Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Acura’s Precision Concept, while really a four-door coupe, was merely a design exercise to introduce a new look for Honda’s luxury division, first translated for the road via the brand’s refreshed 2017 MDX. Likewise the Buick Avista concept made some believe GM’s second-rung luxury division might become relevant outside of China again, but Lexus’ jaw-dropping LC 500 is the real deal and will soon join the LC 500h in dealer showrooms. Then again, Infiniti’s gorgeous 2017 Q60 Coupe has been available for months already.
The
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Of course, that’s my personal opinion. The G35 Coupe, which I first drove in 2003 at its national press launch, quickly became my class favourite, and this from a multiple
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
We don’t have much data to work with since the Q60 went on sale in early September, but the past two months of sales numbers indicate a good launch out of the gate. Its first partial month of sales saw 106 units leave Canadian showrooms, while October found 147 more, and I’m guessing dealers don’t even have their full allocation yet. For comparison the same months last year were 22 and 54 respectively, with 2014’s September and October not even as strong with 25
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
By comparison some of the Q60’s key rivals don’t disclose their individual D-segment coupe sales, but rather mask results by lumping them together with their various four-door sedans. This is true for the C-Class Coupe and Cadillac ATS Coupe, but 4 Series, A5 and RC sales are fully transparent, with the BMW (also available
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The Q60 first available to me was in mid-range 3.0t AWD trim, finished in deep Black Obsidian paint, and equipped with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that’s good for 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Of note, there’s also an entry-level Q60 2.0t AWD that starts at $45,990 plus freight and fees, equipped with a Daimler-sourced
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
While I’m sure you can appreciate why I’m looking forward to spending time with that last one, my Q60 3.0t AWD tester was still a very quick car and starts at a much more approachable $52,990. For that price it comes well stocked with features, including all of the base Q60’s standard content that doesn’t get upgraded in the 3.0t modification, such as an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission with driver adaptive shift control and rev-matched downshifting, the Infiniti Drive Mode selector that allows you to choose between Standard, Sport, Snow, Eco or Personal settings, all-wheel drive that pushes 100 percent of the torque
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Additional standard kit includes full LED headlamps, heatable power-adjustable side mirrors with integrated LED turn signals, proximity keyless access, signed aluminum treadplates, pushbutton ignition, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, a leather- and aluminum-clad shift knob, genuine aluminum trim, Fine
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Along with the more potent engine the 3.0t tested added remote start, a heatable power tilt and telescopic steering wheel, powered heatable front seats, memory for the steering wheel, seats, and side mirrors, sumptuous semi-aniline premium leather upholstery, navigation with lane guidance and 3D building graphics, navigation-synchronized adaptive shift control,
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The base car can be upgraded with either a $4,000 Premium package that adds all of the equipment found in the 3.0t, sans engine, while a $2,000 Driver Assistance package adds rain-sensing wipers, a 360-degree surround parking monitor featuring Moving Object Detection, front parking sensors to the standard rear ones, Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind-Spot Warning, and Back Collision Intervention with Rear Cross Traffic Alert.
The latter package can also be had with my 3.0t tester, and is prerequisite with the $3,200 Technology package that came with my particular car. It features auto-leveling and adaptive
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Before delving into the overall Q60 3.0t experience, I chose to itemize much of the car’s standard, upgraded and option features
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I built a BMW 440i with similar features and the bill came to $68k, while the C43 AMG Coupe was more than $70k and RC 350 AWD F Sport was a more palatable $62k, albeit with fewer features. What was that fully loaded Q60 3.0t AWD window
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
First of all, the Q60 doesn’t merely wow you with gorgeous sheet metal and then leave you flat once inside. Instead you’re greeted by the segment’s usual high quality soft touch synthetic surfaces, leathers, genuine hardwood trim and metals, plus no shortage of digital displays, all combined into an aesthetically pleasing and thoroughly pampering cabin. In this respect Infiniti hasn’t strayed far from the Q50’s impressive interior, so the Q60 will be an easy transition for one of the brand’s
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The primary gauge cluster is a mix of beautiful backlit purple analog dials with a colour digital display at centre, while the aforementioned dual displays on the centre stack are easy enough to use once acclimatized. The top one is too far away to reach and therefore requires a set of go-to buttons and rotating controller on the lower console, the latter dial beautifully finished in knurled metal for a rich look and feel, while the lower display is a straightforward touchscreen with a particularly crisp, clear resolution, plus superb depth of colour and contrast. You’ll find the majority of features offered with competitive systems, although at the rate
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
On another practical note, the Q60 feels more spacious up front and in the rear, the latter quite comfortable for the most part. Most cars in this class offer a modicum of adult-sized comfort in back, but I had about three inches ahead of my knees when the front seat was set to my five-foot-eight medium build body, with reasonable space for my feet albeit not a heck of a lot above my head, my hair actually rubbing up against the glass. It’s a 2+2 only, Infiniti including a fixed console
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The trunk is quite large for this segment, and I especially appreciate the little button handily housed on the left taillight lens to let you inside. The 375 litres of stowage space allotted is actually 75 litres more accommodating than its predecessor, but I was disappointed the folding rear seatback wasn’t split down the middle to allow a rear passenger as well as longer cargo, such as skis. Even a centre pass-through would’ve been helpful.
Of
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Even the fuel economy is good for the class, with the base model rated at 11.2 L/100km city, 8.5 highway and 10.1 combined, my 3.0t AWD tester claimed to achieve
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
I’ve driven all three engines in various models, and I must say the base turbo four-cylinder in Q50 2.0t trim is a lot more enjoyable to drive than its numbers suggest, whereas the top-line Red Sport is wickedly fun, bordering on M3 levels with a more refined, mature, luxury-oriented approach. This 3.0t delivers excellent response to throttle input too, its twin turbos spooling up without any noticeable lag and the availability of full twist arriving much quicker in the rev range for considerably more grunt off the line than the old naturally aspirated V6. It sounds good as well, with a subtle turbo whine and just enough exhaust bark to stir the soul, although the Red Sport gets the nod in this respect too.
That
Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
I probably shouldn’t leave my sole complaint for the end of the story, because it might leave a bad taste in the mouth when I’d rather tempt you into giving the Q60 a try. Lack of paddles aside it’s a superb luxury-sport coupe that deserves heaps of praise, especially when factoring in its very reasonable price. Don’t pass this one by.
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