Yahoo Autos Performance and Driving Impressions
Performance and Driving Impressions:
The only Q50 powertrain we’ve tested is the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6, and it is easily one of this car’s best features. But otherwise Infiniti’s entry-level sedan is average in most performance metrics.
Acceleration
A Q50 with all-wheel drive and a twin-turbo V-6 sprinted to 60 mph in a competitive 5.0 seconds during our testing, despite being significantly heavier than the other cars in this set. Acceleration is effortless, and shifts are as smooth as glass. Responses to inputs from the optional paddle shifters were a little lazy during our testing, and we noticed the Q50 cruised at 75 mph in sixth gear instead of seventh, begging the question of what purpose the top gear serves. A few cars in this set are quicker than the Q50 but none by a wide margin. Several of the Q50’s competitors provide more aggressive shift programming that enthusiasts might prefer.
Test Results: Acceleration
Ride, Handling, and Steering
Our Q50 test car was a Sport model wearing 19-inch wheels. That car had a jittery, sometimes harsh ride, but it’s possible that the Q50’s standard 18-inch wheels would have improved that condition. Steering is light but not quick and lacks feeling. Infiniti’s optional drive-by-wire steering setup, called Direct Adaptive Steering, is a much touted feature, but none of its many available modes offer the feedback or the progressive effort during cornering that the best helms provide.
Test Results: Maximum Cornering Capability
Braking
The Q50’s 169-foot stopping distance is not, on its own, an impressive result. However, only the significantly lighter Audi and BMW did much better.
Test Results: Maximum Braking Capability
Curb Weight and Weight Distribution
The Q50 is the heaviest car in this set by roughly 300 pounds (and by nearly 500 pounds when compared with the four-cylinder A4). Although its V-6 engine was more than capable of overcoming this weight disadvantage during straight-line acceleration runs, the Q50 feels its size when the road turns winding.
Test Results: Curb Weight and Weight Distribution
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