2019 Infiniti Q50 Signature Edition
For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the 2019 Infiniti Q50 in North America. Infiniti hit a home run with their first compact sedan, the G35, earning it the reputation for being the Japanese BMW. Let’s see how this stacks up against it’s predecessor.
Disclosure: Infiniti Canada provided me with the 2019 Infiniti Q50 for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #InfinitiQ50
ACCELERATION: 8.5/10
3.0L Turbo V6 - 300HP @ 6400 & 295 lb-ft @ 1600-5200
3.0L Turbo V6 - 400HP @ 6400 & 350 lb-ft @ 1600-5200
7-Speed Automatic Transmission
Very aggressive first gear helping you send it!
Excellent off the line acceleration
5.3 second 0-100 km/hr (300HP)
4.5 second 0-100 km/hr (400HP)
BRAKING: 8/10
Good stopping score
HANDLING: 7.5/10
Average handling for the segment but good for its price
Not a fan of the drive by wire steering
RIDE: 7.25/10
Firmer suspension is definitely noticeable for longer commutes but works well if you want that sportier feel.
ECONOMY: 7/10
20/29/23- City/Highway/Combined 3.0T( 300HP)
20/26/22- City/Highway/Combined 3.0T( 400HP)
CABIN NOISE: 7.5/10
Good control of noise as expected from a luxury vehicle but it does seem a bit noisier than the competition
EXTERIOR: 9/10
Looks very sharp and aggressive from the front
It’s hard to see in my tester but the skirt at the front and rear has a black trim. Personally if I owned this car I would want to show that off and would go with a white paint scheme to show the contrasting black trim accents.
INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 7.75/10
Gear shifter is a bit high and unfortunately my hand keeps hitting it since all the audio controls are in the centre. I think having a shorter shifter would be much more ergonomic.
Driver seat is very comfortable
Steering wheel button layout look cleanly laid out
Founded the heated seat button not straight forward to use as it’s the lowest button in the centre dash but the low, medium high temperature read out shows up on the top monitor display.
One of the safety features I found annoying when you drive aggressively. It will push your gas pedal back against you, beep and brake for you. Good thing that it is possible to disable.
INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 8.5/10
Although the leg room looks small in the photo, the leg and head room is great compared to it’s German competitors
Combined Legroom:
79.6 Q50
77.1 340i
77.0 A4
77.0 IS350
76.5 XE
76.0 ATS
Combined Headroom:
37.7 340i
37.5 Q50
37.4 A4
37.1 C300
37.0 XE
36.8 ATS
INTERIOR STORAGE: 7.2/10
13.5 Cu Ft of storage
Fits four 24 inch roller bags
No spare tire under the cargo load floor
Overall cargo capacity is average
The extra leg room for the rear passengers meant they had to sacrifice cargo space.
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 6.5/10
I’m starting to sound like a broken record but the infotainment is still using this outdated system.
In the luxury line, competitors have a wide screen all digital cockpit and as a consumer who has experienced one of these types of systems, I personally would want that to be an option in any luxury vehicle moving forward.
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2019 infiniti q50:
What’s not to love when you have 400 HP? Infiniti’s 2019 Q50 has so much “F U” power and torque for it’s class. On the highways you’ll have no problem overtaking most cars, including the competitors in the class. In the Japanese luxury car segment Infiniti’s V6 Turbo engine is the best out of all the other Japanese brands.
I really like the styling changes they’ve done with the exterior. If I was super picky, in the next generation I would like to see Infiniti go all in and make this compact sedan as sporty as possible. It has the beefy engine that driving enthusiasts are looking for but the driving feel and engagement could be more connected. The 7 speed transmission could be upgraded to a 9 or 10 speed.
The main downside is the infotainment is outdated but if you’re not fussy about that then this is a really good value option. Because this car is in such a competitive market and buyers favouring German brands, I would expect dealers to be more willing to give discounts if you shop around.
