Infiniti Q50 2.0t 2014 Review

Aimed four square at the darlings of the prestige auto market, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW’s 3 Series, the Q50 is a potential volume seller for Infiniti — albeit using volume in relative terms.

And it’s this variant of the Q50 that is at aimed at the very heart of the segment. A 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder ‘starter’ car that must offer the mix of accessible performance, reasonable fuel consumption and an affordable price to allow Nissan’s fledgling luxury brand to build enough momentum to leave the nest Down Under.  

It may have a small engine, but it’s got a big job ahead of it...

The qualified good news is that the 2.0t is a thoroughly capable luxury midsizer. The qualification is the fact that even since the rest of Q50 range was launched in February, the prestige midsize segment has moved on and then some… The change agent? Mercedes’ latest C-Class.

The 2.0t rounds out the powertrain line-up for the mid-size Q50 sedan range and, like its turbo-diesel 2.2d counterpart, will be offered locally in three model grades.

Priced from $50,900, the ‘masstige’ Infiniti features a Mercedes-Benz sourced 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre direct-injected DOHC four-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled petrol engine matched to a conventional seven-speed automatic gearbox.

The powertrain is for all intents and purposes shared with Mercedes-Benz’s latest C-Class fours. It features auto stop-start and according to Infiniti returns 7.3L/100km on the ADR Combined cycle. Notably, this is almost 25 per cent more than the matched-output engine in the C 250 sedan (6.0L/100km).

Powertrain is where the parts-sharing finishes, however. As detailed in our local launch review of the Q50, it is crafted on Infiniti/Nissan’s own platform which is unusual in the size segment for featuring double-wishbone front suspension.

While we’re talking technical, the Q50 range is also notable for introducing the world’s first automotive electronic steer-by-wire system. Although not offered on all Q50s, it’s a hint of things to come — whether we like it or not.

Three 2.0t models offered Down Under are all rear-wheel drive. The $50,900 entry grade GT arrives $1000 cheaper than its 2.2d oiler counterpart. Similarly, the mid-grade S is priced at $56,900 and top-of-the-range S Premium is $60,500.

Tellingly, that top price is around the same mark Mercedes-Benz’s new C-Class kicks off at, albeit at a lower power and torque level. A significant part of the appeal Infiniti is seeking to create with the 2.0t is the offer of top-of-the-range ‘newcomer’ amenities and safety kit for entry-level ‘establishment’ money.

If Mercedes hadn’t knocked the segment for six with the interior design and quality of the new W205 C-Class, the attraction might be stronger. It simply goes to show how fast the four-wheeled world is moving — even at the luxury end of town.

That said, in isolation, even at base grade, the 2.0t offers plenty to impress. Badged GT, the cheapest 2.0t feels anything but cheap and features 17-inch alloys, leather seat facings, heated electric driver and front passenger seats all as standard. Also on the list is the two-screen Infiniti InTouch satnav and app-based infotainment system, DAB+ radio, smart start and keyless entry.

The optional ‘Enhancement Pack’ for the GT which adds sunroof and 18-inch alloys for $3000 will be a popular add-on, we reckon. On the flip side, it seems a little mean that the base GT must do without gearshift paddles.

The mid-grade 2.0t S adds 18-inch alloys to the standard specification along with sunroof, sports bodywork, those shift paddles, more seat adjustments (including thigh extension) and an uprated 14-speaker BOSE audio system.

Tick the S box and you’re also dialling up key mechanical changes including the Q50’s unique fly-by-wire Direct-Adaptive Steering (DAS) system with Active Lane Control — a quasi autonomous driving mode that uses a camera-based system to keep the car in-lane.

Buyers of the top-of-the-line 2.0t S Premium get the full force of Infiniti’s active safety suite. Along with 19-inch alloys, the equipment list adds adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance and autonomous braking, lane departure and blind sport warning and prevention systems, plus a Back-up Collision Intervention system that combines a rear cross traffic alert with autonomous rearwards braking.

Auto dipping headlamps and an around view monitor with Moving Object Detection are also on the S Premium’s standard equipment list.

It’s an impressive list of goodies. If not at the absolute bleeding edge of active safety and semi-autonomous operation that the Germans continue to develop, it’s not far short — and as we noted above, for a considerably less money.

We tested the 2.0t on a varied loop from Melbourne north through the Macedon Ranges and on to Nagambie before droning back down the Hume Highway. Not enough to give you dynamic chapter and verse but enough time to understand the basics of the car and its manners.

And they are generally good, combining a reasonable level of ride quality with decent road-holding. As is the case with their Benz counterparts, the 2.0t is more refined than the 2.2d turbo-diesel and cabin noise levels are impressively hushed.

Interestingly, the S variant we drove had significantly more intake noise than the GT we sampled first. Our Infiniti hosts were at a loss to explain why — under the bonnet save for the steering system, the cars are identical. Not that the extra tunes were a negative in my book — indeed, I’d noted that the engine sounded uninspiringly ‘flat’ in the first car. In comparison, our S tester was positively Alfa-esque.

Performance is good rather than sparkling. The claimed 0-100km/h time for the 2.0t is 7.3sec, in contrast Benz claims 6.6 for its identically-powered C 250.

The Infiniti is no lightweight with a claimed tare mass of 1645kg. The Benz is a claimed 1425kg – a 225kg difference that goes a fair way to explaining the difference in both standing start times and fuel economy.

The 2.0t is nonetheless reasonably light on its feet. Infiniti's Drive Mode Select allows some 'tuning' of engine, transmission and (on DAS-equipped grades) steering, across three preset modes and a 'Personal' setting. The differences are noticeable (for instance, Sport holds gears too long) although we're not sure how many owners will use the system once the novelty has worn off.

In any of the settings, as my colleague Bruce Newton detailed in our initial Q50 range launch drive, the DAS system takes quite some getting used to.

In a straight line, there’s a sense of you correcting the vehicle’s own corrections which tends to evoke a vestigial 'head toss'. In my case it manifested itself as feeling like I was always 'behind' the car. Annoying.

I can appreciate the theoretical advantages of the system and enjoyed the direct feel of the response in sporting driving, but I'm yet to be convinced the science isn't still a little ahead of the execution.

No, it wouldn't stop me from recommending a Q50, but I'd add the proviso that you need to drive the car first to make sure it works for you… Or stick to the GT which has well calibrated 'normal' steering.

In essence, the new midsize Infiniti ticks all the boxes. It's the right size (see our initial launch review for more on packaging) and presents a fresh face in the segment. But that does not change the fact it has a job ahead of it.

The 2.0t is a good not a great car but, especially in its base GT grade, it offers a very refined, good looking and well-equipped alternative for those wishing to move up from top-spec mass-market brand models, as well as buyers of established prestige marques.

Infiniti says it will actively target these upgraders with the Q50 – it's the smartest thing I've heard from them since the brand arrived Down Under.

Infiniti Q50 2.0t specifications (see text for grade pricing):
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (combined)
CO2: 168gkm (combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star Euro NCAP

What we liked:
>> Standard equipment levels
>> Powertrain polish
>> Overall fit and finish

Not so much:
>> DAS steering
>> Thirsty, in theory and practice compared to Euros
>> Interior materials (compared to C-Class)