Boxy sport-utility vehicles seem to rule the roads, but it is still possible to find a nicely shaped sporty coupe that goes a step or several steps beyond the utilitarian such as the Infiniti Q60.
Sitting at the curb the Q60 is drop-dead gorgeous. At the same time, it’s also a lot of fun to drive, comes with a well-appointed interior and has a full-portfolio of the latest technology for safety and connectivity.
The exterior of the two-door Infiniti Q60 is not only beautiful but it also has a distinctive sporty and luxurious character that comes out whether the car sitting still at the curb or out on the road. It looks impressive — like an expensive automobile should.
But the exterior of the Q60’s styling goes beyond the sleek silhouette. The Q60 is also nicely crafted and the front nose, with its curves, creases and neatly tucked headlamps and handsome grille accentuates the car’s character. The low hood height also offers a nice, clear view from the driver’s seat, something that is missing in more than a few sporty cars today.
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The LED headlights give can be seen from both the front and side and an optional Adaptive Front lighting System offers enhanced visibility at intersections and around curves, Fog lamps and 20-inch wheels are standard on the Red Sport 400 AWD version of the Infiniti Q60 that I got to drive.
On the inside, the interior is very comfortable, even on a longer drive where comfort is tested, and furnished with top of the line materials that serve to reinforce the car’s luxury character. It is also well designed so all the key controls are easy to or to touch and serves to help make the car more fun to drive either on cramped city streets or out on the highway.
In addition, the cabin is relatively spacious so the driver or the passenger never feels cramped. It also can be ordered with heated seats and a heated steering wheel and there is a limited rear seat and a sliding moon roof and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. There also two 12-volt outlets offering plenty of places to connect electronics.
The list of the technology on the car, starting with voice recognition that can be connected with the driver information system, as well for the car’s audio and Bluetooth system with connectivity, rear-view camera, Sirius Radio and intelligent key and cruise control.
The version of the Q60 that I drove also came with a complement of advanced driver assistance features, like blind-spot detection, rear-cross traffic alert, rear-collision intervention in case you are about to back into something unseen behind and forward collision warning with forward emergency braking assistance.
Besides its sophisticated exterior design, terrific interior and the package of technology that helps drive the price of the model I drove up past $65,000, the Q60 is loads of fun to drive even in traffic because the interior is so quiet it takes some of stress out of heavy traffic.
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The Q60 is equipped with a very powerful 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine that produces 400 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque that goes from zero to whatever speed you might desire in an instant while the seven-speed automatic transmission never seem to miss a beat. The intelligent all-wheel-drive system gives the car a sure footedness under all sorts of conditions, maintaining the car’s stability.
The sporty Infiniti has rear-wheel drive layout, but the intelligent All-Wheel Drive system sends power to all four wheels as needed and the power will switch back to rear when traction is assured. The all-wheel-drive does carry a fuel economy penalty as the Q60 gets 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway for a combined rating of 21 mpg.
The car is also equipped with hydraulic electronic power steering with vehicle-speed-sensitive adjustability. The suspension system with its continuously variable electronically controlled shock absorbers with high damping force and lower damping at high frequency vibration as well as the dynamic digital suspension in the rear with independent, multi-link coils springs help smooth out the ride even on the choppiest Michigan roads.
In addition, the cars wide stance and low profile help keep the car stable even in tight turning maneuvers. Q60 features a front and rear “Zero Lift” design that helps keep the vehicle stable at high speeds and mitigate unforeseen “aero” affects and help keep the vehicle more stable in cross-wind situations.
Infiniti has produced an automotive work of art but coupes of any kind are always a bit impractical because their doors and big heavy and swing out wide in tight parking spaces or onto busy streets and let’s face two doors on anything is a bit impractical in today’s hurried world.
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Nevertheless, I also thought the Q60 looked exceedingly good and was great fun to drive and if you are going to spend $65,000 on a car you damn well should enjoy it.
