enhanced LED fog lamps and nicely detailed headlamp clusters, which stylistically mirror the LED turn signals integrated onto the mirror caps, and at night are capped off with snake like lashes (if snakes had lashes), everything comes together for an elegant frontal look.

Chrome also wraps around the greenhouse, adorns the door handles, and brightens the new rear applique and lower trunk garnish mentioned a moment ago, the latter edging up against a beautifully detailed set of curvaceously penned tail lamps featuring four distinct slashes when lit up in the dark, the bottom two scythe-like, whereas a subtle functional diffuser is integrated within the lower valance that’s also infused with big chrome-tipped tailpipes. All of these upgrades, along

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with aerodynamic add-ons unseen such as front and rear tire deflectors, an engine under cover, centre floor cover, exhaust cover, and floor side fairings contribute to a commendably low 0.27 coefficient of drag plus zero lift front and rear.

That makes for a quiet, serene cabin, the noise from turbulent wind not as much of a factor with the Q70 as with some of its rivals. The hushed highway experience suits the largest Infiniti well, as it’s endowed with the rarified level of top-tier luxury the Japanese premium brand has become known for. Soft-touch surfaces are in all the expected places as well as a few unexpected spots, such as on the lower dash, lower door panels and the sides of the lower console, the latter padded to protect knees and covered with a rich leather-like material featuring attractive exposed stitching. Higher up in the cabin, subtle chrome detailing combines

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with satin silver accents along with some of the nicest looking hardwood in the industry, my tester finished in silver-powdered white ash that perfectly complemented the car’s Java coloured perforated leather upholstery, all part of the $5,500 Deluxe Touring & Technology Package that made my weeklong test all the more pleasurable.

Before going into all that comes with the aforementioned package, I must mention some standard items that set Infiniti’s flagship sedan apart. The Q70 benefits from extremely nice luxury touches such as velvet-lined storage bins, this model even getting a very handy velvet-lined cell phone holder right next to the gear lever. All the car’s switchgear is first-rate too. The HVAC and infotainment system, which

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features a display screen placed high atop the centre stack, is actuated via two rows of black buttons set into high-quality aluminum frames, perfectly damped with very little side-to-side wiggle. These rows are set within that silver-powdered white ash hardwood I mentioned a moment ago, a large rotating dial at the very centre used for scrolling through the system’s various functions.

As usual, Infiniti’s analog clock is the literal jewel in this masterful array of complications, this one a beautiful chrome-rimmed soft-edged rectangle with a near-white bezel that I’d be proud to wear on my wrist. It rests directly between that display screen and the interface used to control it, while at each side is a perfectly symmetrical vent.

Just

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below all of this luxury kit is an audio interface that doesn’t incorporate a digital screen. Yes, how refreshing! Of course everything you input via its two rotating dials, myriad buttons and optical drive slot is copied over to the infotainment display above, but it’s nice to have some real go-to controls to play with instead of the alternative; many of the Q70’s competitors attempt to minimize complexity by housing everything within a digital touchscreen interface, and thereby add more steps to the process of merely changing a radio station or sourcing AM instead of FM.

On that note my Q70’s audio system was beyond superb, although the only visible “BOSE” branding was on the two tiny speakers affixed to each side of both front seat-tops,

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ideally placed for two sets of ears as if the seats were infused with their own high-end headphones. This Bose system isn’t stock, mind you, but part of the Deluxe Touring & Technology Package I mentioned earlier. It’s a 16-speaker surround-sound system with 5.1-channel decoding for truly stunning audio quality, while the package also adds forest air conditioning, an Eco Pedal that pushes back on your foot to save fuel if engaged, active trace control which automatically engages the inner or outer brakes to optimize the car’s line through curves, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention, lane departure warning and lane departure prevention, predictive forward collision warning, forward emergency braking, backup collision intervention, adaptive front lighting, intelligent cruise control, distance control assist, a powered rear sunshade, semi-aniline leather upholstery with a unique quilted seat pattern plus additional seat

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bolstering, a suede-like headliner and roof pillars, and the premium soft-touch materials I spoke of earlier, including the stitched leather-like dash top, silver-powdered white ash interior trim and 20-inch alloys.

