Infiniti Q60 GT 2017 Review

Got the look
If on-the-street reactions are anything to go by, Infiniti’s new Q60 GT coupe is a winner.

While it’s not uncommon for a test car to elicit reactions from passers-by, the positive comments directed at the Q60 were surprising - one admirer even asked if it was a Maserati.

For sure, the Q60 is a looker. Certainly a quantum step up from its predecessor, the newcomer is not too outrageous to alienate, but sharp enough to stand out in a category where style counts for a lot.

It all starts with a brash front end comprising an oversize grille (which is hardly a new styling ploy these days) flanked by curved-slit LED headlights. Sporty and functional side vents in the guards and a signature slash terminating the glassware at the C-pillar provide character without looking too contrived. The rear is free of stylistic singularities but looks suitably premium with its narrow organic-look tail lights, nascent lip spoiler and twin big-bore tail pipes.

For all the bravado of the front end, the Q60 is pretty aerodynamic with a drag coefficient of 0.29.

With BMW’s 4 Series, Audi’s A5, Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe and the Lexus RC as its major competitors, there was never going to be much leeway for misjudgements in design or execution. The good thing about the Hong Kong-based Japanese manufacturer’s latest entrant into the luxury-car fray is that the magnetic styling is backed up by a lot of under-the-skin competence.

It helps having a price tag which seems about right for a new luxury coupe. At $62,900 before on-road costs, the base Q60 GT undercuts entry versions of BMW, Audi, Benz and Lexus rivals.

And, even though there is much more to come around May this year when the ballistic 298kW/475Nm twin turbo 3.0-litre V6 version arrives locally, the current four-cylinder Q60 GT manages quite well on the road.

Out-powering all its 2.0-litre competitors (other than the 180kW/350Nm Lexus RC200T), the 155kW/350Nm turbocharged, directed-injected, variable valve-timing four-cylinder engine is no slouch.

In fact, according to quoted figures it outpaces comparable rivals off the mark and, in the real world, it feels it. There’s ready accelerator response, a nice, heady mid-range and an upper-end urgency that doesn’t shy away from the 6300rpm red line. Zero to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds may not be blindingly fast, but it’s still quicker than all the aforementioned bar the identically-quick Mercedes C200 coupe – although the Infiniti pays a penalty in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The Q60 doesn’t lag behind in cabin accommodation either. Partly as a result of having (just) the longest wheelbase in its class, the Q60 springs a few surprises not normally expected in a relatively low-slung, rear-drive coupe.

Although back-seat passengers may get a little impatient waiting for the front seats to slowly power-slide forward so they can gain access, they’ll not complain once seated when they discover realistic legroom and shoulder room. Although headroom is barely adequate for tall passengers, the only real passenger whinges may come on hot days where the rear window arcs overhead to expose skulls to the solar rays and when they discover there’s no central aircon vent.

The 342-litre boot is not the largest in its class but the Q60 will swallow some pretty large items (such as a mountain bike with one wheel removed) if the single-piece rear-seat backrest is folded.

In the front, things are pretty rosey too. The driver and passenger sit on what Infiniti claims to be especially supportive “high-bolster” seats (they proved comfortable after relatively long periods on the road) and the controls achieve a certain minimalism with the help of twin touch-screen displays covering satellite navigation, phone and other functions.

One of those functions is a drive mode selector which allows the car’s dynamic characteristics to be swapped around in self-explanatory Standard, Sport, Snow and Personal settings, bringing appropriate changes to steering, driveline and suspension behaviour.

Like the exterior, the interior of the Q60 is non-alienating, yet with its clean, uncontrived air of tastefulness and quality it’s unquestionably premium. The Q60 GT has most of the equipment you’d expect: Leather trim, power-adjustable (heated) front seats and steering column, climate control, DAB digital radio and voice activation for numerous functions.

Our test car was equipped with the $3000 Enhancement Pack so it came with a sunroof, 13-speaker BOSE audio, front and side cameras to give an all-round view when parking and active, auto-dipping headlights.

The Q60’s sense of occasion extends to the on-road experience: With help from the active noise cancellation system, the cabin is quiet on the open road, the suspension meters out a good compromise between grip tenacity and ride comfort – despite the 255/40 R19 run-flat tyres – and the direct-injected turbo four competently hauls along this somewhat weighty 1698kg coupe.

If there is any blot on the Q60 GT it’s that the obviously four-cylinder engine note could, to some, sound out of place in a 60 grand-plus luxury coupe (not that its competitors don’t suffer in varying degrees from the same mismatch). That said, the 2.0-litre engine is well attended to by the seven-speed automatic transmission with its adaptive shift control which uses a lateral acceleration sensor to detect dips and turns in the road and set the best shift points regardless of the drive mode selected.

The Q60 GT scored an official fuel consumption figure of 7.7L/100km, making it the least economical of the group (BMW for example claims 5.8L/100km for its 420I), and its CO2 emissions are the highest too at 175g/km where the BMW sneaks down to 134g/km. Our average consumption figure of 8.5L/100km in mixed driving conditions at least came within grasp of the official figure and the 80-litre fuel tank ensures a big cruising range.

For its size and weight (it more or less dimensionally mirrors all its rivals), the Q60 brings a nimble confidence suiting its medium-sporty nature. The only thing that might catch some drivers out when manoeuvring at low speed is that the extremities are sometimes hard to judge from the driver’s seat – although the reasonably tight 11.2-metre turning circle is some compensation.

The Q60 rates well in looking after customers too. Its four-year, 100,000km warranty, including roadside assistance, betters the three-year warranties of the Germans and the fixed-price servicing comes annually, or at 25,000km.

One thing that disappoints is a shortfall of safety equipment: The Q60 gets low-speed autonomous emergency braking which takes pedestrians into account and is preceded by forward collision warning, there’s tyre pressure monitoring and an “Around View Monitor” able to detect moving objects but, unfortunately, there’s no mention of lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert, some of which – though not necessarily all – are available in its rivals. The six-airbag count sounds a bit measly too, especially when compared with the eight-bag Lexus and the C-Class Benz with its nine bags. BMW and Audi share the same airbag count as the Q60.

Unquestionably the Infiniti Q60 rates as an appropriately-safe car (there’s no ANCAP figure as yet) but, at this level, one would normally expect it to embrace most, if not all, of the latest safety technology.

Otherwise this slinky, accommodating and impressively competent premium coupe is just the sort of car Infiniti needs to secure a stronger grip on the Australian luxury car market. It’s great to live with, and justifies its presence in a segment where any competitor’s goal should be to rate as best in class.

2017 Infiniti Q60 GT pricing and specifications:
Price: $62,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 175g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

Images for illustrative purposes only