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Final Recap: Days 2 and 3 notes, quotes, and takeaways from the US Grand Prix

The Texas grass no longer rustles with 2.4-liter V8 exhaust blown at 18,000 revs, the Texas dust is no longer raised by hard-compound Pirellis. We saw a lot and learned a lot while we were there as guests of Infiniti, and after our Day 1 and race recaps, here are the bits left over from our time spent with the carmaker and Red Bull Racing, including thoughts on a "wicked" race, Christian Horner's quest for a more level playing field, Infiniti "going longer and deeper," and why Mario Andretti should get a police escort at the beginning of a race but not a microphone at the end...

2022 Infiniti QX55 marks the company's foray into crossover 'coupes'

Using a formula proven by the major German luxury car companies, Infiniti is now getting in on the crossover "coupe" game. The 2022 Infiniti QX55 takes the QX50 small crossover and adds a fastback roofline for a sportier look. Infiniti says the design makes the QX55 a spiritual successor to the FX crossover of the mid-to-late-2000s and early 2010s. We're not sure if the mechanical bits live up to the rear-drive-based FX chassis, but the low roof and curvy body do share a connection to that old SUV. In fact, the QX55 looks rather striking, and the flowing lines work nicely with the simple, arcing roof. Some other small tweaks to the base styling emphasize the QX55's style focus including a more pronounced grille with larger air intakes surrounding it at the front. At the back, the license plate mount has been moved to the bumper, allowing for prominent Infiniti lettering on the hatch. Additionally, 20-inch wheels are a standard feature on all QX55 models. The rest of the QX55 is basically the same as the QX50. It shares the turbocharged, variable-compression engine making 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to a CVT and all-wheel-drive, which is standard on all QX55 models. The interior is carry-over with dual infotainment screens and an asymmetric, driver-focused dash design. Like the QX50, it can be slathered in two-tone leather for a very premium feel. The debut vehicle features a bold black and red color combination. The QX55 goes on sale this coming spring. It will be available in three trim levels: Luxe, Essential and Sensory. Pricing hasn't been announced, but expect it to be a bit more costly than the equivalent QX50. For reference, a QX50 Luxe with all-wheel-drive starts around $44,000, and at the other end of the spectrum is the QX50 Sensory with all-wheel-drive starting at around $53,000. Related Video:

Infiniti Q30 Concept might be the cleverest Q model yet

When we first got official word of the Infiniti Q30 Concept, the Japanese automaker said that the crossover's "harmonious contrasts and dissymmetric philosophy" would "make an emotional connection with customers spontaneously." Now, we might not be heads of design studios or directors of marketing departments, but we're pretty sure we can translate that to: "The production Q30 will compete with the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class."
In all seriousness (if we can say that of a concept car painted a sort of rose metallic), the Q30 concept looks fetching here in Frankfurt; its rather convoluted and flowing bodywork just carried off successfully because of its grownup hatchback proportions and, frankly, huge wheels. The Q30 could seemingly slot into the current, attractive Infiniti range of production cars and not look amiss (though we'd prefer a color palette that looks a little less like Grandma's sitting room sofa).
Look above for our live images of the Infiniti Q30 Concept from the show floor in Frankfurt, below for stock pictures of the thing, or scroll down to re-read the breathless press release.