2012 G37 Coupe Wrapped! Beautiful! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Infiniti Q50, Lexus IS 250 fail to achieve Consumer Reports 'Recommended' rating

Infiniti and Lexus might be a little concerned now that both of their new luxury sedans, the Q50 and IS250, were unable to net Consumer Reports vaunted "Recommended" rating during their first year on the market. In fact, not only did the two fail to earn a "Recommended" rating, they finished behind the vast majority of the competition after testing, including the BMW 328i, Mercedes-Benz C250, Lincoln MKZ and Volvo S60 T5.
The Q50 managed to snag a "Very Good" rating overall, but CR criticized it's road manners for not being as thrilling as the car it (sort of) replaces, the G37. The mag called the handling mundane and the steering dull, while also remarking on the poor controls. According to CR, the interior quality is "nothing special." Shade was also thrown at the Q50's reportedly poor ride.
Compared to the IS, though, the Q50 got off easy. CR called it "neither sporty nor luxurious," while criticizing the 2.5-liter V6's lack of oomph and poor fuel economy. The mag then went on to lambaste the IS's handling, steering, interior, cabin space and infotainment system.

2021 Infiniti Q50 gains more safety equipment and sporty-looking Sensory trim

Details for the 2021 Infiniti Q50 are out, and while it’s largely the same sedan as it was last year, Infiniti made some notable improvements. For starters, Infiniti made its suite of driver assistance equipment standard. This includes blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, 360-degree camera with moving object detection, parking sensors, backup collision assist and auto high-beams. ItÂ’s a fairly comprehensive package that many luxury brands would make you pay a pretty penny for. Additionally, Infiniti is adding a Sensory trim level for 2021. ItÂ’s equipped with the 300-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine. Infiniti also equips it with sport design front and rear fascias, leather sport seats, black open pore wood interior trim, black headliner and pillars and a 16-speaker Bose audio system. Both the Sensory and Red Sport 400 gain power-folding, auto-dimming outside mirrors in the new year, too. Appearance changes for the Red Sport 400 include a new matte black carbon fiber interior trim package and more black exterior trim highlights. You can see the carÂ’s slightly more menacing look in the photos at the top of this post. The rest of the Q50 lineup gains two new color options: Slate Gray and Grand Blue. Pricing for the base Q50 hasnÂ’t budged in the new year. Rear-wheel-drive models will still start at $37,625 and all-wheel-drive versions will begin at $39,625. The 2021 Infiniti Q50 is arriving in dealerships now. Related Video:

Infiniti expanding lineup by 60% over next five years

Johan de Nysschen had only been at the helm of Infiniti for two years when he left for a position atop Cadillac. But in that time, he indeed left his mark on the brand. Most visibly, there was the drastic Q-ification of the company's vehicle naming strategy, but beyond that were big plans to beef up the Infiniti brand with the goal of making it a fully competitive luxury automaker.
Autoblog spoke with Michael Bartsch, vice president of Infiniti Americas, during Monterey Car Week, and he confirms Infiniti's brand direction is "still exactly as Johan presented it." Over the next five years, the company's portfolio will expand by 60 percent, and that will be aided with additional engine and transmission plants, most notably the recent collaboration with Daimler to build 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines.
Infiniti's lineup will grow to include eight sedans/coupes and five crossovers/SUVs.