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Adam Davis2 May 2016
REVIEW

Infiniti Q70 2016 Review

Stylish, capable luxury sedan is packed with premium value

Infiniti Q70 S Premium and GT Premium Hybrid
Road Test

Handsome, value-packed and powerful, the refreshed Infiniti Q70 offers a genuine alternative to the established players in the premium sedan market. Priced from $78,900 (plus on-road costs) in sporty S Premium form, we’ve also sampled the top-shelf, hybrid-propelled GT Premium (from $82,900 plus ORCs). Both gain important safety tech, strong equipment levels and smooth (if thirsty) petrol V6 engines.

For a long time, those seeking a genuine alternative to the big three premium German brands have had little to discover.

More recently, the re-emergence of Jaguar as a competitive proposition has placed the mainland Europeans on their toes, while Lexus has risen as a key off-continent competitor.

Infiniti, however, has been left largely by the wayside… in this country at least.

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But it’s early days yet. While Lexus has been prominent in Australia since the 1990s, Infiniti is a relative newcomer, having (re) debuted here in 2012.

Since then, it has struggled to find footing within the establishment, its range of cars having had an Americanised slant (Infiniti has been successful in North America, with sales commencing way back in 1989) that has had less resonance Down Under.

Nicely refreshed for 2016, Infiniti’s Q70 is pitched against the likes of Audi’s A6, BMW’s 5 Series, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Lexus GS premium sedans.

Priced from $78,900 (plus on-road ORCs) the S Premium sits smack in the middle of the three-pronged Q70 model range. Stump up another $4000 and you can find yourself into the top-line GT Premium for $82,900. This outlay is no more than what was asked previously, though equipment levels and restyling have added much value, according to Infiniti.

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To these eyes the latest Infiniti looks impressive; more restrained than its most natural Lexus rival but still individual enough to differentiate itself from established Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz competition… especially in the S Premium’s Hermosa Blue paintwork and 20-inch ‘five double-spoke’ alloy wheels.

A similar impression is gleaned when entering the cabin. The leather upholstery is supple and soft, the front seats boast audio speakers (for the 16-speaker BOSE Surround Sound System) that are integrated into their tops you sink comfortably into position; though it is difficult to reach the touchscreen from my usual position.

There’s a multitude of switches and buttons that combine to confuse, lacking the cleanly designed feel of the more modern German interiors. Beneath the 8.0-inch touchscreen sits a small analogue clock that is rather difficult to read and there’s a foot-operated park brake.

Countering these observations is the fact that there’s a lot of equipment in here.

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Heated and cooled, and electrically-adjustable front memory seats (trimmed in a leather opined by a colleague as ‘the softest in this class’) and a heated steering wheel are nice touches and there’s dual-zone climate control complete with Infiniti’s ‘Forest’ mode, which aims to provide a more natural air flow throughout the cabin.

The level of safety assistants is also deeply impressive, furthering the Q70 as a strong-value proposition (in context).

Forming part of the Infiniti Safety Shield (as fitted standard to S Premium and GT Premium), there are six new measures for the updated Q70, namely: Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Around View Monitor, Backup Collision Intervention, Forward Emergency Braking, Lane-Departure Warning and Prevention, and Blind-Spot Warning and Intervention. This goes with items such as Intelligent Cruise with Distance Control Assist and Moving Object Detection.

The Q70 S Premium is the sporty slant of the range. It’s the only variant to use active four-wheel steering and it gains an individualised sports suspension tune. Braking is upgraded to a four-piston front, two-piston rear set up with 355mm front and 350mm rear ventilated discs. It also gains magnesium construction for the seven-speed automatic shifter paddles.

Pricing and Features
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Under the bonnet is a familiar beast. Displacing 3.7 litres spread over six cylinders and mounted in V-formation the petrol-fuelled engine lacks forced induction, but does output 235kW/360Nm – amounts shared with the entry-level Q70 GT. Peak power is felt at a very high 7000rpm with torque cresting at 5200rpm.

