Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 2017 Review

From little things...
Infiniti Cars Australia is still in its infancy. It’s been five years since the brand returned to these shores, arriving to compete against long-established British, German and Japanese rivals (think Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz).

Add to this a cohort of conservative buyers with deep pockets who rarely stray from the safety net of homogenous Euro styling and you’ve gotta wonder how on earth Infiniti do it? Sell cars, that is...

For the Japanese luxury marque, it’s about taking risks where others don’t – and delivering as much value as possible.

Addressing the media at the Australian launch of the Q60 Red Sport Infiniti Australia’s product planning manager, Bernard Michel, confirmed the group has high hopes for its new high performance coupe.

“It’s a halo car for us,” Michel said. “It will showcase our performance DNA as well as our daring design. It’s very much a part of the Infiniti design mantra: our cars being noticed on the road.”

Daring? Possibly. Different? Definitely. Like a rogue mole on a supermodel’s upper lip, the Q60 Red Sport is appealing in its uniqueness. But that’s no easy path. Its curved lines see it shapelier than most (cars), the Q60 Red Sport deserves the head-turning attention it receives.

We first drove the Q60 Red Sport in San Diego, USA last year, and first drive impressions were good. Now to see how it performs on home soil.

Plush, tech-savvy interior
Inside, the Q60 is comfortable, luxurious and well equipped. Surrounded by soft Nappa leather, real carbon-fibre inlays and cocooned in your soft electrically-adjustable heated seats, it’s a rather nice place to be.

Cabin design and ambience mimics what we’ve seen in previous Q60 models, including Infiniti’s InTouch infotainment and connectivity system that is relatively intuitive, but slightly disjointed in its dual-screen design.

The upgraded system is faster and allows for more personalisation and driver-preference related memory settings. You get Bluetooth connectivity, digital radio, voice control, satellite navigation and a raft of other features as standard. But miss out on the increasingly popular Apply CarPlay/Android Auto functionality.

Other things you would rightfully expect at the luxury-end of town are head-up display, a digital speedo and an electric park brake – all are absent.

The 13-speaker BOSE premium audio system does not disappoint, however.
The cabin’s insulation and overall ride comfort impressed too. A traditional two-plus-two seating configuration sees generous cabin space, but with limited occupancy. Second-row headroom is compromised, the sloping roof skimming the head of average sized occupants.

You get two cup holders and an oddments tray, but like so many others there are no second-row air vents. The inclusion of two ISOFIX points ticks the child-friendly box, however.

Boot space has grown by 100 litres to 341. The rear seat back folds for greater load flexibility.

Tech traveller
Weighing in at 1784kg, the Q60 Red Sport grows in proportions. It’s lower, wider and longer than its predecessor. Riding on 19-inch alloys it is stopped by red-painted Akebono performance calipers and dinner-plate-size rotors.

The Q60 Red Sport is a steer-by-wire system – arguable a contentious technology for the brand – is far better in its second-generation form. Dubbed Direct Adaptive Steering 2.0, it’s designed to “feel more traditional”.

“This is a sign of the times,” explained Michel. “In the next four years we’ll be driving very different cars. People need to really try it.

“It’s something you get used to. It’s supposed to be a seamless driving experience where you’re not feeling all the bumps in the road. DAS 2.0 iterates more of what you’re used to – a more natural feel. It’s much better than where DAS 1.0 was,” he surmises.

On test conditions the Infiniti was a solid steer. Winding through some challenging roads – and over broken surfaces – the Q60 delivered a good connection with the road and cornered with ease. It is, however, a better Grand Tourer than it is an out-and-out sportscar, and some of that does fall back to the steering.

Ultimately DAS 2.0 lacks the engagement and connectedness of a mechanical set-up, and like anything ‘new’ takes time to get used to. But, as I spent more time at the wheel, I admit it did indeed feel rather natural. There’s little vibration and impact felt through the wheel, and at the end of the day the lack of arm fatigue is a welcomed change.

Red Sport rev chaser
The headline act of the Q60 Red Sport is the all-new 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6. Delivering 298kW at 6400rpm and 475Nm from 1600-5200rpm the mill is paired exclusively to a seven-speed automatic transmission; and while available in all-wheel-drive overseas, Australia will only see the rear-wheel drive version.

So as to not lead you on, I’ll say this early: The power is potent and there’s zero lag. Zero! Power from the eager V6 is instantaneous, with a beautifully smooth delivery across the gears. Left to its own devices its fast to punch down a gear, or two, when you plant your foot. For more control, use the paddles.

The engine winds up quickly and has plenty of punch for overtaking. There’s a nice note from the engine, but the exhaust note is a little conservative given its aspiring character.
Infiniti says the Q60 Red Sport boasts an electronically-limited top whack of 250km/h.

That sees it within stalking range of rivals like the Audi S5 or BMW 440i. Naturally, it will also rival the Lexus RC 350 F Sport.

Being a tech-savvy Japanese luxury marque Infiniti of course equips its Q60 Red Sport with a multitude of driving modes. Six, in all. Standard, Snow, Sport, Sport + Personal and Eco mode adjust steering, throttle and transmission response, while dual-mode dampers firm the ride. You can even personalise your preference a la BMW M cars.

Smart safety features are aplenty, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward and back-up collision intervention, lane-departure warning and active lane-keep assist, and blind-spot warning and intervention.

…Bar the counting
Count the pros against the cons and the Q60 Red Sport is something of a winner. It’s also a competitive rival where after-sales support is concerned.

With a four-year/100,000km warranty and scheduled servicing at 12-month/15,000km intervals ($411 per service), it beats all comers bar Lexus – and let’s not forget four year’s roadside assistance that includes any non-Infiniti cars you also own.

There’s no denying Infiniti has pulled off an excellent sports coupe that delivers good fun behind the wheel with a genuine luxury overlay. If Infiniti can get bums in seats it should have no trouble convincing punters away from the usual suspects. Fingers crossed.

2017 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $88,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 298kW/475Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined) / 9.5L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 207g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBA