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2016 Infiniti Q50 gets 2.0L turbo four

After adding a US-built, 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder to the European and Chinese-market Q50, Infiniti will finally add this engine to the US-spec car. Official details are exceedingly scarce, with the company only saying the 2.0-liter will hit dealers this winter and that additional info will be made available this fall. We can, however, make a few safe assumptions based on the engine's output in Europe. According to our previous story on the Decherd, TN-built engine, the turbocharged mill will offer up 211 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. That plants it squarely between the outputs of the 2.0-liter turbo in the BMW 320i and 328i, though it's down on power compared to the engines offered in the Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and upcoming Lexus IS 200t. There's also a 100-plus-horsepower gap between the Q50's two gas-only engines. Considering all of these things, not to mention Infiniti's reluctance to reveal official specs, it seems safe to wager that the Japanese brand will find a way to squeeze more power out of the current 2.0-liter turbo. That'd allow the Q50 to better challenge the competition's entry-level offerings while bringing the starting price point down from the roughly $38,000 it sits at now. That's grain-of-salt conjecture on our part, though, so caveat emptor. Expect to hear more on the Q50's new engine later this year. Until then, scroll down for the official press release cover all of Infiniti's 2016 updates. INFINITI – WHAT'S NEW FOR 2016 For 2016, the Infiniti lineup in the United States expands once again, literally, with a new longer, roomier Infiniti QX50 premium crossover. With its wheelbase extended 3.2-inches, the 2016 QX50 offers greatly increased rear passenger room, as well as additional cargo space. It also features new exterior styling. There are additional changes in store for 2016, starting with the addition of a new 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine for the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan available in the winter of 2016. Other Infiniti Q50 enhancements will be announced at the North American International Auto Show in January. In addition, revisions to the Infiniti QX60 luxury crossover will be announced at that time. The Infiniti QX80 full-size SUV keeps it fresh for 2016 with a new Signature Edition, which includes Driver Assistance and Split Bench packages, Saddle Tan high-contrast interior, bodyside moldings and chrome mirror caps. The QX80 Special Edition is limited to just 1,000 units.

Infiniti offers chance to design Sebastian Vettel's helmet for the USGP

The Circuit of the Americas will host its second United States Grand Prix in November, and based on what's happening with New Jersey it might be the only US torch left alight in the Formula One firmament. The story even before the inaugural event was about getting American fans involved, and Infiniti appears to be making the first splash this year with a competition to design Sebastian Vettel's helmet for the first two days of race weekend.
The only thing required of the graphic designer within you is to head to the competition site, download the helmet template and slather it in your unique technicolor vision. It will require some thought to make something interesting, though, since much of the helmet is already committed to team and sponsor logos; other than a few thin strips along the sides, your creativity will be confined to the oval atop the shell. Vettel will choose the winner and will wear the selected lid during the free practices and qualifying.
The grand prize winner will also get a VIP trip for two to the grand prix as a guest of Infiniti, which includes some face time with the triple world champion himself. The contest is on now, the deadline for entries is 11:59 pm GMT (6:59 EST), Sunday, September 29th and the winner is chosen the very next day. There's a press release below with more info if you want the complete skinny before putting stylus to digital paper.

A beautiful conundrum | 2017 Infiniti Q60 First Drive

"OK, this should be fun." Hands are rubbed together excitedly. It's a rear-wheel-drive sport coupe painted candy apple red. It's sleek, slinky, and uniquely styled. It's from the same folks who, in the 2000s, finally showed that BMW could be matched in the whole sport sedan/coupe game. Oh, and it has 400 horsepower. Four-hundred! With a four. And yet the 2017 Infiniti Q60 underwhelms. What looks so good on paper instead is rather conflicted, stuck somewhere in no-man's land between the traditional expectations of a performance sport coupe and those of comfier, more luxurious cruisers that isolate and pamper their occupants. It's a serious effort with serious engineering and a clear desire to be innovative, but at least in the range-topping Red Sport model we tested, it fails to come together in a way that truly excites or indulges. A great coupe should do one or the other, and ideally both. To explain, let's start under the hood, where Infiniti's all-new "VR" series 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes its second appearance after debuting in the Q60's four-door sibling, the Q50. In the Q60 Silver Sport model, it produces 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque courtesy a pair of turbochargers that create 8.7 psi of boost. In the Red Sport, the knob is turned up to 14.7 psi, resulting in the oh-so-salivatory magic number of 400 hp along with 350 lb-ft of torque. A device known as an optical turbo speed sensor, special to the Red Sport, manages and maintains that extra boost, while an electric motor fitted to the valve timing system serves to quell any loss in throttle response due to forced induction. The Red also gets a second water-cooled intercooler, which, in both models, is distinctive for its more compact size, shorter airflow path, and, according to Infiniti, a resulting reduction in turbo lag and more immediate engine response. It's certainly a clear improvement on the somewhat rough 3.7-liter "VQ" V6 it replaces, which increasingly felt and sounded a little out of place in a luxury car. The new VR30DDTT, as it's so eloquently named, is buttery smooth and indeed responsive, likely capable of convincing luxury-car owners used to naturally aspirated V6s that everything's business as usual. Honestly, its character is reminiscent of a silky Honda V6. In some respects, that's a great thing. In others, it's where the Q60 starts to fall flat.