The base car’s AM/FM/CD/satellite audio system with aux and USB ports is by Bose as well, but with just 10 speakers it doesn’t give off the same spatial qualities as the 16-speaker surround-sound option. The colour touchscreen infotainment system I’ve been mentioning throughout this review is eight inches in diameter, while navigation featuring NavTraffic with real-time traffic information is

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

also standard, as is Bluetooth phone connectivity and streaming audio, Infiniti Connection telematics, automatic HID headlights, power-folding heatable mirrors, proximity sensing access with pushbutton ignition, a leather-wrapped heatable steering wheel, leather upholstery, dark Japanese ash hardwood trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, a remote garage door opener, rear parking sonar, a powered glass sunroof, two-way memory for the driver’s seat, mirrors and standard powered tilt and telescopic steering column, and climate controlled 10-way powered front seats, all for just $56,900 plus $1,995 for freight and pre-delivery prep. Along with its extra equipment my tester came to $63,400 before freight.

Those seats looked fabulous and were oh-so completely comfortable and totally supportive,

Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press

while their two-way memory settings and three-way heated/cooled functions were appreciated (well, at least the heatable cushions were during my February test). Getting comfortable and seated in just the right position is very important if you want to get the most out of a true driver’s car, visibility and control being paramount once speed rises. Performance in mind, the Q70’s standard DOHC, 24-valve V6 puts its 330 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque down to each of its four wheels liberally, the engine’s microfinished camshafts allowing freer revving while Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) plus Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System (CVTCS) optimizes the opening of intake and exhaust valves so that the most efficiency possible can be wrung out of its 3.7 litres.

Response to throttle input is strong yet wonderfully smooth, while the standard seven-speed gearbox delivers positive shifts whether left to its own devices or via manual actuation of the shift lever; alas no paddle shifters are offered. The electronically

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controlled gearbox incorporates driver Adaptive Shift Control (ASC), which means that a learning algorithm senses your driving style at a given moment and adapts to it immediately, which actually minimizes the need for paddles. Flicking the console-mounted shift lever might be too tempting just the same, as the Q70’s seven-speed automatic also includes Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) to make you feel and sound like a racing pro. It’s one of the most advanced performance transmissions available in the luxury sedan sector, and when combined with Infiniti’s acclaimed Attesa ET-S all-wheel drive and the Q70’s Drive Mode Selector, which lets you choose between Standard, Sport, Snow or Eco modes and then controls throttle response and shift points to make the most of traction in each situation, you’ll be grinning as wide as Infiniti Red Bull Racing F1 star Daniel Ricciardo, Infiniti’s new Director of Performance – and incidentally that’s a mighty wide Aussie grin.

I

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felt like Infiniti’s director of performance during my Q70 test week, mind you, and appropriately left the DMS in Sport mode most of the time. The car’s double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension lives up to Infiniti’s renowned agility, making the mid-sizer feel more like a luxury compact through tight high-speed curves. Certainly I played with Eco mode, and probably should have used it more since pump prices in my city have now risen above where they were prior to the big drop in the cost of crude earlier this year and the Q70’s 13.2 L/100km city and 9.6 highway rating is decent albeit hardly class leading, but it was difficult to say no to all that silky smooth power. Fortunately braking is also very strong, which is critically important for a car as powerful and commensurately fast as the Q70, although I must admit to not being a fan of the foot-operated parking brake.

Of course ABS-empowered four-wheel

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ventilated discs come standard, as does electronic brake-force distribution, emergency brake assist, hill start assist, traction and stability control, front-seat pre-crash seatbelts, active head restraints, a full assortment of airbags, and tire pressure monitoring to make sure you’re getting the best traction possible from the tires in order to avoid an accident in the first place.

Continuing on the pragmatic perspective the Q70 is longer than the already larger-than-compact Q50, but unless you go for the Q70L with its 150-millimetre (5.9-inch) longer wheelbase it’s not as big a stretch between both axles as say BMW’s 3 to 5 Series sedans or Audi’s A4 to A6. The Q70’s wheelbase grows a mere 51 mm (2.0 inches) over the Q50’s, whereas 158 mm (6.2 inches) and 104 mm

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(4.1 inches) differentiate the two Audis and BMWs respectively. There are practical advantages to the larger Q70 of course, the rear seating area offering more legroom and the trunk gaining 40 litres of max volume for a total of 422, although a small rear pass-through is all that’s offered for stowing items too long for the boot, such as skis.

With the new Q70 3.7 AWD in base and Sport guise, an efficient and powerful Q70 Hybrid and now the longer V8-driven Q70L model added to the mix, Infiniti has a formidable lineup of mid-size and near full-size alternatives for sport-luxury sedan buyers. They’re all beautifully designed with interiors that should wow even the most jaded in the premium crowd, while Infiniti’s value-packed pricing makes them even more eye opening. You really shouldn’t purchase any other premium mid-size four-door without first checking out the Q70.
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