48 motoring Q here for exhilaration
When you have got Sebastian Vettel as your director of performance, and Red Bull F1 team as your technical partner, producing quick, exciting cars should be second nature, writes David Murray
But Infiniti has not yet achieved the reputation or stature of some of its competitors for powerful road cars that quicken the pulse and stir the soul.
That, however, might be about to change.
The new Q50 is a refined, sophisticated premium car that could grace any company car park. In diesel form, it should prove every inch a competitor to whatever BMW or Mercedes unleash onto the UK’s roads.
The Q50S Hybrid AWD is something else entirely. This is the top-of-the-range Q50 that can blow your socks off if you put your foot down, while maintaining a quiet and untroubled character if you are pootling around town.
The trick has been to marry a 3.5 litre petrol engine with an electric motor to create a power unit that can summon up 360 bhp and a 0-60mph time of just over five seconds, if you are really in a hurry.
The power here is surprising – as in surprisingly good. In this guise, the Q50 can really get a move on, with the electric motor handing the petrol engine an extra 68 horsepower to give you the
kind of acceleration you might more usually associate with a Porsche Cayman or equivalent. “Stirring intensity” is how Infiniti describes this wonderful attribute.
But our roads being what they are, potholed and liable to cut up rough, having a car that confidently handles well is also important, and here the AWD system is excellent. Much of the time, the car will act like a rear-wheel-drive, but the intelligent system reads the road conditions and if more traction is needed, drive will switch to a combination of front and rear.
This, plus an excellent seven-speed auto transmission, a well-tuned suspension, and
direct adaptive steering makes the Q50 a secure and sprightly car on any road surface. The driver can choose a setting – switching from Standard to Sport immediately tightens up the handling, with sharper response through the steering wheel and an even stronger feeling of control.
Around town, the Hybrid is a different entity altogether. The electric motor is all you need at speeds up to 50mph in the city, meaning you can glide around, maximising the mechanical efficiency of the car and, of course, saving fuel.
The Q50 also excels in terms of safety. Rear-view and front-view cameras ensure you can see what’s close by when manoeuvring in
a tight spot, while distance control helps you maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front when on the open road.
It would take the rest of this magazine to highlight all the features of the Q50S. Suffice to say that there are 96 personalised settings you can use to dial-in your exact requirements.
The Q50S Hybrid AWD doubtless brought a smile to Seb Vettel’s face when he first got behind the wheel, and it should delight you too. Give it a try.
On the road price: £41,640
Details: Infiniti Reading 0844-243-5780
Infiniti Q50
FOLLOW THAT
You feel the pull the moment you see its curves. But when you get behind the wheel, instinct really takes over. Driving you to experience the 170 PS direct injection turbo-charged Diesel, or the 211 PS 2.0l turbo-charged Petrol engine. Forcing you to feel the visceral pleasure of world-first Direct Adaptive Steering. It’s time to follow your heart and give in to your instinct.
INSTINCT
Book your test drive now at
infiniti.co.uk
INFINITI CENTRE READING, 25-27 Rose Kiln Lane, Reading RG2 0JZ. 0844 243 5780
Model displayed: Infiniti Q50 2.2d 6MT. 170 horsepower 2.2-litre Diesel engine with 400 Nm of torque. Official fuel economy figures for the Infiniti Q50 range in mpg (l/100 km): urban 29.4 to 50.4 (9.6 to 5.6), extra urban 53.3 to 76.3 (5.3 to 3.7), combined 41.5 to 64.2 (6.8 to 4.4). CO2
emission: 159 to 114 g/km.
34534_INF_Q50_press_BLUE_3_4_Reading_AW_F.indd 1
www.businessmag.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2014 08/08/2014 14:06
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