About a year ago I attended a secret reveal of the Q60 coupe at Infiniti’s design studio in San Diego. Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s executive design director, hovered over a production-ready mockup, describing the car in a flurry of poetic sound bites that only a man immersed in the world of auto design could conjure. “The machine is not cold, the machine has a story. We want you to feel the hand print of the artist … it will be a little bit warm from the hand. The body must be muscular and tense, but the muscles are not over exerted.”
There’s no questioning this third-generation Infiniti coupe is a visual seductress – bold, unique and striking from every angle. But now, as I’m back in San Diego for the global media launch of the Q60, it’s time to find out if beauty is as beauty does.
Arriving in showrooms now, the 2017 Infiniti Q60 comes in three flavours. The base car gets a 208 horsepower, 258 lb.-ft. turbocharged 2.0-litre four (courtesy of Mercedes-Benz), while the two upper trims run with Nissan’s new VR30 twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 that replaces the venerable 3.5- and 3.7-litre naturally aspirated VQ V6s. This lighter engine brags integrated exhaust manifolds and water-cooled intercoolers, and is offered in two states of tune: 300 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft., or 400 hp and 350 lb.-ft. in the Red Sport version. All are hooked to a seven-speed autobox – no manual transmissions this time around, folks.
Regardless of engine or trim level, all Canadian 2017 Q60s get all-wheel drive and roll on 19-inch alloys.
2017 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD
Pricing starts at $45,990 for the Q60 2.0t AWD, which comes equipped with moonroof, LED headlights, eight-way bolstered sport seats trimmed in faux leather, rearview monitor, contrast stitched dash and door panels and Bluetooth. Six-cylinder models open with the 300-horsepower Q60 3.0t AWD at $52,990; that adds navigation and an excellent 13-speaker Bose system.
Here we are driving only the top-dog 3.0t Red Sport 400 AWD Technology that checks in at $64,190. Fine by me. Infiniti hopes the Red Sport will land a few hurtin’ blows on its techy blue-chip German rivals: the Audi S5, BMW 435i xDrive and Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Coupe. Neither of these six-cylinder turbo Teutons make 400 horsepower, so the Q60 Red Sport at the very least claims bragging rights here.
If the Q60’s skin shows a beautifully resolved aesthetic, its cabin is equally pleasing. I’ve always liked Infiniti interiors for their distinctive design and artful attention to detail, and these testers, resplendent in white leather and striking “silver thread” trim are a blessed antidote to the de rigeuer coal-bin black. The seats are terrific, driving position is good and the low beltline makes for fine forward visibility.
2017 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD
The centre stack houses two high-res touchscreens: the eight-inch upper display shows navi info (if so equipped) and the lower tablet-style seven-inch unit gives access to car settings, driver assists systems, infotainment, climate and in-car connectivity. Thankfully, Infiniti also includes a suite of well integrated physical buttons giving hard points for HVAC and audio control. Strangely, there’s no support for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
We soon escape the confines of sprawling San Diego and hit the warren of smooth and twisting inland roads. Foremost, the 2017 Q60 400 Red Sport is a competent luxury conveyance – “smooth” describes just about every aspect of its on-road signature. The new-for-2017 adaptive damping (Dynamic Digital Suspension) takes any sting out of the ride and standard noise cancellation keeps the cabin serene. Power delivery is equally silken with nary a hint of turbo lag, and the seven-speed auto blends the shifts into seamless progress. Unlike its creased body, the Q60 shows no sharp driving dynamics.
This is not to say Infiniti’s halo coupe is not quick. Select Sport or Sport Plus with the console-mounted drive mode toggle, put your foot in it and the 400 Red Sport goes on a unholy tear, blurring the scenery with the best of them.
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The Q60 400 proves to be a fine-handling coupe that cuts a poised path when pressing on, and the all-wheel drive system lends an extra helping of security. But playful it is not. The shift paddles are slow to respond, and don’t expect any aural fireworks from that turbo V6. The exhaust sound is politely mute, lacking the blare, gurgles and pops that other manufacturers are so happy to provide.
Now, let’s get to the steering. With the launch of the 2014 Q50 sedan, Infiniti wedged an elephant into the room with the introduction of its Direct Adaptive Steering – the first automotive application of fully drive-by-wire steering. Thumbs mostly pointed southward thanks to DAS’s artificial video-game feel. Infiniti has been working furiously on its ta-da steering to reorient said digits, and I’m happy to report this second-gen DAS, that comes standard with the 400 Red Sport, is greatly improved. There’s still not much feedback, but load builds naturally when cornering and there are no dead or uneven spots. In Sport Mode the ratio quickens by four per cent and by 12 per cent in Sport Plus.
Infiniti also offers a more traditional rack-based electric steering in the 400 that I didn’t get to try.
The Red Sport 400 AWD Technology gets a raft of driver’s aids that includes active lane keeping assist, collision mitigation and an adaptive cruise control that reads the road two cars ahead, giving early warning for emergency braking. All this integrates to provide brief flurries of autonomous progress if the conditions allow.
The purchase of a premium performance coupe is undoubtedly a right-brain process, and Infiniti hits many high notes here with the Q60, whacking our senses with haute-style, comfort and unfettered high-speed progress. Some may want more edge, more driver involvement, and to those I say look to the Germans.
Yes, this Japanese premium coupe marches to its own Kodo drummer. And if you’re wondering about Infiniti’s double arch grille, Albaisa paints this picture. “The top arch represents a bridge over a smooth flowing river, and the bottom arch is its refection.” Ahhhh.
2017 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD
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