2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD Road Test Review

Infiniti has made a good argument for choosing its Q50 sport sedan over competitors. One glance is all it takes to see that it’s
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
a great looking four-door, while a few minutes inside will make you wonder if the best British artisans have left Goodwood, Crewe, Castle Vale and Solihull for Tochigi, Japan. Still, true belief won’t set in until after your first stint behind the wheel, at which point you could very well be driving home in a brand new Q50. It’s been an entire model year since the Hong Kong-based luxury brand dropped its multi-letter and engine displacement numeric naming scheme for a single- and dual-letter alphanumeric system, and while quite simple to understand after a full explanation its Q50/60/70 and QX50/60/70/80 designations have left more than a few North American followers baffled. Why the need for change? Infiniti rejigged its model monikers so they’d make more sense within the 50 (soon to be 51) countries its cars are now available in, important as it transformed from a North American-exclusive premium marque to a global concern. Hence the new digs in Wan Chai, Hong Kong under the banner of Infiniti Global Limited, while Infiniti Europe’s headquarters are based in Rolle, Switzerland. It was only a matter of time before Nissan’s upper-crust brand leadership saw the wisdom in expanding worldwide (its logo does suggest a never-ending road after all), but first it had to get
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
its product portfolio right. As far as the compact/midsize sport sedan segment goes, they’ve got it spot on with the Q50.

Born as the G20, a tarted up version of the front-drive JDM Nissan Primera, which while an unquestionably better car than the much maligned Cadillac Cimmeron that died two years before the G20’s launch, wasn’t much more luxurious or performance oriented. The G-series truly came to form in 2002 when the rear-drive G35 more directly took on the class leaders from Europe, and bested them all with better straight-line acceleration and, in my humble opinion, better handling. I was on the original G’s launch trip and came away astounded at what Infiniti had created. Looking back I shouldn’t have been so shocked, being that the
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
brand’s parent company had a long history of road and track proven performance cars. Over the years the G35 became the G37 and continued to get faster, more capable and much more refined (that car still available in the U.S. as the Q40), until last year when it completely transformed into the stylish new Q50, ushering in Infiniti’s new brand-wide naming scheme and design language, while simultaneously becoming one of the best looking, highest quality, most advanced performance four-doors in the industry.

For 2015, other than some tweaks to the steering and suspension tuning made late in the 2014 model year that increased feel and responsiveness from the hydraulically-steered base version and added greater feedback to the optional Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS) setup, which is a completely electric by-wire steering
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
system and also the first of its kind in a production vehicle, Infiniti comes back with a Q50 that’s virtually unchanged from last year’s car, which is no bad thing at all. Sales were way up during 2014, the new model’s 3,242 Canadian sales besting 2013’s Q50, G-series, and Q60 coupe and convertible sales combined, as well as the G37’s 2012 sales numbers.

My first 2015 Q50 tester came outfitted similarly to one of the two Q50s I drove last year. The first was a 2014 Q50 Hybrid that added more performance and better fuel economy to the sport sedan equation and therefore won a lot of kudos from yours truly, and the second was the same AWD version I’m covering here, also upgraded with the optional Premium and Navigation plus Deluxe Touring and Technology
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
packages. This means that so far I haven’t driven a single mile in a Q50 with its conventional vehicle-speed-sensitive rack and pinion power steering power steering setup (I need to do something about that), but I’ve had a fair bit of seat time with the aforementioned DAS system.

Direct Adaptive Steering is a steer-by-wire system with no mechanical connection between steering wheel and tires (when working properly). Infiniti took more than a decade to develop this system and it shows. It has the ability to react much quicker to steering wheel input than a conventional hydraulic- or electric-powered rack and pinion steering setup, specifically responding to what you’re doing rather than the other way around. In a nutshell, an ECU reads the amount of turn-in you’re adding to the steering wheel after which it calculates and provides the appropriate
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
info to the steering motors. Steering feedback, which is no longer physically connected, is instead artificially defined by an electronic control unit, as well as a camera and processing module, all determining the amount of resistance to add back to the steering wheel through a steering force actuator unit. Why go to all this fuss in the first place? The DAS advantage is its ability to electronically modify the steering ratio and feedback with zero mechanical revisions, some of that ability right at your fingertips. A chrome-embellished toggle switch on the lower console allows you to flick through its Quick, Standard, and Casual ratios, all designed to match your varying moods.

