OFFICIAL: The Infiinti Q50 Red Sport 400 Starts At Nearly $49,000 — Does THIS Much HP At This $ Get YOUR Attention?

A $50K Sentra...NO

Infiniti simply does not look like a premium car to me - it is too heavily styled and simply too Japanese in its look. I feel the original Q-45 was the best looking Infiniti - and it all went downhill RAPIDLY from there - especially the Maxima based model that barely looked different from a real Maxima.

If you look at the "profile" of the side - there is some classic line there - but the rest is horrible. IF they produced a more classic front and rear - they might be able to sell the cars. THis was - they are just Buick competition at best - and undesirable.

Cars in this category need to be styled so they OOZE luxury and style - I don't know what happened in Japan after the tidal wave - but Godzilla must have taken over the Styling studios - especially at Lexus -and they should take an Oxygen Destroyer to those designs

Predictable tired Buick comment made by posters here whenever Japanese luxury cars esp by Lexus and Infiniti are brought up <yawnnnn>... Listen there isn't a Buick in the history of Buick that performs like these cars - ever, drive-by-wire steering or not. Yeah they're styled too Japanese, get over it, they're Japanese. And the rebadged Maxima based Infiniti I30/35 has been gone since 2002/03 buddy -you're still stuck 4 car generations ago. Some of you old mentality guys need to get current.

I will be happy to "get over it" when Infiniti produces a car with styling that exceeds the original Q-45 - they have yet to do so.

The fact that Infiniti and Lexus are in the second tier premium category with Buick is (Based on the cars they actually sells in numbers) is not my fault - Lexus two big sellers are the ES and the RX - YAWN.

AND I have a brand new Cadillac CT6 in my driveway - what is YOUR most current premium car?

Did you say CT6? Oh lord no wonder. Look I love what Caddy and GM is doing but they're just getting back on their feet - they can't hold a candle to what the Japanese premiums have been doing except for maybe the Acura sedans. By the way Buick is supposed to outsell a smaller luxury brand as Buick is a MAINSTREAM, near-premium auto brand which sells cars similar to the Maxima, Avalon, Azera etc, they aren't a luxury auto buddy - please don't blur the lines. They aren't RWD, they don't have the suspension set-up, the steering and engines aren't tuned nor refined for quick responsiveness when pushing the cars to their limits and cornering at high-speeds, I could go on - you sound like an amateur on here. By the way my most current premium car is a 2015 Infiniti Q50. In 2014 I turned in (my lease was up) the auto who's interior is depicted in my profile pic a 2011 M37X - now called the Q70. You should go test one and tell me if it isn't better than what the original Q45 ever was - I would know because I owned a '94 Q45 - loved that car but it was no M- (now Q70)....I'll give some of you guys a tip, Enterprise auto rental has some really good weekend rental deals -which has allowed me to test a lot of cars. I would suggest you guys rent some of the Japanese luxury specifically the Q70 3.7 or if you have real balls the 5.6L for the weekend so you can try to flog them before criticizing.

As I noted - Infiniti is NOT a premium car - it is second tier with Lexus. THe big Seller of BOTH of those Brands cars - the Lexus ES - is exactly what YOU say - a FWD car that compares more with the Mainstream Brands - it is essentially a Japanese Buick LaCrosse - and I am not blurring those lines of yours. . When Infiniti actually produces another really well styled almost premium car - instead of comic book wheels - It is likely I will be dead - or Infiniti will die first. AND the Enterprise near me has LOTS of Hyundai Elantras for YOU to test drive if you wish. I don't have to settle for second tier - THe advantage of reaching MY age - is that although I still build racing transmissions for hot rods at Englishtown(I am no amateur) - I actually have the money to buy the cars I prefer to drive ANd -As YOU would know if you read the threads - I bought the CT6 for my Mother - I drive a 12 Cylinder Mercedes S-600.


I understand that some people have to SETTLE for second tier - that is not a reflection on you - at least you can look forward to the day when you actually can afford to buy a premium car. But an Infiniti is simply a "miss" - and it will take a complete makeover to change that.

The initial question is a (loaded) question.

Giving the Q50 a performance boast is a smart move. It deserves that much. Packing 400HP w/ AWD should be pretty fun all year long in this sport-luxury car. On that note, the Q50 would get more "respect" if Infiniti kept the M56x/Q80 competitive.

Experienced vehicle owners (such as TomM) have driven all ranges of vehicles & is familiar with subtleties in engineering/design/operating features that totally distinguishes the top tier brands from the bottom tier brands. This is understandable & I appreciate their perspectives.

Average consumers - however - can care less about the fanatic discussions we have. They don't know & won't care about this so-called 1st-tier premium & 2nd-tier premium vehicles. Premium means "luxury" to these people. So Infiniti, Lexus, Genesis, Acura, Lincoln, Cadillac, Audi, etc are all "luxury" brands - though not carrying the cachet of brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Range Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, etc. that the rich & ultra-rich & wealthy tend to frequent. Calling a brand "2nd-tier premium/luxury" means nothing. It's still a luxury brand....just not as popular or valuable as those brands considered 1st-tier.

Sorry - I disagree. And it speaks to the issue I have talked about often - that LUXURY CARS are not little sports sedans such as the Bmw 3 - series and others - THEY may be premium cars - BUT around the world - Luxury cars are still the Big Spacious quiet well riding cars like the S-Class - 7-Series and Above - and they definitely are not CUVs-SUVs. People do not equate an Acura or a Buick with a Mercedes S class - as being equivalent luxury vehicles.

