Anyone Checked Out Infiniti Q50?

[DJP]

I stumbled across them whilst looking at the Tesla, the V6 hybrid looks interesting. Any forum members had a look at them? First impressions seemed to suggest quite a niche brand, almost Lexus like.

I think the brand has a strong presence in the States, but I don't think I know anyone in the UK who has had one.

Be great if I had something to challenge the Lexus with, I can't believe I'm considering buying a third consecutive one!

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[ganzoom]

They do look good!! Cheap too, mainly because no one has bought any!! Same engine as the GTR (minus some turbos), if I hadn't gone totally mad and bought a Leaf I would seriously consider one :)

There's a whole load of well specced ex-demos on autotrader. All under 10,000 miles, been on sale for months (Since Jan 2015) List price £45k+, their sticker price is now down to £30k, I bet you can get another 10% off with no haggling....

Also still a Japanese brand, so you know your get good realibilty. Go for it!!

[DJP]

Thanks Gang, you're a nightmare to be around!

I remember going with a colleague to a motorbike shop as he was thinking about getting one and wanted a lift. About an hour later he walked out having spent loadsa money (which he has lol) and he refuses to go back there with me ever again!

I'm going to check them out, I love my Lexus, but getting a bit common now lol.

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[Martin F]

I had a good nose around one at Goodwood last year, think it was the Q50, and it looked quite nice.

Definitely worth a closer look although i'd be worried that their hybrid system is not as good as Toyota's

[Twan1970]

Last year I was invited by autoweek.nl to test drive all the engine version of the Q50 on a circuit in the Netherlands. As an IS300h owner I was surprised about the capabilities of this car. Price wise the Q50 with petrol engine is in the same price range as the IS and it’s definitely more spacious that the IS.
The 2 liter Mercedes engine is power enough but not as refined at the IS. The hybrid with V6 is a beast. It’s not meant for fuel economy but for performance, it’s blistering fast.
The electronics steering by wire is some getting used to, it’s less involving, but is has some advantages in case of an evasive maneuver. The car is fully controllable and stabilized after. I tried this myself on the circuit and I was very impressed.
Although the IS is more fun to drive the, If I had to choose a gain the Q50 hybrid would be on my short. And that has more to with the poor Lexus service and the resonance of the IS power train at 80 and 100 km/h.
Same here in the Netherlands you hardly see this car on the road, they have only two dealers 100km from where I’m living not quite an option. Selling 25 cars a year.

[Martin F]

Wow, only 12 Infiniti dealers in the whole of the UK

http://www.infiniti.co.uk/contact/?moi=q50

Could be a bit of a challenge come servicing or support requirements, unless it could be undertaken by the Nissan dealerships.

[rayaans]

The steering on them is awful. Takes too much effort just to go in a straight line!

I wasn't convinced by the refinement in the hybrid either and if you're going from an IS300H I think you'd be wanting for better driving dynamics.

Personally I'd be going for the face lifted GS450H if I wanted something that size. it's no good on fuel either. Barely gets above 22mpg

[DJP]

The steering on them is awful. Takes too much effort just to go in a straight line!

I wasn't convinced by the refinement in the hybrid either and if you're going from an IS300H I think you'd be wanting for better driving dynamics.

Personally I'd be going for the face lifted GS450H if I wanted something that size. it's no good on fuel either. Barely gets above 22mpg

Thanks rayaans, I knew you'd have checked them out!. Knowing how the journo's don't like anything non German I'd noted their comments but taken with a pinch of salt, but you seem to confirm it. It is the additional power that grabs me, and that there are even fewer on the road than Lexi. You make a good point about the 450h, I have driven one of them and yikes it's fast, but also too big really. if the Q50 is the same size and mpg is that bad I'll pass. Nearest dealer is 50 miles away as opposed to 3 for the Lexus, but price wise they seem keen. That said I find the configurators impossibly infuriating and think I'll take a wander down to Maidstone and see what I think in the flesh.

Nice to have something other than a Lexus to research though.

[para999]

would'nt the dealership in reading be nearer for you depending on your location in surrey?

[stevet]

Quite a few around Stockport as we have one of the biggest Infinity dealers in the country. Never really fancied one, just a bit too being.

[DJP]

would'nt the dealership in reading be nearer for you depending on your location in surrey?

Nope, I'm in Croydon so Maidstone's not far for me. Thanks for the heads up though.

[rayaans]

The steering on them is awful. Takes too much effort just to go in a straight line!

I wasn't convinced by the refinement in the hybrid either and if you're going from an IS300H I think you'd be wanting for better driving dynamics.