Those ill at ease with the thought of no direct linkage from steering wheel to wheels can breathe a sigh of relief that a failsafe mechanical backup system has the ability to take control within milliseconds if DAS were to break down. We journalists
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
are some of the first to try new technologies (call us Chuck Yeager wannabes if you want, but we’re more akin to guinea pigs) and my three stints behind a DAS-enhanced wheel have been nothing but enjoyable, although a bit different at first. The 2014 cars were amazingly responsive when the steering mode was set to Quick mode, although they lacked somewhat in feel; something the original G35 delivered so ideally that it probably set the sport sedan benchmark too high considering today’s need for fuel-saving electric power steering systems.

All
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
said, reducing feel was part of the reasoning behind DAS, or at least that’s what Infiniti’s original marketing material promoting the system stated. In a British TV ad a lovely spokeswoman says, “It uses electronics to deliver a more precise steering feel. When driving over rough or uneven roads, Direct Adaptive Steering makes constant and subtle adjustments to improve the feeling of stability while reducing excessive feedback through the steering wheel.” OK, I’m going to guess she meant reducing any punishingly jarring tremors experienced while slamming one of the front tires through a deep pothole or high-rising frost-heave at highway speeds, instead of purposely making the steering feel numb and lifeless.

I won’t go so far to say that the DAS lacked feel
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
per se, but the feel last year’s car gave off was a bit artificial. When pushing my 2014 Q50 testers hard through corners the steering felt forced and heavier than a well set up hydraulically actuated rack and pinion system would, such as the old G37’s steering (and I imagine the new base Q50), although around town, where road surfaces can often be harsher, it worked perfectly and seemed to soak up pavement irregularities with supernatural ease.

So, did the tweaks made late last year work? The new 2015 Q50 felt much better at high speed and more natural through the curves, so much so that I had to read its specifications to make sure DAS was still included as standard with the Deluxe Touring and Technology package. Its responsiveness is still appropriately quick when
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
set to Quick mode, and Casual mode remains too relaxed for my personality type, but all in all Infiniti’s engineers are well on the way to exorcising any niggling demons from the system. Who knows? Maybe this 2015 DAS setup is result of Infiniti’s new Director of Performance? Now, with four-times Infiniti Red Bull Racing F1 champion Sebastian Vettel off to Ferrari, the electronic driving nannies are warming up to the ever-grinning Daniel Ricciardo instead – his racecar’s electronics were certainly friendlier to the Aussie than Vettel’s car was to him last year.

Rather than go on infinitum about DAS (and there’s so much more that could be said on the subject), suffice to say that the world’s most advanced production steering system is improved for 2015, and as far as technology goes, it leaves every other brand’s steering mechanisms looking antiquated at best. It should be noted
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
that DAS isn’t the only advanced technology included in the $4,300 Deluxe Touring and Technology Package, but rather this bundle of goodies also includes a power tilt and telescopic steering column that can be automatically adjusted by the dual occupant memory system, which automatically sets the driver’s seat and mirrors too, as well as maple wood trim, auto-dimming exterior mirrors with reverse tilt-down, rain-sensing wipers, an advanced climate control system with Plasmacluster, adaptive headlights with high-beam assist, intelligent cruise control with full-speed range and distance control assist, an AroundView monitor with moving object detection, front and rear sonar, blind-spot warning and intervention, back-up collision intervention, predictive forward collision warning, forward emergency braking, lane departure warning and prevention with active lane control, front pre-crash seatbelts, and an Eco pedal system that, if engaged, will
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
press back on the throttle if you’re trying to accelerate too quickly in order to remind you to go lighter on the environment. This package also includes 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks with a centre armrest pass-through.

The prerequisite Premium and Navigation Package, at $3,600, adds Infiniti’s InTouch navigation system within the standard touchscreen interface, as well as lane guidance and 3-D building graphics, while Infiniti Connection telematics including a one-year subscription for security and convenience services is also part of the package, as is SiriusXM Traffic that includes real-time traffic information, the 14-speaker Bose-developed Infiniti Studio on Wheels audio upgrade, voice recognition, and heated front seats.

Lastly, Infiniti understands that not everyone wants a sunroof (especially tall folks), so the Q50 AWD model’s separate Moonroof Package only includes a tilt and slide glass sunroof along with a sunshade for $1,250 (most “packages” include more than just the item their named after), which was added to my test car.
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
Of note, this sunroof is standard with the base rear-wheel drive Q50 and both rear- and all-wheel drive Q50 Sport models, only made optional with the regular Q50 AWD.

With all factory options as noted, including $285 for its Asgard Grey exterior paint, my very impressively equipped Q50 3.7 AWD model escalated from its base price of $39,950 to an as-tested window sticker of $49,385, plus $1,995 for freight and pre-delivery prep. The base rear-wheel drive Q50, incidentally, starts at $37,500 plus freight.

