The good folks at the Infiniti brand are still fighting the good fight against the German premium establishment, but the luxury subsidiary of Nissan must contend with playing second fiddle to the European trio along with fellow Japanese marque Lexus and newer entrants in the form of the Jaguar XE, Alfa Romeo Giulia, and soon the all-new Volvo S60.
Thusly, for 2019, their Australian arm has decided to streamline the Q50 saloon its sportier sibling, the Q60 coupe. This results in what’s arguably a more rational approach to the range of each, and while this does mean a new entry-level V6 turbo enters the scene, it also sees the axing of all-wheel drive hybrids and diesel models.
In the Q50’s case, the previous spread of 10 variants has been reduced to just 5, kicking off with the 2.0T Pure at $54,900 excluding on-road costs. As the name denotes, drive is supplied from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol that churns out 155kW and 350Nm and sent rearward through a 7-speed automatic transmission.
Only the entry level variant is supplied with a four-pot banger with Infiniti choosing to slot in their beefier 3.0-litre (single) turbocharged V6 into the step-up 3.0T Pure, priced at $58,900. The specifications otherwise remain identical, but that extra $4,000 buys you two extra cylinders and properly storming performance with 224kW and 400Nm behind the accelerator.
From there, sportier trim and a longer equipment list is available in the 3.0T Sport, which adds niceties such as LED headlamps, a 360-degree camera system, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive High Beam control, as well the contentious Direct Adaptive Steering system. The upside is that this particular equivalent configuration would have costed buyers $5,500 more when the 2017 range was in effect, but now is priced at $64,900.
The Q50 HEV Blue Sport sits above the Sport at $70,900, a reduction of $2,500, and is expectedly aimed to be more luxurious and cosseting on the road, shedding the firmer sport suspension and matching interior trimmings. Accordingly, it uses a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 under its bonnet, augmented by a transmission-integrated electric motor to send a combined output of 264kW and 564Nm to the rear wheels.
Lastly, there’s the Q50 3.0T Red Sport, the only variant to use Infiniti’s newer twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 mill. It’s kitted out with all the trappings of a high performance range-topper, including unique wheels, a lowered suspension, the requisite interior finishes, and a full bodykit. With 298kW and 475Nm on tap, the Red Sport is capable of an M3-worrying 4.5 second sprint from rest to 100km/h. And the best part is that, over the 2017 equivalent, it’s now $5,000 cheaper.
Moving onto the updated Q60 range, the 2018 revision also starts with a 2.0T Pure variant with the same drivetrain seen in the sedan, priced at $63,900 - an increase over the previous base model by $1,000. Output is identical to the Q50 and so is most of its other specification.
The second and final Q60 is the top dog, the 3.0T Red Sport variant that houses the same 3.0-litre bi-turbo powerplant. Over the base model, it also comes with additional safety features such as Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, and a 360-degree camera system with Moving Object Detection.
2018 Infiniti Q50
- 2.0T Pure - $54,900
- 3.0T Pure - $58,900
- 3.0T Sport - $64,900
- HEV 2WD Blue Sport - $70,900
- 3.0T Red Sport - $74,900
2018 Infiniti Q60
- 2.0T Pure - $63,900
- 3.0T Red Sport - $84,900
For more on Infiniti cars, check out our Showroom.
