Review and Photos by Jeff Wilson
  2014 Infiniti Q50. Click image to enlarge |
Let me set the record straight. Under no circumstances whatsoever does Infiniti – or the company’s legal experts – want you to do what we did. It is irresponsible and reckless. But it is also one of the most surreal motoring experiences we’ve ever had.
Somewhere south of Barrie, Ontario, on Highway 400, my driving partner on our Infiniti Q50 media preview event may have taken his hands off the steering wheel while it was in his control. He may have done so while the car was traveling at a speed slightly above the posted limit. And he may have not returned his hands to the Q50’s wheel until such a time as he had opened and eaten a chewy granola bar kindly provided by Infiniti’s PR team. The duration of these events amounted to several minutes.
While it is assuredly not intended to be an autonomous car, Infiniti’s new mid-sized sedan (and replacement to the G37) is as close as I have ever come to experiencing one. As part of a suite of technological safety advances, the Active Lane Control system uses its fleet of cameras to watch the road markings and help keep the car safely within its lane. The system is intended to enhance on-centre driving capability and improve stability, and essentially eliminates the need for the driver to constantly correct and fine-tune the steering due to road surface changes or crosswinds. This, Infiniti says, effectively reduces driver fatigue.
Active Lane Control (a world’s first) is possible thanks to another Infiniti global first – Direct Adaptive Steering. This system takes electric steering to an entirely new level by removing the mechanical steering shaft out of the equation altogether. Well, nearly altogether – a redundant shaft system is on standby in the event of a power supply disruption to the system, where it’ll instantly snap into place to save the car and its occupants.
  2014 Infiniti Q50. Click image to enlarge |
Since there is no physical connection between driver’s hands and the road surface as there normally is through a mechanical steering set up, Direct Adaptive Steering eliminates all steering feedback, vibration and noise from the road surface normally transmitted through the steering shaft. With the interface being entirely electric, a continuous feedback loop monitors what is happening where the rubber meets the road and sends information back to the steering wheel digitally.
If you are thinking Direct Adaptive Steering must feel quite artificial to the driver, you would be right – but surprisingly it’s not as numb as other electrically assisted mechanical systems currently on the market. Still, despite being able to dial in your levels of steering quickness and the heaviness of the steering action, this system falls well short of the lively and precise-feeling setups in Cadillac’s ATS or the new Lexus IS.
The active technology goes on though. While adaptive cruise control systems – guided by sonar, radar or cameras – are becoming commonplace in luxury cars (and even some family sedans) these days, Infiniti has improved on the system further by having the car look beyond the car immediately in front. By running its radar just off the road’s surface, the Q50 is able to see not only what the car in front of it is doing, but also what the car in front of that car is doing too, meaning it can react to a dangerous situation even if the driver can’t yet see it.
Over the course of our media drive from Toronto to the picturesque Windermere House on Lake Rosseau, I drove the Q50 in two different setups.
 2014 Infiniti Q50. Click image to enlarge |
First was the lineup flagship Q50S Hybrid AWD (S in blue to denote a hybrid versus S in red for non-hybrids – there’s your trivia for the day). Interestingly, the Hybrid is the performance leader in the Q50 stable pumping out a combined 360 hp and an abundance of torque from zero rpm thanks to the electric motors. The Hybrid is also rated at 5.6 L/100 km highway and 7.0 city – very impressive for such a roomy and heavy car. Curiously, Infiniti has fitted their dual-clutch transmission to the Hybrid – a system normally reserved for sportier applications, while non-hybrids make do with a torque-converter seven-speed automatic.
Under heavy acceleration, the Hybrid behaves very much like a car with a large turbo. There is modest thrust at first, followed by a fierce wave of power as the Hybrid’s battery juice is called upon and delivered in an electric rush. It was not difficult to squawk the 19-inch tires even in the AWD car when pulling away from a stop.
 2014 Infiniti Q50. Click image to enlarge |
Although more than 30 horsepower shy of its augmented stablemate, the non-hybrid engine (at 328 hp) winds out nicely, and with new intake and exhaust tuning and what must be improved sound deadening, the 3.7L V6 feels and sounds more refined than it did in its G37 application. The non-hybrid car I drove was a rear-wheel-drive layout with S package – essentially the purist’s choice. I would happily give up the extra thrust of the hybrid to have this lighter, more playful Q50. That said, the Infiniti still feels larger and softer than many of its closest rivals, highlighting a new focus on luxury over sport.
The brakes of the non-hybrid car are less grabby than the Q50S Hybrid’s regenerative energy binders, and are easy to modulate.
Next to technology, the styling of the Q50 is possibly its strongest suit when measured against its competitors. Without going over the top in trendy creases and aggressive fascia (as Lexus has done with its cartoonish new IS series), the Q50 inherits the familial traits (C-pillar window kink, squeezed rectangular grill) in a very successful application. The rear of the car is really the only bland angle.
Inside, too, the Infiniti comes smartly dressed. The seats are supportive and comfortable, trimmed in a nice grade of leather and the rest of the interior materials are well assembled and of very decent quality. Twin touchscreens dominate the centre console and dash. The upper, eight-inch screen is designed to provide driver information (such as the navigation screen), while the lower seven-inch screen operates the car’s many systems (from climate and audio, to the fine tuning of all the driver preference settings for adaptive steering and other driver assists).
 2014 Infiniti Q50. Click image to enlarge |
With such complexity and so many elements to fine tune (from seat and mirror positions, to preferred radio stations, to steering feel set up and transmission shift speeds), it’s nice to invest the time and not have to fiddle with it all every time someone else has driven the car. Infiniti has thought of that too with their Intelligent Key system that stores all of this information and more for each personalized driver set up programmed into the car.
This autumn, Infiniti will release a series of Apps for the Q50 enabling Facebook and Twitter updates to be read to you as you drive. Good thing the Active Lane Control and distance monitoring cruise control can help fill in for those inattentive drivers.
Infiniti’s product managers have big expectations for the Q50. It must outpace the sales numbers set by its G37 predecessor and if initial orders in the first month it was on sale are anything to go by (reportedly 15% higher than expectations), Infiniti might just have a sales winner on its hands. If so, it will be due in no small part to its aggressive pricing platforms with a rear wheel drive Q50 starting at $37,500. Throw every technological wizardry option plus all-wheel-drive and the Hybrid S model and you’re still only at $56,450. BMW’s Active3 Hybrid starts two grand higher than that and doesn’t have half the features of the Q50.
When shopping the fiercely competitive luxury sedan market, there are several outstanding choices. If your tastes lie more with overt sporting sedans whose emphasis is on driving enjoyment and handling, a BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS or even Lexus IS350 may suit your needs. But if you’d rather have a slightly larger car that gives up little in driving enjoyment to its competitors but offers truly amazing technology not available elsewhere, the Infiniti is a high-value consideration.
Please just remember, keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road, okay?
Pricing: 2014 Infiniti Q50
RWD: $37,500
RWD Sport + Premium + Navi + Touring (as tested): $47,950
AWD Hybrid Sport + Navi + Touring Tech (as tested): $56,450
Competitors:
Audi A4
BMW 335i
BMW ActiveHybrid 3
Cadillac ATS
Lexus IS 350
Mercedes-Benz C 350
Volvo S60