In the reality of day-to-day Australian driving, it’s unlikely you’ll ever hit those highs... let alone the 7500rpm indicated redline. Claimed fuel of 10.8L/100km is perhaps the Infiniti’s largest remaining weakness against Euro competition.

Opting for the hybrid GT Premium (which is otherwise similarly-specified to the S Premium in equipment, but lacks the sporting enhancements and rides on 18-inch alloys) reduces vital capacities; the V6’s capacity drops to 3.5 litres and luggage space from 500 litres to only 350.

The V6 lacks the variable timing of the larger petrol donk and is tuned to work with a 50kW/290Nm dual-clutched electric motor that’s fed by a lithium-ion battery. With the petrol engine contributing 225kW/350Nm, combined outputs are 268kW/547Nm.

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This combination not only endows the GT Premium with vastly-improved claimed economy of 6.9L/100km on the combined cycle, it also drops the claimed 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark to 5.3sec from 6.2.

On the road the S Premium rides with confidence and a sense of serenity that indicates the Infiniti engineers are into something with its noise cancellation technology. This allows you to hear the array of beeps and sensors more readily at parking speeds… which one of those buttons switches that one off again? Yes, the safety package is impressive, but it can also distract.

Despite being sports tuned the S Premium remains compliant. On the flip side it retains a certain level of cornering composure. Confident at normal road speeds, lifting cornering speeds to determine if it's worthy of the sport nomenclature reveals notable roll and a tendency to push wide quite early in the process.

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Infiniti steering has been criticised in the past, but the latest variable-ratio electric system provides good initial response and transitions smoothly into sharper corners.

Coupled with tight-fitting stability and traction control programs the S Premium is perhaps less engaging than its looks, engine note and response, and strong braking capability suggest.

Step into the faster hybrid-propelled GT Premium and you quickly note the torque-swollen delivery from the electric motor, as well as the vehicle's extra mass (1785kg v 1702kg, kerb) leading to an increased tendency to understeer.

You also notice an odd sensation coming through the brake pedal as deceleration energy is harvested. That, combined with the smaller braking set up (two-pot callipers front and rear, clamping 320mm/308mm discs respectively) makes the hybrid a little less sure of itself.

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In electric mode the Q70 makes a decent go of it, regularly deploying as you coast along the freeway and more capable of staying with stop-start traffic than I remember the last Prius I sampled being. It does quickly drain the battery when regular acceleration runs up to 80km/h are required, meaning the V6 whirrs into action more often than you may think. This, of course, has an effect on economy.

The hybrid is more economical (and even quieter) in the real world, but not by as much as the on-paper figures would have you believe. Driven mostly on highways, though with 30 per cent of the week spent in the suburbs, we recorded 9.5L/100km (better than the claim!) in the S Premium and 8.2L/100km with the GT Premium (during similar driving).

This quiet, capable cruiser does many things well, and now it’s been refreshed with subtle yet effective styling and improved equipment levels, is well worth considering when shopping this segment… if you can justify the fuel economy shortfall.

2016 Infiniti Q70 S Premium pricing and specifications:
Price: $78,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.7-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 235kW/360Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 249g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

2016 Infiniti Q70 GT Hybrid pricing and specifications:
Price: $82,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder petrol and electric motor
Output: 268kW/546Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 159g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

Also consider:
>> BMW 5 Series (from $82,300 plus ORCs)
>> Lexus GS (from $75,000 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz E-Class (from $80,400 plus ORCs)

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Written byAdam Davis
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
71/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
14/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
15/20
Safety & Technology
17/20
Behind The Wheel
13/20
X-Factor
12/20
Pros
  • Smart new look
  • Standard equipment and safety
  • Comfortable driving environment
Cons
  • Hybrid braking feel
  • Thirst
  • Soft dynamics in S Premium
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