Infiniti Q60 2016 Review

Infiniti Q60 GT 2.0t

Australian Launch Review
Yarra Valley, Victoria

Infiniti tells us that as much as 92 per cent of the new Q60 is based on the concept car that debuted at the Detroit motor show back in January this year. The production car retains the show car's sweeping style lines but backs up those looks with advanced, real-world technology for comfort, convenience and safety.

Among those features is Active Noise Cancellation, which eliminates undesirable noise and harshness from the engine, a 2.0-litre turbocharged, petrol four-cylinder. It contributes to the Q60's very quiet passage at speed, with just some wind and road noise audible when cruising.

Throttle wide open, the engine sounds a little throaty, but it's not the delightfully sporty note of a BMW 320i since that car’s LCI update. The soundtrack is actually close in character to that of the Q60's nearest rival, the Lexus RC 200t.

Delivering torque from quite low revs, the Q60’s powerplant suffers from turbo lag, but not nearly to the same degree as the Lexus. The Infiniti engine is saddled with a hefty kerb weight and never feels as lively as it should with the sort of output it offers, but in its defence, the Q60's rivals (see list below) all produce around 25 to 30kW more power. Infiniti claims the Q60 will knock over the 0-100km/h run in 7.3 seconds, which is slightly better than the Lexus and the BMW 420i – each on 7.5 seconds – and lineball with the Mercedes C 200 coupe.

Performance is basically linear up to the redline, where the seven-speed automatic transmission smoothly shifts up a gear by itself, even when the lever is knocked across to the right for manual shifting. The Q60 is not equipped with shift paddles, so engaging sport mode for the transmission comes with pulling the lever closer for manual shifting.

Fuel consumption over the 300km or so of the drive programme was 9.6L/100km, which is significantly better than achieved in a Lexus RC 200t for that car’s local launch programme, but the Infiniti didn’t have the thrashing handed out to it that the Lexus did on a much shorter drive programme.

The Q60's performance can be adjusted through Infiniti's drive mode select system, which also regulates ride quality and steering effort for more dynamic motoring, or comfort-oriented operation.

Leave the Drive select mode set to Standard and the Q60’s steering is light and bereft of feel to the point where the driver is constantly correcting to keep the Infiniti on track around bends and even in a straight line. It also affects the car’s steering response – slower – but doesn’t improve ride quality appreciably.

Switch the drive mode select switch to Sport and the steering firms up and the Q60 is significantly easier to place on the road. But the ride also becomes less compliant with that. The suspension in this mode is prone to crash over sharp impacts.

Most owners would find the Q60's ride bearable in Standard mode, presuming they rarely leave town limits. Those same owners are also likely to be untroubled by the steering’s lack of feedback in the suburbs.

If the steering is a disappointment in the Q60, the standard Active Trace Control system is a real asset in Sport mode, making the Q60 feel more nimble on a trailing throttle and more stable with the power applied. It's essentially a torque-vectoring system that can be observed working when hooking into a corner at higher speeds.

But if the Active Trace Control’s input is welcome, the stability control’s early intervention isn’t. Even in undemanding conditions, the stability control was pre-empting wheelspin by severely crimping the flow of torque to the drive wheels.

As a package, the Q60 is on a very close footing with the Lexus RC. There’s useful boot space, but no more than you would expect from a coupe of this size. The rear seats may look uninviting, but even with the front seats slid back as far as possible there’s plenty of kneeroom for adults of average height. There’s also enough room to slip the feet underneath the front seats and stretch out a little.

Unfortunately, headroom in the rear was inadequate for me, and that was in a base-model car – without the sunroof that comes with the $3000 Enhancement Pack option. Infiniti anticipates that most Q60s will be sold with this option, which means that few Q60s will be fit for transporting anyone over 170cm tall in the rear.

Another issue with the rear seat was the lack of vents and the fixed side glass. And although climbing in and out is not the challenge it often is in some two-door cars, there is some wait for the motor that slides the front seat fore and aft to provide a sufficiently large gap for entering or leaving the car from the rear seats. Operating that motor is by means of a button separate to the lever that unlatches the front-seat squab for it to tilt forward.

Behind the wheel, the Q60 shares a lot with the Q50 sedan. The centre fascia and the instruments are a direct lift from the sedan, which raises the issue of the mismatched infotainment screens. One is a low-rent unit with slightly grainy resolution, and the other offers higher-resolution format. Also common to the Q50 is the drive mode select toggle, which is located too far aft to be readily used without more familiarity… just like the sedan’s.

While the instruments are easy enough to read at a glance, the tachometer’s redline is very subtle, although the drivetrain is never likely to over-rev anyway, making the maximum speed calibration largely redundant, other than as a style affectation.

The front seats are very comfortable and hold the occupants in place quite securely. They rate as the nicest single element of the Q60’s interior design. But there’s not a lot of headroom in the front of the Q60 for someone around 180cm or taller. Once again, the Q60 with a sunroof is likely to be even more at a disadvantage in that respect.

Infiniti has developed the long doors to open in multiple increments, so the risk of damaging the door of an adjacent car is significantly reduced, because driver and passenger can assert finer control over the way the door swings open. In theory the system should work, but we would like to try it on home turf, over the course of a seven-day test.

Priced as it is, the Q60 GT comes unexpectedly close to the Lexus RC 200t. There's little to pick between the two, although for me the ride comfort and steering work against the Infiniti. But for buyers who prefer the Q60's style and spend more time on well-maintained urban roads, neither of those objections will hold water.

2016 Infiniti Q60 2.0t pricing and specifications:
Price: $62,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 175g/km
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> BMW 420i Sport Line (from $68,900 plus ORCs)
>> Lexus RC 200t Luxury (from $65,090 plus ORCs)
>> Mercedes-Benz C200 (from $65,900 plus ORCs)