Personally I'd be going for the face lifted GS450H if I wanted something that size. it's no good on fuel either. Barely gets above 22mpg

Thanks rayaans, I knew you'd have checked them out!. Knowing how the journo's don't like anything non German I'd noted their comments but taken with a pinch of salt, but you seem to confirm it. It is the additional power that grabs me, and that there are even fewer on the road than Lexi. You make a good point about the 450h, I have driven one of them and yikes it's fast, but also too big really. if the Q50 is the same size and mpg is that bad I'll pass. Nearest dealer is 50 miles away as opposed to 3 for the Lexus, but price wise they seem keen. That said I find the configurators impossibly infuriating and think I'll take a wander down to Maidstone and see what I think in the flesh.

Nice to have something other than a Lexus to research though.

I like checking a wide range of cars out haha. I think its almost a hobby although I havent driven a Tesla yet but I do have a friend in the industry who said that the range is really poor. He also said the IS300h gets poor fuel economy however but he drives like a total knob (nothing new here then) and he just happens to own a BMW ha!

The car itself isn't half bad. Its just some very important things which annoyed me, the main one being the steering. I couldnt get used to it in my day of driving and it took some effort to stay in a straight line which I found very annoying on the motorway.

I dont know if anyone else who has driven it has experienced this but although it was fine on the motorway, at low speeds the throttle mapping was way to sensitive. Imagine an IS300h with a Sport S+++++ and you'll kind of get what I mean. It seemed to shuffle along rather than being completely smooth and coming from an RXh the switch between the engine and electric powertrain was noticeable which again, was rather annoying for me.

Another annoying aspect was the ride. It was just too harsh, down to the run flats I think.

For me, the steering did it. Im assuming id get used to the ride but having loads of power and poor steering was a disaster waiting to happen. I prefer a confidence inspiring steering setup which the Q50S didn't deliver so it was off the list for me. I was originally looking at it for the wife (I drive the cars, she sits in the passenger seat and I choose the cars lol)

[DJP]

Hell, a Sports+++ throttle and iffy steering is not a good combo. Add run flats and I'm losing interest. Still, I'd best take some time out and give one a whirl.

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[rayaans]

Hell, a Sports+++ throttle and iffy steering is not a good combo. Add run flats and I'm losing interest. Still, I'd best take some time out and give one a whirl.

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Probably worth just checking it out to compare to the IS300h. It'll help you appreciate how good the hybrid setup in the 300h actually is too

[ganzoom]

I think the Lexus hybrid units are by far the best. Saw a Tesla in the flesh today, even the wife liked it and has given the go ahead to get one once the lease on the Leaf expires in 24 months...Judging by how long delivery takes, may well have to order one sooner rather than later :D

[DJP]

Hell, a Sports+++ throttle and iffy steering is not a good combo. Add run flats and I'm losing interest. Still, I'd best take some time out and give one a whirl.

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Probably worth just checking it out to compare to the IS300h. It'll help you appreciate how good the hybrid setup in the 300h actually is too

I'll have a test drive and probably have to apologise to my car for doubting her😀

[Scoops]

There is a dealer not far from me so I popped in. I was offered a test drive but I didn't have my license with me and in the end I really wanted a Lexus. These were my thoughts though:

Atmosphere and dealership facilities were very good. Very like Lexus in approach really but then it is the Nissan equivalent so I expected as much.

A lot of the car will be down to personal opinion... The shape was interesting and in the end I quite liked it. The Sport has a different grill which really improved the look. Interior was nice and felt good quality but in my opinion lacked a lot of the flair found in the IS.

The double screen with touch sensitive apps etc on the lower one was a nice toy but I am not a fan of touch sensitive screens in cars and I wonder what it would be like to use on a day to day basis. Also being updated while driving with someone's facebook feed did not appeal!

The options were a bit obscure - getting a Sat Nav (or DAB if I recall correctly) was an expensive business.

They have since done their own version of the Exec, aimed at business users and comes with Sat Nav I think so things may have improved in this area.

We didn't talk costs really but I would expect you would be able to get one at a similar level to an IS if not a bit lower. Obviously not the hybrid though....

I normally don't put too much into magazine reviews but noted the following consistently said, the Mercedes engines are not that refined and quite noisy (taken from the C-Class) and the steer by wire system is bloody awful. No-one seems to like it...

I still think there is a lot of merit to investigating as it offers something different and the quality is there are first glance. They are a proven brand in the States and I would expect they are reliable which is just as well given the scarce dealer cover around the UK. I might pop back and have another look and maybe blag a drive even though I have just got the IS but having looked into both, I am happy I have made the right choice.

[DJP]

Thanks Scoops, interesting input. It would be the hybrid or nothing. I'll need to create myself a little 'window of opportunity' and end up in Maidstone for a try. My 300 will be due a service very soon and I'm trying to arrange the F Sport NX whilst it's in. Croydon to Maidstone and back should give me an idea of how I feel about that option!

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[Scoops]

I am sure they would have no problem getting you in for a test drive - their approach seemed similar to Lexus in that they welcomed you and then left you to it unless you wanted a chat. I recall the tea was a bit strong but hey...