By the way, that base car is nothing to sneeze at. Some of its key features include the powered moonroof I just mentioned a moment ago, plus proximity sensing Intelligent Key access with pushbutton ignition, a tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped three-spoke heated multifunction steering wheel, a leather-wrapped shift knob
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
with aluminum accent, Fine Vision electroluminescent gauges, a multi-function trip computer with fuel range and outside temperature display, Infiniti InTouch dual-display infotainment system (with an LCD/VGA eight-inch upper screen and seven-inch colour vehicle-information lower display) that integrates a rearview monitor, six-speaker audio with high definition AM/FM radio, satellite radio, CD/MP3 capability, RDS and speed-sensitive volume, two USB ports and an aux plug, Bluetooth hands-free, cruise control, speed-sensitive flat-blade variable intermittent wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way powered front seats (the driver’s with adjustable lumbar support), leatherette upholstery, aluminum front doorsill kick plates featuring the Infiniti logo, automatic on/off LED headlights with integrated DRLs, front LED fog lamps, LED brake lights, LED turn signals integrated within the housings of the power heated side mirrors, and Infiniti’s amazing self-healing Scratch Shield paint.

Also
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
standard are the usual safety features, such as four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist, stability and traction control, plus a full assortment of airbags.

If you’ve read my many reviews on Infiniti products over the years, you’ll know that I’ve often if not always been impressed by the value proposition their models offer. The Q50 is no different. Despite being one of the most recently redesigned cars in its segment, its high $30k starting price is similar to many rivals although it includes many more standard features, and when all the options are loaded on it stickers where the six-cylinder powered Germans enter the picture, their fully loaded offerings going well north of $60k when similarly outfitted (the priciest Q50 Sport
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
AWD with the Deluxe Touring and Technology Package and either Venetian Ruby or Aspen Pearl paints will only set you back $52,135). Of course, the Q50’s six-cylinder engine comes standard.

While Infiniti will soon offer an American-built state-of-the-art four-cylinder that it’s developed alongside Mercedes-Benz (good company indeed), for the time being it comes standard with a powerful 3.7-litre V6 at no extra charge. Not only is this 328 horsepower beast with 269 lb-ft of torque more powerful than all of its Teutonic rivals, but its standard seven-speed automatic with driver Adaptive Shift Control (ASC), manual shift mode and Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) is one of the most advanced performance transmissions on the market, blasting the Q50 from standstill to 100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds. My only complaint is that the beautiful solid magnesium paddle-shifters Infiniti makes aren’t standard or even available on the very well equipped car I tested, but instead can only be had with the Q50 Sport models.

What
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
is standard is one of the better performing chassis in the sport sedan market, its base 17-inch split five-spoke alloy wheels (that look more like 10-spokes) and Bridgestone Potenza 225/55RF17s riding on a double-wishbone front suspension setup featuring coil springs over dual flow path shock absorbers, and a multi-link rear suspension with the same springs and dampers, as well as stabilizer bars at both ends. I don’t think I need to add anything more on the steering systems, but the Q50’s Active Trace Control is an impressive standard feature as it automatically engages the inner or outer brakes to optimize the car’s line through curves.

And
2015 Infiniti Q50 AWD
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press
that doesn’t even factor in the optional AWD on my tester. Infiniti dubs its four-wheel drivetrain Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, the intelligence coming from its ability to apportion up to 50 percent of available torque to the front wheels when required, and even better for performance enthusiasts, a full 100-percent of torque to the rear wheels when the road surface isn’t slippery, which improves high-speed handling as well as fuel-efficiency.

On that note the 2015 Q50 gets a Natural Resources Canada rating of 12.0 L/100km city and 8.1 highway with rear-drive and only slightly more at 12.5 and 8.7 with all-wheel drive. And that’s with the new five-cycle rating system that replaced the outdated two-cycle process late last year, so while the new mileage might at first glance appear thirstier than last year’s car its real-world efficiency is identical; only the numbers have changed.

As for the Q50’s transition from its G37 predecessor, the model’s changing numbers and letter were just the tip of the iceberg in this clean-slate overhaul. As you can likely tell, the car impressed me in many ways. It’s a technological tour de force, leading its competitors in many respects especially when it comes to electronic driving advancements. That the Q50 is priced thousands lower than its comparatively equipped European competition is more than just a bonus, but a very good reason for you to take this car very seriously when it comes time to upgrade.
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