In the case of Infiniti - they did once produce a Luxury sedan - the original Q-45. ANd it deserved the title - BUT - then they proceeded to fill out their offerings with junk - largely upgraded Nissans(M series - I series - G series - etc) that were already on the market in Japan as Nissans. They eventually replaced the original Q-45 with another such Nissan - and for YEARS they ruined the name - reducing it to an also ran. WHile they have since introduced a car that is not another Nissan - it is basically a small sports sedan - not a luxury car - and it really does not have the pedigree of the true Premium sedans on the market as well - and that will take YEARS for Infiniti to Turn that around. In the mean time - Nissan has essentially stuck with variants of a six cylinder engine that has been around for decades - and while when it was originally introduced - it was truly nice - it is now showing its age and needs a replacement too. Sorry - Infiniti was ONCE a possibility - but today is simply is NOT equal.

Yes we all understand the difference between 1st tier, 2nd tier, and the opinion that large saloons are the only true luxury cars etc., etc. blah blah blah...However your perspective on what's PREMIUM is totally subjective here because you said "Infiniti does not look premium to ME". If you claim they don't have the cachet or so-called pedigree then fine, claim that - they haven't been around 100 years. However it is still a subjective statement. As far as your comment about me affording a "premium car" again you sound like an amateur here because the previous and current gen M35/37/56/Q70 was priced exactly the same as several of your vaunted - "true premium" (in your mind)- competitors in the mid-sized luxury segment. As dumpsty said, "experienced vehicle owners" such as yourself that can appreciate all the nuances and "subtleties" would know this. I've driven the 5, and the E many times - both owned by family members, and the 5 was fine, however the E class didn't match up. I instead purchased that M because that's the car I liked and wanted to drive. I'm also of the belief that if it's below the S class/7 series/A8 level then anybody can be usurped at any time.

By the way I did my days in cheap American and korean cars long ago. The Enterprise recommendation wasn't so you could aspire to buy any of these cars but, so that your opinions expressed about cars other than your own are better substantiated and informed by some first hand experience.

I Based my statement about Infiniti not being a first level premium - based on its history as I noted in my last post. THe fact that is also has comic book styling is something that seems to be a Japanese thing - with Lexus ruining its cars with a cow catcher grill. Pricing is meaningless in this case - anyone can put a huge price on a car - that does not make it a first level premium car - it only makes it harder for dealers to sell them.

My position with my company - in which I travel extensively internationally - has me far more familiar with many Foreign Brands - some that do not even come to the USA - Citroen is a classic example of a Luxury car like that. AND Infiniti - for example - was not even available in is HOME market of Japan for years(Until 2013) - likely because many of the cars were simply rebadged Nissans to begin with- and the Japanese do not pay premiums for such things as quickly as other markets. So my opinion actually comes with an international slant - although I still live in New Jersey and Florida. Lexus was also a non-starter for a long time around the world.

And the reason why I separate the classes of cars into premium and Luxury vehicles is because a lot of these car simply are incapable of putting a Regular size human being in the car behind ME driving. While they may have other attributes that brings them a step above the Mass-Level cars - they are largely SPORTS attributes - not Luxury ones. The current stupidity of bringing more and more horsepower to smaller and smaller cars - often these cars ride like go-carts with a huge engine - is also something I can look past - 400 horsepower is fine - but you can already go far beyond the legal speed limits and the normal acceleration rate of the drivers with less powerful engines. The ability to go 260MPH in a CHIRON begs the question - WHERE on public roads? As a person from englishtown NJ - where the Drag strip is king - but we also had a Nascar oval years ago - WE can easily produce race cars that go very fast - driving that fast in the public road system is stupidity - besides being illegal. And for the average driver - even if the car has the capability - the driver does not. AND where the difference between cars is measured in Hundredths of a second - that takes a race car driver (Soemthing that I was when I was much younger - but alas no longer) on a closed course. The concept that Rolls Royce used when asked for its Horsepower as being ADEQUATE is lost on people who quote numbers that they cannot duplicate. However - I note that these cars have gone from being sports sedans - to having rides that are simply punishing in a lot of cases - and the "luxury" simply is not there.

Yet - magazines like this one push the envelope of horsepower as if it is the ONLY consideration - and that is NOT the case. There was a time - my 450SEL 6.9 was an example - when a car could be BOTH a luxury sedan and a sports car. I fear that time has passed - and maybe tha

I do remember (10-15 years ago maybe) when the car mag forums would "light up" with arguments about who is considered luxury-sport or sport-luxury. Today those lines have been blurred so much, it doesn't even make sense to even care anymore.

And since more ultra-luxury brands (i.e. Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lambo, Ferrari, McLaren) are exponentially more popular today, there's room for high-end luxury brands (i.e. Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc) to eschew the markets & consumer perceptions. Mostly b/c even the high-end luxury brands make vehicles that cost as much as or more than ultra-luxury models. Costs & sizing aren't real factors anymore as well.

So to a very deep extent - brands whose "core" models sell in the sub-$200k range - are further categorized (tiers) based on perceived popularity & the overall health of the manufacturer.

The horsepower is nice but the car is ugly.
T

Yyyaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnn..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Another vote for "Nope". Like Lexus, this styling is just to awkward for me.

For that much money, I'd rather get a MB C450.

Oh - and I forgot to mention - as a very tall person(6'7") -I don't buy small sports sedans like a 3 series BMW and your second tier Q - I buy actual luxury sized cars - that have the space inside for a person my height.

I have often mentioned that the small sports car segment - is NOT the luxury car segment - these are NOT luxury cars - although they may be premium cars.

But to make YOU happy - I will test drive the full size 12 cylinder Luxury Ininiti that compares with my Mercedes - except of course that they DON'T MAKE ONE. Infiniti is NOT a premium Luxury car manufacturer - the closest they came was with the Original Q-45. (Other Q45-cars were simply not premium cars = but rebadged Nissans)