They were keen to talk about the hybrid (I was coming from the CT at the time but their knowledge of their competitors cars seemed lacking which, if you are in sales, is a bit poor. The business version, I am sure, is only available in the 2.2 diesel. I would have gone for the petrol which I think offered around the 45 mpg mark. The hybrid was being sold on its performance for sure not unlike the BMW hybrids were. It was the big price difference which would have ruled that out for me.

Let us know how you get on though, it will be interesting to hear your thoughts..

[ganzoom]

Yes keep us updated. I never test drove the Q50, wasn't on the list, but I do like my Datsun's, the Leaf is my 4th :D

[Rabbers]

Not that I was in any way a potential customer, but I had the chance to test drive a Q50 3.5 litre Hybrid when I had

already owned my 300h for some months. The test, such as it was, lasted maybe 30 minutes and included a bit of

motorway while consisting mainly of driving round the block a few times. The drive was offered by my Lexus dealer

to occupy my time while I was waiting for my own car, the Q50 having been on loan from a colleague to whom he

had in turn loaned a 450h for what was, I understood, to be a friendly private comparison - and probably a more

appropriate one than with a 300h.

On the positive side I remember (1) the punchiness of the Q50's response at all speeds - not that I got beyond

130kmh, (2) the quietness and remarkable cocooned feeling of the cabin although noise from the 19" tyres was

not entirely absent, and (3) the very high precision of finish, inside and out. On the negative side, I found the car

(1) bulky in feel and lacking in agility, (2) the steering over-light and strangely sensitive to bumps and uneven

surfaces, and (3) the cabin a bit flashy, perhaps even vulgar, with the real wood and leather managing to look

false, the general appearance being more American than European. Except for these last two points, my

conclusions were that with familiarity, essential with regard to the abundant gadgetry and somewhat confusing

dashboard, I would have grown to like the car very much.

The list price at the time, early 2014, for a full (or almost full)-spec version was way beyond that of a 300h Premier,

I believe upwards of €65K against €51K, and since the discounts were in both cases in the region of 12-14%, the

price differential remained intact and has probably not changed. To get around the problem of small dealer

numbers (only five or six in the whole of Italy) and the policy of of keeping the marque separate from Nissan for

both sales and servicing, Infiniti were offering a free pick-up-and-return service/equivalent courtesy car for all

maintenance needs irrespective of location. According to my Lexus guy, though, the cost involved was absorbed

into the prices for servicing and spares which, since he considered them extremely high in his professional

opinion as a Lexus dealer, must to say the least be eye-watering!

[tinka]

The Q50 will be the first car I look at, when I’m due a change. Maidstone is 20mins away from me, so I don’t think I’ll be able to resist having a look soon.

[Zotto]

In my opinion Q50 is comparable, but loser, with a GS450h, but still if I had to choose, i would like to buy a GS300h.

And it was my decision, as I am trading off my 2008 GS450h for a less thirsty GS300h MY 2015 with all optionals and the engine of IS 300h.

[lee789]

A bit late in the day to add to this post, but here goes. I have made a few enquiries over the years about Infiniti cars. The first time was about 5 years ago when I quite fancied the V6 G37. What put me off was the lack of dealers, cost of servicing, and the lack of an extended warranty, although Infiniti assured me they planned to introduce them very shortly. Two years later I looked at the FX SUV, but there was still no extended warranty scheme in place. Recently I looked at the Q50 3.5HS. It is a great car, let down rather by it's ponderous and unpredictable app software interface. Unfortunately, despite 5 years having passed, Infiniti have still not introduced an extended warranty, even though they have had them up and running in North America for years now.

Infiniti make a big thing about collecting and returning your car at service times and for repairs, regardless of distance. That's great, because it helps to overcome the issue of dealerships being so few and far between. However, what they don't tell you is that after the first three years that service is no longer offered. So, long term owners will have to travel (in some cases) long distances for anything, and NO, Nissan dealers are not permitted to touch the cars. Add to that the prospect of expensive repairs once the warranty has expired, and you can start to understand why Infiniti only sold 386 cars in the UK last year, and why the prices plummet so quickly it will make your head spin. When Infiniti finally decide to stand behind their cars with extended warranties and a better dealer network, I will be in line to buy one. Until then, I'll be sticking with Lexus and their vastly superior product support.

[DJP]

Don't worry about being late Lee, I'm not rushing into anything!

A very interesting read and the one thing Lexus prides itself on is the after sales service (I'm sure it doesn't always get it right though), and I like being a stones throw away from the dealer. I think as much as anything I'm trying to find something to compete with the Lexus, and at the mo there doesn't seem to be much competition. I'm leaning heavily towards the NX next time, which would mean 3 cars from the same manufacturer in succession. In 30 years of motoring I've always changed manufacturer so even going from the 250 to the 300 was unheard of!

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