2018 Infiniti Q60 Sport 3.0T AWD
This week we look at the very sexy Infiniti Q60 3.0T AWD which received a refresh last year. It has a very aggressive and angry front end. The 3.0L twin-turbo V6 is listed among Wards 10 Best Engines. We give the 300HP engine a try which is plenty of power for the average driver. This competes with vehicles like Mercedes C300 which I tested recently and BMW 430i which I will also be reviewing soon.
Disclosure: Infiniti Canada & JS Auto provided me with the 2018 Infiniti Q60 for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me.
ACCELERATION: 9/10
300HP @ 6400/ 295 lb.-ft. @ 1600-5200
3.0L V6 Twin Turbo. Turbocharged 24-valve engine
Electronically controlled 7-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control
5 seconds 0-100 km/hr
BRAKING: 8/10
Very respectable braking scores but top of the line performance models in the AMG and M line up will do better.
If you go for the higher trim you’ll receive wider tires
HANDLING: 9/10
Surprisingly the steering feel engaging and direct even though it has a steer by wire system.
RIDE: 7.5/10
Because the handling is so sharp, and very little body roll the suspension is a lot stiffer feel
ECONOMY: 7.8/10
20/29/24.5 - City/Highway/Combined
For a vehicle that is one of the fastest in the segment, the fuel economy scores are impressive!
CABIN NOISE: 8.5/10
Infiniti has tuned the driver experience to give a luxury like cabin with minimal noise.
EXTERIOR: 9/10
Very sexy, sharp, muscular look yet there’s still something elegant with the lines.
SAFETY|SECURITY|TECH: 7.5/10
Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)
Brake Assist (BA)
4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Infiniti Advanced Air Bag System (AABS)
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Slide-away brake pedal assembly
Emergency inside trunk release
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Infiniti Vehicle Immobilizer System
Vehicle Security System
Infiniti Intelligent Key backup slot to start vehicle if keyfob battery is depleted
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Traction Control System (TCS)
Driver and front-passenger side-impact supplemental air bags
Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard occupant head protection
Front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters, driver’s seat Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) and passenger’s seat ELR and Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Second-row 3-point seat belts with ELR and ALR
Zone Body construction with reinforced passenger compartment and front and rear crumple zones
LATCH System (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
Remote keyless entry system with selective unlocking of driver’s door or all doors
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 8.8/10
Found the driver seat very comfortable for my body frame even with the very aggressive side bolstering
8-way power type Semi Aniline leather-appointed front seats. Driver’s seat power lumbar and power torso support adjustments
Seats look very sporty and more luxury styling to the interior
Aluminum-accented pedals and footrest is a nice touch!
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 6/10
Getting into the back seat is very easy for a coupe with a click of a button
Leg room is generous but head room is limited because of the sexy sloping roof design
I suspect you could fit a child seat in the back
Rear seats fold down as one piece.
INTERIOR STORAGE: 7/10
Button to open the trunk is very well hidden in the light on the driver side. I actually really like this design language!
Although the Infiniti Q50 is one the largest sedans in the segment, it’s trunk is not the largest and that’s the case with the Q60 as well. The rear suspension design eats into a bit of the trunk space.
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 6/10
The infotainment system is the weakest part of the car. It’s laggy, slow and graphics look dated. Good news is Nissan/Infiniti is partnering with Google to overhaul the infotainment with a google-centric system which is super exciting!
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2018 infiniti q60:
Infiniti’s Q60 delivers powerful smoothly thanks to it’s seven speed automatic transmission. I can only imagine how much more exciting it would be to drive their 400 HP version. This kind of reminds me of American muscle cars with massive amount of power and it’s easy to get the rear end to kick out a little. If you’re in the US you’ll be able to get the rear wheel drive version but in Canada we only have the AWD option.
Overall this AWD vehicle with its rear wheel bias make it so much fun and engaging to drive on a curvy road! It has a near perfect 50/50 weight balance. I think those looking at this car would have their eyes on the 400 HP version.