Driving the Infiniti Q50S, the steer-by-wire pioneer

The year 2014 marks the beginning of the Infiniti’s brand relaunch of its efforts to join the top tier of luxury car brands with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The automaker’s newest Q50 sedan also is the start of the company’s efforts to rebrand all of its model designations to begin letter Q.

The all-new 2014 Q50 replaces its predecessor the G37. The Q50 can be ordered with the 328-hp and 260 lb.-ft. of torque 3.7-liter V-6. There is also a hybrid version that couples the 302-hp and 238 lb.-ft. of torque 3.5-liter V-6 with a 67-hp, 214 lb.-ft. of torque electric motor. All the models can also get on-demand all-wheel-drive, where 50 percent of the power is transferable to the front wheels depending on road conditions while remaining most of the time as a rear-drive sedan.

The only transmission available on the Q50 is the 7-speed automatic gearbox featuring adaptive shift algorithm and available paddle shifters on the steering column. Keeping a firm grip on the asphalt is the responsibility of the car’s aluminum front double wishbone and rear multi-link suspension. The available sport model (either the gas-powered or hybrid) comes with more aggressive tuned suspension for better handling. The standard 17-inch wheels and tires can be swapped with the sport model's 19-inch combination providing better grip.